By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing, and Andy Dang
The Olympics are one of the world’s largest and most iconic events. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics is expected to welcome 11 million visitors and generate around $10 billion.
Andy Dang, USF St. Petersburg’s Assistant Director of Events for the University Student Center, got to see the massive operation in person.
Dang has helped to put on hundreds of events at USF over the years, from international conferences, political events, ribbon cutting ceremonies and student programs. Outside USF, he has coordinated concerts for artists such as Willie Nelson and The Wailers as well as worked on music festivals from the Tampa Bay Blues Festival to MerleFest, which welcomes 80,000+ guests over four days.
Recently, Dang has used his years of experience in the industry to serve as president for the Tampa Bay chapter of Meeting Professionals International and teach courses in event management and international food and culture for the USF School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
See a glimpse of Dang’s experience at one of the world’s biggest events - what he called “a dream come true” - in the photo gallery below.