UCLA Athletes Forge Significant Connections at NIL Networking Event

UCLA Athletics hosted a unique NIL networking event where their athletes had the opportunity to connect with businesses, donors, and marketing experts.

UCLA Athletics hosted an NIL networking event on Oct. 19 where local businesses, donors, marketing professionals, and brands connected with over 200 UCLA athletes. 

The event took place at UCLA's indoor arena, Pauley Pavilion. The attendees were welcomed with a blue carpet entrance, photo stations, and several gift-bag samples from brands. 

The event was called "Westwood Exchange Live," named after the Westwood Exchange virtual marketplace which serves as the official name, image, and likeness platform for UCLA.

"Westwood Exchange Live was such a great opportunity to connect with my fellow Bruin student-athletes, as well as the awesome community that surrounds us," said Ayrton Garcia-Jurado, UCLA men's volleyball student-athlete. "It made me feel special to see how excited all of our wonderful brand and company representatives were to interact with us. Overall, it was a great night and I can't wait to see it happen again." 

UCLA Athletics shared pictures of some of their athletes attending the event on their Instagram account. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UCLA Athletics (@uclaathletics)

UCLA's Westwood Exchange, according to the Bruins' website, is "a free business registry designed for companies, donors, fans, and alumni that want to connect directly with UCLA's student-athletes interested in capitalizing on their name, image and likeness (NIL)." 

Through the Exchange, athletes execute NIL deals such as social media endorsements, autograph signings, and public appearances. As noted on the Exchange's website, the university—including its employees and coaches—is not permitted to negotiate and execute contracts on behalf of the athletes. The deals that are executed through the platform are consolidated into a single 1099 at the end of the year for the registered businesses and athletes. 

UCLA plans to hold several more NIL workshops and events throughout the school year aimed at empowering and educating student-athletes so that they can maximize their NIL opportunities.