While it’s months away, chances are that Ariana Tyler has the date marked on her calendar for the football tailgating season to come back. Ariana says that her favorite time out of the whole year is, “Saturday afternoon in September or October, because it means football and tailgating.”

As a die-hard Michigan State fan, Ariana’s favorite sports memory was going to the Rose Bowl with her father in 2014 and watching her Spartans steal the win from Stanford in the last minute of the game.

For Ariana Tyler, the sport event industry is about giving people a life-long memory. She enjoys meeting peers from across the country and building relationships within the industry.

“Learning from others has truly helped me be a better event planner and provide that next level of servicing to our clients,” says Tyler. “Plus, it’s always fun to hear what cool things other cities are doing!”

As an Events Manager for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Ariana is responsible for providing service to national, regional, and local groups. She also has a direct hand in the annual budgets and works to receive funds from the State of Ohio specifically for events in Columbus to help battle the costs of the events.

She also knows the good and bad of volunteer recruitment and management. Ariana supervised more than 900 volunteers for the Women’s Final Four, and has also worked with universities and their sports management programs to recruit student volunteers.

Tyler remembers that during her time in college, sports commissions were never mentioned as a career path. So she takes the time to speak at community meetings and in college classrooms to help educate on all the benefits that sport tourism and events can offer.

“This industry has amazing people and I’m so grateful for the friendships and experiences it has provided me,” says Tyler.

Learn more about Ariana Tyler and the rest of Sports ETA’s mentors here.