On the eve of the Philadelphia Flyers’ first, first-round NHL playoff game in 20 years as the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, we caught up with Valerie Camillo, President of Business Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center, on the road she took to directing all business activities for the Comcast Spectacor-owned franchise, along with one of the country’s busiest arenas.

Q: Congrats on the Flyers being the No. 1 seed in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference! This is your first playoff hockey experience. Were you expecting the team to be in this position heading into the playoffs?

Valerie CamilloA: When the season paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team was in a good position to make the playoffs. What the unique season restart afforded us was the opportunity to move up in playoff seeding and the team delivered on that with an excellent performance. The Flyers swept through the Round Robin competition and secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. During this Stanley Cup Playoff, teams will be reseeded after each round; so getting the No.1 seed is a big, big win for us. Hopefully, it will help set up the team for a great run.

Q: Usually, playoff hockey is the absolute peak of experiences for fans. How has your team had to innovate and pivot in order to grow excitement for playoff hockey during a pandemic?

A: Our Marketing team has done a great job keeping fans engaged and connected to the team and our brand through social, digital, and experiential efforts. One of the things we are most proud of is our new second screen experience, called the Flyers Home Ice, which can be found at www.PhiladelphiaFlyers.com. This new platform brings the excitement and traditions of watching a game at the Wells Fargo Center into your home as a companion to your tablet, computer, or phone and the NBC broadcasts of the games. Fans can access the Flyers Home Ice broadcast companion 20 minutes before each game.

Q: You’re one of the top women business leaders in sports and one of only two women presidents out of 32 teams in the NHL. How did you get into the sports business?

A: My path into sports was actually non-traditional. I always had the passion and desire to work in sports and entertainment, but I spent the first 15 years of my career in management consulting focused on totally different industries. Then, I thought about what I wanted to do next, and decided it was time for me to pursue my career dream. I started networking with everyone I knew to try and get informal meetings with people working in sports. I had many conversations, many networking coffees trying to figure out a path in at an appropriate level for where I was in my career. Finally, I met Chris Granger (now President of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings), who was leading the internal consultancy at the NBA. He gave me my first break and it’s been an incredible career since.

Q: What advice do you have to young women looking to pursue a business career in sports?

A: Take the first step and go for the career you want. Also, just because you don’t start out in sports doesn’t mean you can’t pursue a career in the industry in the future. The sports business has many facets with multiple career paths. I’m a good example of how gaining experience in one field translated well into sports. That said, be tenacious. Invest the time to find the right opportunity and network. From when I started looking in earnest, it took almost two years before I had an opportunity to work in sports.

Q: With the bubble restrictions in the NHL playoffs, how have you been watching the games?

A: I’ve been watching on television in my family room just like everyone else! It is definitely a different experience watching the games this way, but my excitement and enthusiasm for the Flyers is persistent. And, there’s nothing better than playoff hockey!

Q: What are some bright spots/positives that have come out of this playoff experience?

A: I think the situation we are all in has made us more grateful. We miss live sports, the in-person action, and in-game entertainment. We miss seeing our fans and their passion for Flyers hockey. We miss being there. I think we are all more appreciative of something we perhaps took for granted before the pandemic: The unique role we play in enabling the City of Philadelphia to gather as a community and have fun. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back through our doors.