Guest post by Nicole Carter, Coordinator, Distribution and Partner Marketing at Pac-12 Networks and WISE Marketing Committee Member
Hello WISE Members of the Bay Area! In case you missed our WISE SF Bay Area Rugby World Cup Sevens event, we want to fill you in on a few of the highlights from the opening ceremony, some fun facts about the sport of rugby, and a debrief on how a company named Rosterfy helped the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens come to life.
On July 19, throngs of people from across the globe gathered in San Francisco’s famed Embarcadero district. The iconic Ferry Building posed as a perfect backdrop to the incredible sunny weather and high-energy crowd eagerly anticipating the athletes’ entrance. The athletes poured out from behind-the-scenes in a single file line and were greeted by an all-embracing crowd waiting to high-five and cheer them on. Loud electronic music blared from the speakers and the emcee, friend of WISE Franco Finn, hyped up the crowd for each country as the athletes took the stage. The 2018 Opening Ceremony was a great start to what was an exciting, action-packed weekend of competitive rugby games to follow. After all the athletes had filed across the stage and joined the crowd in the plaza, the President of International Rugby, Bill Beaumont, gave a short opening dialogue and the games were underway!
For those of you out there who don’t know a ton about rugby, here are a few quick fun facts about the sport:
- 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, hosted in San Francisco, was the first time that the event has ever been hosted in the United States
- Rugby has only been an official Olympic sport in three total Olympic Games: 1900, 1924, and 2016
To get a better understanding for how this international rugby event was executed, I spoke with a fellow San Francisco WISE member, Morgan Fuller, who recently joined a company called Rosterfy, as their U.S. Client Success Manager. Rosterfy is a global-leading digital workforce management platform that allows event and volunteer managers to provide a fully integrated scheduling and onboarding platform for their staff and volunteers. With offices in London, Australia, and San Francisco, Rosterfy is able to truly provide their clients with 24/7 customer service. With each employee hailing from event backgrounds and with each volunteer in mind as the end user, Rosterfy is a phenomenal tool for any organization looking to streamline their event staffing processes. Morgan noted that one of the most memorable parts of her experience at Rugby World Cup was when she was working side-by-side with a volunteer who had travelled from Australia to volunteer for the event! Through Rosterfy’s platform, Rugby World Cup brought together volunteers from around the world to be a part of this special event to share their love of sports and create an incredible event for the athletes and spectators.
After the opening ceremonies concluded, the WISE group headed to Sens Restaurant overlooking the plaza for a group networking session and happy hour. Food, drinks, and good company were the perfect way to conclude the evening’s rugby festivities.
The Rosterfy team at our happy hour
WISE SF Bay Area offers a wealth of opportunities for those who are interested in learning more, getting involved, and meeting new people in sports, events, and entertainment in the Bay Area. We have something for everyone and welcome you to join us at our next event at August Hall in San Francisco!