Students in April Schofield’s MKT 4250 Advanced Selling class expected to kick off the semester by reviewing the syllabus and meeting their classmates. Instead, they found themselves stepping into a live, real-world sales conversation with Denver7.

On the first day of class, Maggie Wolanske from Denver7 and MSU Denver’s Tim Carroll visited Schofield’s classroom to conduct an in-class interview about ticket sales for the AFC Championship game. The discussion focused on the strategy behind limiting ticket sales to regional zip codes and how those decisions impact demand, pricing, and fan engagement.

Schofield had only about an hour’s notice before the cameras arrived.

“That is sales,” she said with a laugh. “You have to be ready at any moment.”

The spontaneous visit turned into an authentic learning experience, giving students a front-row seat to how sales strategy shows up in the real world and how media, marketing, and business intersect outside the classroom.

It’s not Schofield’s first time connecting industry and media to her teaching. Over the past six months, she’s contributed to seven or eight news stories with Denver7 and Fox31, often receiving last-minute calls or texts from reporters looking for expert insight. But this marked the first time a news team came directly into her class.

“It made for an interesting first day,” she said.

At MSU Denver, experiential learning is part of the classroom. Students get hands-on opportunities to see real-world business in action and learn directly from professionals. Our faculty, actively work with industry partners, media outlets, and organizations across the region, bringing those experiences straight to students.

As Dr. Sally Baalbaki-Yassine, Chair of the Department of Marketing, shared, “That is such a great opportunity. I’m sure it was a great experiential learning moment for the students.”

Thank you April Schofield for saying yes, and giving your students the opportunity to experience a real-world business moment they won’t forget.