By: Adam White, @FOSAdam
Front Office Sports is proud to have sat down with Victor Arnau, a Manager of Gastro and Sports Events. Victor is an alumnus of Hogeschool Zeeland University of Vlissingen where he received his B.S. in Business Economics, Business Administration and Management. He truly has a great passion for sports and event management and he was gracious enough to offer up his insight on how important being multicultural is, how much work running your own business is and how he is succeeding in meshing gastro economics and sporting events together.
What previous positions did you have before your current position? How did they help you get to where you are today?
After school I went to the United States and began my sports experience with an internship with DC United in the Spanish Communication department. After that I did ticketing, customer service and retail in tennis, most notably in the ATP. I learned how to offer the best multicultural customer service available. All this experience has helped my launch my own company focusing on the meshing of gastronomy and sports.
What is a day like in your current position? What are some daily challenges you face?
Right now I’m the Tournament Director of a golf tournament that brings in 18 soccer legends for a charity tournament. I need to manage celebrities, marketing, my website and hiring. I’m busy all the time so every day presents a new challenge
If you had to hire someone today what traits would the ideal candidate in your opinion need to possess to succeed in today’s sports industry?
If I was to hire someone they need to be friendly, multicultural, someone who is nice and who takes each opportunity in stride and does it with a smile.
What is the best career advice you’ve received?
You have to pursue your dreams. No matter how tough sports is you have to keep working to achieve it. Sales is key for your dream and you have to know and have a sales background as it is a great skill to have.
What is your favorite part about working in the sports industry?
It’s being part of something that is international. I have met so many international people and I have friends around the world and I love it. I love having customers and friends around the world.
What is your ultimate career goal?
I want to keep going on the path of being able to mesh gastronomy and sports. I love cooking and there is a great interaction between gastronomy and sports and solidarity. It’s a great fusion in my mind. I eventually want to do in an event in the United States.
How important is networking in your eyes?
Networking is important. LinkedIn is an unbelievable resource. If you are professional and nice on LinkedIn you can build a great network. It’s a resource you have to absorb and get good at. It can help so much.
Do you think being bilingual has given you an advantage in the sports industry?
Bilingual nowadays is great but in Europe it is not enough. You have to be multilingual. A lot of international players have made the move to America and you have to be ready to try and speak a few languages. In Spain where I’m based I can go two hours in any direction and be in 5 different countries that being multilingual is almost required. It’s very easy to move when you know multiple languages.
Victor’s current project can be found at this website: https://www.footballlegendsgolfmasters.com/
