Friday was a shorter evening with only an "Etiquette & Networking 101" session before a social gathering that introduced the purpose of the Pro Summit. Saturday was an all-day endeavor with 11 informational sessions broken up by meals and short breaks. There was another networking social, this time to celebrate the event's conclusion.
The sessions' topics varied from insurance to entrepreneurship, wealth management to leadership consulting and real estate to risk management. Each talk featured a speaker with expertise in the area.
"When I see these guys, they spent elementary school years, middle school years, high school years, college years and pro years focusing on one thing: football," said Mark Jennings, [the real-estate panelist with 40 years of experience](https://www.theleavengroup.com/team-member/mark-jennings/). "They're not supposed to know what I know about real estate. There's no time in there to learn about real estate. There's nobody in their world that's teaching them about real estate. Just like there's nobody in my world that's teaching me plays of football. So, to me, it's just an easy fit to have these interested people and break off a little knowledge. It costs me nothing, and I gain the relationship from it. It's all positive."
Gathering panelists who understood the immense social platforms and financial potential available to the players was paramount to the summit's success. It allowed them to speak directly to the players' unique situations and the benefits that affords them. Basically, panelists kept it real with the players.
For example, one used flying an airplane as an analogy for opening a business. While everyday folks may start on the runway, the players will already begin their ascent 10,000 feet in the air. They're not at full altitude yet, but they're closer from the start.
"I think that lays a framework for them to even be able to hear anything that they're saying," Tabron said. "Like don't speak to what you think of me and don't speak to below me; speak to me where I am. Then, they can benefit from what you're saying."