In the buildup to Front Office Sports’ Ticketing Huddle at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 10 we’re introducing you to the huddle leaders who will be lending their expertise to the conversation.
Today, meet Andrew Puzyk, director of business development at Thuzio. Puzyk will be one of the leaders of the huddle “More Than a Ticketholder: Why Membership Programs Have the Attention of the Industry.”
A 2012 graduate of Rutgers, Puzyk joined Thuzio in 2014. The company provides members-only access to events where celebrated athletes and sports figures share their insights and their stories. Puzyk embraced the company’s vision from the start.
“I loved the entire model of what Thuzio was, which was to bring business leaders together in a membership community type setting,” Puzyk states. “It was right up my alley, doing all these events with all these different athletes as well as just building my network with decision makers and execs. I love it because I’m able to do great thing things in the business realm as well as work alongside some of my childhood sports idols.”
Puzyk even cites being able to expand Thuzio into different markets as one of his proudest accomplishments. Thuzio originally hosted a handful of events every year in New York and Philadelphia, but now host over 100 events all across the United States.
“When I first started here, we were only throwing events in New York and Philadelphia. Then we realized there was a need for these enterprise-type customers that needed to entertain and give their sales team an arsenal all across the country, not just being here in New York.”
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In his quick rise to his current role, Puzyk recalls that the best piece of professional advice he ever received came from a former superior from his college days: have the hunger to separate yourself from the pack, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
“You need that drive to keep going and become successful, but at the same time, don’t forget to live and enjoy life.”
Working in ticketing and sales, Puzyk believes, has more than adequately prepared him for the rest of his professional life. In fact, regardless of if sales is their ultimate destination, Puzyk believes that all young sports professionals should make an attempt at sales early in their career.
“I think everybody should start in ticket sales because it’s going to teach you one of two things. One, you might be really good at it and it’s going to open up a lot of doors for you. Sales is one of the few sides of working in sports where you can make a lot of money. Two, you’ll find out really quickly if you’re not good at sales. If you’re not, that’s totally fine, but now you know. Either way, if you’re humble, hungry. and you come into work every day and do your job, doors will start opening for you.”
Meet Andrew and hear more of his thoughts on the ticketing space at the Front Office Sports Ticketing Huddle at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CA on May 10. For tickets and additional info, click here.
