Cassandra Tuiasosopo Talks Inclusive Leadership and Kraken Merchandise on 'Crank Up The Volume' Debut
On the inaugural episode of The Pop-Up! Presents: Crank Up The Volume, host Alicia Crank sat down with Cassandra Tuiasosopo, Director of Sales and Service for the Seattle Kraken. Tuiasosopo shared insights into building a National Hockey League franchise, the strategy behind Kraken theme nights, and advice for women striving to advance in sports business.
An Untraditional Journey into Sports Leadership
Tuiasosopo shared that working behind the scenes in professional sports was not her original plan.
"I didn't know a lot about what was even possible in the sports industry. My dream was to play college softball and go into whatever comes after that," she said. "If I can't play sports for the rest of my life, I want to work in sports for the rest of my life.”
Her transition accelerated following graduate school, where she earned a Master's in Marketing with an emphasis in sports and entertainment, alongside study abroad experiences observing organizations like Wimbledon and Chelsea F.C. Upon returning to the US, she landed a part-time position with the Denver Broncos, followed by full-time sales roles with the Colorado Buffaloes and University of Washington Huskies.
When rumors surfaced of an NHL expansion team heading to Seattle, Tuiasosopo jumped at the opportunity. "I knew I wanted to get a foot in that door because it's just such a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to be a part of an expansion franchise and build something from the ground up," she said.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Building from Scratch
Having spent seven years with the Seattle Kraken organization, Tuiasosopo detailed how she progressed through the ranks, moving from Inside Sales Manager to Director of Group Sales, and eventually stepping into her current role overseeing both sales and service teams.
During the franchise's early days, her team handled every aspect of launch preparation, from phone support during mask and vaccine mandates to literally cleaning arena seats between games. Moving into leadership as a young professional brought its own challenges.
"Imposter syndrome is such a real thing... for women especially in this industry," Tuiasosopo said, explaining she was in her mid-20s at the time of the role. While she didn’t hold the same experience as her colleagues, she credited her curiosity and ability to ask questions freely as the key to her success.
Inside the Strategy of Theme Nights and Exclusive Merch
A major focus of Tuiasosopo’s current work is overseeing special ticket offers and theme nights. For the upcoming season, the team is hosting 37 special ticket games, ranging from collegiate nights to pop culture crossovers like Hello Kitty, Peanuts, and Naruto.
"We really are just listening to the fans," Tuiasosopo said regarding the expansion of theme nights. "We welcome 2,000 new fans into the arena every single game... this is a great vehicle to get to those fans, meet them where they're at, and get new people involved and in love with Kraken Hockey.”
During a "show and tell" segment, Tuiasosopo showcased several items available exclusively through special ticket purchases:
University of Washington Co-Branded Satin Bomber Jacket: A heavy-weight jacket featuring the gold UW logo and "Bow Down" lettering on the back.
North Cascades Mountain Range Poncho: Part of the franchise's annual "Outdoor Series," this packable poncho features artwork inspired by local mountain ranges.
Common Thread Collectible Tumblers: As part of the team's initiative to engage underrepresented communities, custom tumblers feature reimagined primary and secondary logos created by local artists. This includes a Mexican-American Día de los Muertos design by Andrew Gomez IV for Hispanic Heritage Night, and artwork by Jesse Lipscombe depicting "Black Joy" for Black Hockey History Night.
"Yeet the Fish" Blind Box Keychains: A plush keychain series based on the arena tradition of throwing salmon after home victories.
Tuiasosopo also highlighted flexible ticket options like "Build-A-Packs" and returning "Pepsi Value Bundles" designed to lower financial barriers for fans.
Advice for the Next Generation
Tuiasosopo offered words of encouragement for women and minority professionals seeking to build careers in sports management.
"For any women or people of color who are trying to break into the sports industry, really make sure that you continue to believe in yourself, persevere even through the adversity, and network, network, network. It's so important when you are joining this realm,” she said.
Learn more about upcoming Seattle Kraken events at www.nhl.com/kraken/
Catch The Pop-Up! Presents: Crank Up The Volume Wednesday nights live at 7 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.
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