Next Penn State football NIL event to feature Saquon Barkley
Happy Valley United kicked off a summer event schedule with an inaugural golf tournament in Harrisburg on Monday. The first of three announced events, next putting on a cocktail reception in Philadelphia on May 9, with a second-annual reception at the Jersey Shore set for July 25, the tournament helped raise money while educating businesses and donors for the Nittany Lions’ NIL progress.
Thursday, another new announcement is likely to help bolster the effort.
Revealed through Happy Valley United’s social media channels, the “We Are… In Philly” event will feature a special guest appearance from new Philadelphia Eagles and former Nittany Lions great running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley will appear alongside Penn State head coach James Franklin.
“We’re going to have Saquon. That will be a huge draw, as you know,” said Jen Ferrang, General Manger of Development and Corporate Sponsorships for HVU, when reached earlier this week. “People who are Eagles fans might want to come for that alone. And so it’s going to be a combination of a more intimate cocktail reception and then a general reception that’s going to be really fun.
“We’ll have a lot of different things going on. We’ll have some silent auctions, some live auctions, and it should just be another way to attract attention and educate people on NIL for football. This will be our inaugural event for this in Philadelphia. We’re trying a lot of different venues and opportunities to interact with players and Letterman and the coaching staff.”
Details for next Penn State NIL event
Set for the Bellevue Hotel on Broad Street in Philadelphia’s Center City, the event will run from 6-10 p.m. and includes three separate receptions. From 6-7 p.m., Franklin, members of his staff, and program lettermen will host a VIP reception with limited tickets available. That leads into a main reception from 7-9 p.m., with entertainment provided by “rapping magician” Mervant Vera and “speed painter” Cory Sabol.
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“We’re gonna have a small reception first with Coach. Then we’ll have more of a general reception with Coach and former players and current players,” said Ferrang. “We’re also going to have a magician rapper, and we’re also going to have a live painter who has done some different events. So it’ll be kind of a more intimate setting with Coach in the beginning, and then a general reception where we’ll have fun.”
Also set to appear at the event are former and current players including Tyrece Mills, Keon Wylie, Drew Shelton, Abdul Carter, Jameial Lyons, and BOT candidate Carl Nassib. Additionally, a selection of Penn State assistant coaches will also be in attendance.
Next steps
New to the Philadelphia event, HVU is also featuring a first-time “Young Professional” ticket package for attendees age 35-and-under. Priced at $150 for the main reception, Ferrang said the organization hopes to welcome in donors to the program at a variety of price points.
“We’re trying to attract at a price point that is reasonable for younger people who think they may not be able to have an impact because they’re earlier in their careers,” said Ferrang. “But I think getting some younger people in the room to hear from James and the other coaches and network with other people who are involved, talking to current players and seeing what it’s all about, it’s a way to give them access at a lower price.”
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