Global Summits
January 14, 2025

GIS Global Summits: The Start of Something New for Student Poppy Kelly 

GIS Global Summits: The Start of Something New for Student Poppy Kelly 

Poppy Kelly is a UCFB Wembley graduate and current GIS student, studying MSc International Sport Management. She also works as a Fan Experience Executive at Birmingham City FC, the club she supports, and is now set to move to Toronto for two years after visiting the city on a GIS Global Summit.  

Looking back at her first summit, Poppy travelled to New York, marking the first time she had left Europe on her own. An understandably daunting experience, Poppy reminisced on the adventure in a recent webinar with Mark Clemmit, where she said:  

“It was a bit crazy [signing up to the New York summit]. It’s a place everyone has to visit, and what better opportunity to do it than with my uni friends, while also to trying to make something professional of it as well.” 

These summits include a variety of activities, from workshops to live sport, and Poppy felt the balance of work and play was perfect, giving her an opportunity to develop her skills while also discovering a new place. “I felt like I got a really good combination of professional industry and free time- I got a really good grasp of the city.” 

Guest speakers are another crucial part of your experience on a GIS Global Summit, and Poppy believes that any contact made is valuable. “The industry is so tight, and they say that all the time. Especially with the guest speakers you get an extra bit of time with, at times you feel like you’re friends, like they get us and we get them.” 

A common concern among students considering attending a summit is whether contacts made in a completely new country will be useful. However, Poppy has shown that the discovery of a new place can make those connections very useful. 

 
Whilst attending her third summit, this time in Toronto, Poppy fell in love with the city and the people, realising she wanted to pursue a career there. This meant she was fully focused on making the most of her time there, saying: 

 “When I decided I really liked the city and that it was a good environment to be in, I tried to pick up as many contacts as I could, even in 10-minute gaps between guest speakers, trying to be a bit more memorable and catch them for two minutes.” 

She also highlighted the genuine willingness of the guest speakers to engage with students, adding: “They [guest speakers] want to know how we see the industry because we’re the future of the sports industry, and they’re very much conscious of that.”  

“Coming away from that, I knew Toronto would happen, but I wasn’t sure when. Over the summer, I started my master’s course with GIS, and I thought ‘if I don’t do it now, I won’t do it’, so this was the time to go.” 

Impressed by Poppy’s dedication to step out of her comfort zone, even while working at a club she loves, Mark then spoke about the landscape of the Canadian sports industry. Specifically, he mentioned the inward migration of 500,000 people who moved to Canada for work last year alone, and Poppy felt very well-received there. “They’re really open and welcoming to people from other countries coming in and helping them develop,” she said. 

Finally, Mark asked her if she felt like a different person by the end of the summits. Her reply? 

“100%” 

If you’d like to follow in Poppy’s footsteps and experience one of our Global Summits, click here to view more information about upcoming summits. 

Article by Zakaria Anani 

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