Women’s Golf Month
Carrie Coleman
Troon Value: Infectiously Energetic
Carrie Coleman has loved athletics since she was a kid growing up in Decatur, Alabama. Today, as vice president for Eventive Sports, the Birmingham-based sports marketing and event management company acquired by Troon earlier this year, she oversees a marketing division that works on a wide variety of sports events.
Her career at the company started with an internship in 2008 after she graduated from the University of Alabama. She worked on golf events for two years before being promoted to director of ticketing. Six years later she moved to overseeing the collegiate and amateur sports division, and events such as the SEC Baseball Tournament and SEC Women’s Golf Championship. She started her current role in 2021.
“I’ve always been drawn to the creativity of marketing,” Coleman said. “It’s fulfilling to see how the messaging and innovative campaigns we create enhance the excitement and engagement around each event we work on.”
One event stands out for Coleman: The World Games 2022, with almost 3,500 international athletes competing in 33 sports. “It was such a large event for Birmingham,” she said. “I contributed on the marketing side but was also responsible for the women’s softball competition. We had more than 10,000 spectators for the gold medal match between the USA and Japan. It was pretty electric when the USA came out on top.”
Making events look seamless and run smoothly does take plenty of hard work. “You have to stay calm, overcome adversity, and handle challenges,” said Coleman. “It’s all about your approach to managing and navigating those things.”
Coleman advises anyone interested in the sports event field to get started any way they can. “At Eventive Sports, we tell people to do an internship, or volunteer at an event to see what happens behind-the-scenes and decide if it’s for you,” she said. “It’s probably a little more fast-paced than people might imagine and may not be for everyone. If it is though, you will love the adrenaline rush and fulfillment each event brings.”
