The Ultimate 'Travel The World' Career Plan? Next Stop, Utah

I certainly missed being at RacquetX in Fort Lauderdale last week. After a successful experience attending last year — from great networking to connecting with industry influencers — I was really looking forward to returning.

However, at the last minute, I made the "executive decision" to stay focused on current momentum: remaining on the ground at PPA Tour stops whenever possible. So, instead of a convention centre, my next "remote office" will be at the Black Desert Resort in Utah for the Greater Zion Cup beginning next week.

Back in the Trenches 🎾

Getting back into the heart of event management has been the best. My recent journey as a volunteer has taken me from the Pickleball World Championships in Dallas to the Cape Coral Open in Florida, alongside personal site inspections (aka "fun stops") at event destinations like in Mesa, Arizona, or an MLP stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

While I'm fortunate to blend work with personal interests, the core of this journey is growing new business development opportunities within this booming sport.

I often think back to my early days when volunteering for Tennis Canada in Toronto. I met a fellow volunteer then who traveled the world following the ATP/WTA circuit — from the Australian Open to the U.S. Open. I remember thinking that would be the ultimate 'travel the world' career plan. It’s rewarding to now be testing that same model within the pro pickleball circuit.

Goals for the Greater Zion Cup 🎯

At the Greater Zion Cup, my focus is twofold:

1. Networking: Being on the ground as a volunteer allows for a unique, "under-the-hood" perspective with event organizers, player relations and spectator experiences that you simply can't get from sitting in the stands. I’m looking to keep broadening my network to help grow career opportunities as the pro game looks to expand north of the border.

   
   

2. All For Padel (AFP): This trip is also about strengthening the connections I am growing supporting padel & pickleball facitlity/retail specialists at The District. My current work involves supporting the ops team with sales channel development as Canada's distributor for All For Padel (AFP) / adidas Pickleball.

adidas Pickleball: Always Return Stronger

AFP has an exciting new roster of PPA Tour pros including CJ Klinger, Mari Humberg and Jaume Martinez Vich, who will all be competing in Utah. I'm hoping to spark connections that create opportunities for growing the adidas mission: Always Return Stronger back home across Canada.

Are you heading to the Black Desert Resort for the Greater Zion Cup, too? I’d love to connect to talk pickleball ops, 'PPA Canada' potential or all things adidas Pickleball. DM me in LinkedIn if you will be there!