Members of the UCLA men's volleyball team hit the blue carpet at Westwood Exchange Live
UCLA Athletics Hosts NIL Networking Night
October 23, 2023 | Bruin Athletics
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA Athletics welcomed local businesses, brands, donors and marketing experts to campus on Oct. 19 for an opportunity to network with over 200 UCLA student-athletes. The event, dubbed "Westwood Exchange Live" as a nod to UCLA's name, image, likeness (NIL) marketplace Westwood Exchange, took place in historic Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.ย
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Guests were treated to a blue carpet entrance, refreshments, photo stations and gift bags featuring product samples from attending brands. In-venue messaging emphasized the value of engaging in NIL partnerships with UCLA student-athletes and promoted available NIL resources.
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"The ultimate goal of this event was to generate excitement about NIL at UCLA," said Maddie Walsh, UCLA Assistant Director of Name, Image and Likeness. "With Los Angeles being the best place to build your brand and your network, we wanted to give student-athletes the opportunity to make meaningful connections in person while providing an opportunity to dress up and gather social media content for their brand."
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Introduced in 2022, Westwood Exchange has served as a virtual platform for members to access UCLA student-athletes, propose deals, and complete transactions. Westwood Exchange Live marks the first opportunity for members to meet with student-athletes in person.
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UCLA men's volleyball senior Ayrton Garcia-Jurado said, "Westwood Exchange Live was such a great opportunity to connect with my fellow Bruin student-athletes, as well as the awesome community that surrounds us. It made me feel special to see how excited all of our wonderful brand and company representatives were to interact with us. Overall, it was a great night and I can't wait to see it happen again."
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"Attending Westwood Exchange Live was an invaluable experience," shared freshman rower Bridget McLaughlin. "It provided a unique opportunity to connect with remarkable individuals and make connections within the world of marketing and college athletics. I feel really fortunate that UCLA grants us opportunities like this event, as they truly enhance the overall experience for student-athletes."
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Westwood Exchange Live is one of many NIL-focused programs that UCLA will host throughout the school year. UCLA also offers internal educational workshops; a Legal Clinic in partnership with the Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Tech & Sports Law; the Global Sports Business Forum; & other speaker events in partnership with the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
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Guests were treated to a blue carpet entrance, refreshments, photo stations and gift bags featuring product samples from attending brands. In-venue messaging emphasized the value of engaging in NIL partnerships with UCLA student-athletes and promoted available NIL resources.
ย
"The ultimate goal of this event was to generate excitement about NIL at UCLA," said Maddie Walsh, UCLA Assistant Director of Name, Image and Likeness. "With Los Angeles being the best place to build your brand and your network, we wanted to give student-athletes the opportunity to make meaningful connections in person while providing an opportunity to dress up and gather social media content for their brand."
ย
Introduced in 2022, Westwood Exchange has served as a virtual platform for members to access UCLA student-athletes, propose deals, and complete transactions. Westwood Exchange Live marks the first opportunity for members to meet with student-athletes in person.
ย
UCLA men's volleyball senior Ayrton Garcia-Jurado said, "Westwood Exchange Live was such a great opportunity to connect with my fellow Bruin student-athletes, as well as the awesome community that surrounds us. It made me feel special to see how excited all of our wonderful brand and company representatives were to interact with us. Overall, it was a great night and I can't wait to see it happen again."
ย
"Attending Westwood Exchange Live was an invaluable experience," shared freshman rower Bridget McLaughlin. "It provided a unique opportunity to connect with remarkable individuals and make connections within the world of marketing and college athletics. I feel really fortunate that UCLA grants us opportunities like this event, as they truly enhance the overall experience for student-athletes."
ย
Westwood Exchange Live is one of many NIL-focused programs that UCLA will host throughout the school year. UCLA also offers internal educational workshops; a Legal Clinic in partnership with the Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Tech & Sports Law; the Global Sports Business Forum; & other speaker events in partnership with the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
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