The Sports Events Marketing Experience (SEME), a national sports career and networking conference held in D.C., is entering its seventh year as a forum for the best and brightest sports minds in the industry. This year’s conference will be held March 26-27 at the Washington Nationals Park and is hosted by Georgetown University.

The conference was founded by the Associate Dean of Georgetown’s Sports Industry Management Program, Matt Winkler.

Winkler, in his days as the assistant athletics director for public relations at George Mason University, was approached about starting the ultimate national career conference for budding sports business people and a premier graduate sports management program. He has accomplished both, starting with SEME back in 2004.

Last year, he helped found a SIM Program at Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. Winkler has combined his work at Georgetown with SEME by having his students plan the majority of the conference, a collaboration he sees as a natural fit.

“Conferences are seen as the best experiences you can get in the working world,” Winkler said. “Being able to have a staff get experience on it is one of the best experiences, as it involves all elements of the business world.”

The conference has become wildly popular over the years because it hosts big names and provides internship and job opportunities for young professionals looking to gain a foothold in the sports industry. SEME has been sold out for the past two years and is poised for the same result this year, with about 400 total attendees.

Since the conference’s inception, Winkler has secured prominent keynote speakers, such as Under Armour founder Kevin Plank in 2004. He has continued that trend, with Sunil Gulati, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, set to speak in the year of the latest World Cup.

Other noteworthy keynote speakers on this year’s agenda include NFL Players’ Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and EA Sports’ Vice President of Global Brand Management Glenn Chin.

The speaking lineup alone warrants the price of admission, according to Winkler. SEME, however, consists of much more than impressive speakers. Every year, hundreds of professionals in the sports world – many of whom serve on the SIM Program’s faculty – attend the event.

“We have one of the toughest job markets in decades for graduates,” Winkler said. “Everyone is connected on a global scale, and you need to see your competition. In these two days, you know what the competition is, what executives are thinking and what’s ahead.”

Over the years, SEME has gained a reputation for helping Generation Y – those in their 20s and early 30s – enter one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries.

“We are at a critical juncture in the sports industry today, and we feel the role of SEME has never been more valuable for new professionals looking to break into the industry.” “