Dallas Robinson ’21 Builds Relationships on the Job at Vanderbilt

After graduating with a B.S. in sport management, Dallas Robinson ’21 started his career at his former internship site, Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut. A year later, in May 2022, he moved to Dallas, Texas, to accept a position with Learfield, a collegiate athletic communications company that Dallas said is partnered with every Division I school in the country in areas such as multimedia rights, NIL (name, image, likeness), apparel and merchandise, sponsorships, ticketing and sales.

Dallas started working with Learfield at their national headquarters, selling for Pocono Raceway, the Formula 1 Circuit of the Americas race, the University of Florida Gators and the NCAA March Madness and was promoted from a sales representative to an account executive within five months. In December 2022, he accepted a position with Learfield Amplify, the ticket sales arm of Learfield, working with Vanderbilt University athletics.

“I am currently selling for their sports teams — season tickets, group tickets, mini/flex plans and other ticket packages, along with renewals for each sport after each season,” Dallas said. “A huge part of my job is building relationships with fans and understanding each of their needs on an individual level, to really be able to help them.”

Building relationships with fans is Dallas’s favorite part of the job. Whether the interactions are over the phone or in person at games and events, he values having the ability to help fans foster their passion and expand their joy.

“Being able to create lasting memories for fans and knowing I am a little part of making it all happen makes me happy,” Dallas said, “and makes me feel like I am really making a difference in their lives.”

Dallas said the two internships he completed as a Colby-Sawyer student, at Stafford Motor Speedway and at Millennium Running, a company in Bedford, New Hampshire, that plans and executes top-level running events and triathlons, prepared him well for the work he is doing today. Though neither internship was focused on sales, they strengthened the skills he needed to succeed in the field.

“Relationship building, communication skills, time management and people skills were all super important and are essential in the sports industry,” Dallas said. “My internships were very hands on. I am super thankful that I had internships that allowed me to experience many different jobs in the sports world and allowed me to wear many hats over the length of it. Practicing those skills while interning and getting a feel of what goes on in the day to day really has helped me.”

Dallas said that it was not only his internship that prepared him for his career, but also the totality of his experience at Colby-Sawyer, in and outside the classroom and, especially, on the playing field with the men’s soccer team.

“I am forever grateful for the experience and relationships that Colby-Sawyer provided me,” Dallas said. “Going to a school the size of Colby-Sawyer makes you appreciate those things … Playing soccer at Colby-Sawyer has had, I believe, the largest impact on me in my professional career thus far. Teamwork, having fun, communication, figuring things out and overcoming challenge, learning from losses, not repeating mistakes and celebrating successes are all things that I had the privilege of experiencing with the best team on campus and still experience here at Vanderbilt.”

Dallas said he’s not sure where the future will take him, but he thinks he may eventually get involved with sports operations, facility management and event operations. In the meantime, he is learning a tremendous amount at Learfield and is enjoying life in Nashville, where his girlfriend, Bella Robinson ’21, is also working at Vanderbilt, as a nurse.

“We are enjoying it here and can see ourselves here for at least a little while,” Dallas said. “I don’t see myself in sales forever but being with Learfield and getting my feet in the door with this great company, there are plenty of opportunities to stay within the realm of sports.”

The outcomes reports from the Harrington Center for Experiential Learning indicate that, like Dallas, 99% of the Class of 2021 and 100% of the Class of 2022 were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Read more about Colby-Sawyer graduate outcomes.