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A proud partner of Sports ETA, Sports Business Journal sits at the epicenter of the sports industry. We help industry elite grow their organizations with award-winning media content, unparalleled networking opportunities, and market-leading data. ADVERTISE SBJ has flexible branded and native advertising kits to drive tourism and sports revenue in your city. Spanning print, digital and audio, we'll work with you and your organization to create a customized advertising package to reach out business goals. Want to do more to reach your ideal customers? Contact us to discuss programs designed in collaboration with Sports ETA or to create your own customized solution. UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES Sports Tourism: April 18 Youth Sports: May 23 SUBSCRIBE Our most comprehensive news subscription, SBJ All Access delivers the latest in sports business with breaking news, original reporting, newsletters, multimedia content and virtual event access. Breaking new...

CINCINNATI (January 5, 2022) – Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) has named William Knox to lead Facilities Program Development. He will oversee the Sports Facilities membership and programming, a growing segment of the general membership. Knox earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Marketing with a minor in Business from Indiana University in 2000. After completing his undergraduate career, he accepted a position as the Director of Sports Marketing with the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Later, he became the Director of the Hoosier Sports Corporation. Knox moved to Hamilton County in 2009 to accept the Director of Sports Development position for Hamilton County Tourism INC, where he also served as the Director of the Hamilton County Sports Authority. Knox went on to become the Director of the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana where he oversaw the operations, marketing and business development of the 400-acre campus tha...

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In partnership with Mayor Quinton Lucas, the boards of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation and Visit KC announced today that industry veteran and local community leader Kathy Nelson will serve as the leader of both organizations, effective Jan. 1, 2022. Serving as the President & CEO of the KC Sports Commission and Foundation for the last 10 years, Nelson will now provide strategic oversight to both regional organizations in the newly expanded role, helping to generate economic development for the destination through meetings, conventions, sports and tourism. “Kansas City is thrilled to announce today that Kathy Nelson, one of sports’ most respected names locally and around the country, is expanding her role and will now oversee both the Kansas City Sports Commission and Kansas City’s tourism arm, Visit KC," said Mayor Lucas. “Kathy’s steady leadership, efficiency and kindness when assembling sizable sport...

The latest edition of the Sports ETA Playbook is now available. Download your copy. Inside this issue: 2022 Event Calendar Life in the Front Office Podcast Symposium Recap Sports ETA Hall of Fame Sports ETA Member Awards View Playbook We encourage members to share information with their peers. Contact Meagan Grau to learn more about how you can contribute to a future edition of The Playbook. - The Sports ETA Staff

Smart Cities & Sport 2021  Building Partnerships: IFs Have The Floor! Cities are the treasures chests where most sports events are organized. Hosting sports events implies high-level facilities as well as a thoughtful events strategy linked with tourism, economic development, mobility policies, environment concerns, and legacy objectives. But nothing is possible without strong partnerships with sports federations and event organizers. The recent period has deeply disrupted both the existing benchmarks and the anticipated schedules. What is the future of major event bidding and hosting? Are rights holders increasingly tending to have a “Continuous Dialogue” with the cities rather than launching a bidding process? This session aims to answer the above questions by providing concrete examples and best practices from the perspective of IF’s, as well as the cities. Al Kidd, President & CEO of the Sports Events & Tourism Association Mark ...

Thank you for your membership with Sports ETA! Without your loyalty and support, this association would not be able to continue growing and evolving.  A few years ago, we coined the term “EARN” to define the work of our association: Education, Advocacy, Resources, and Networking. As you know, all of these pillars have been re-imagined and activated through the pandemic. Take a look at the programs and services implemented for the sports events and tourism industry. As a reminder, 2022 membership dues will be increased at the following levels based on the outcome of an extensive membership dues review conducted by your Sports ETA Board of Directors. Destinations – $1,195/organization Industry Partners - $1,195/organization Rights Holders - $250/organization Help us continue the momentum and sustainability of your association. For more information on the membership dues increase review click here.   Currently, you...

Are you the president, CEO, or executive director of your organization? If so, we want to see you in Las Vegas this January at the 2022 Chief Executive Summit! What is the Chief Executive Summit? The CE Summit equips Sports Events and Tourism CEOs with the tools necessary to advance the mission of your organization. CEOs of sports destinations and sports events are invited to learn from industry experts addressing high-level topics including office culture, leadership and management, crisis management, achieving goals, and more. REGISTRATION Sports ETA Member Rate: $499 Non-Sports ETA Member Rate: $699 (contact info@sportseta.org to register) The registration deadline is January 21, 2022. Register Now HOTEL The Signature at MGM Grand 145 Harmon Avenue  Las Vegas, NV 89109 The online reservations portal will open on December 1, 2021. The hotel room block closes on December 27, 2022. Official accommodations for the 2022 Chief Executive&n...

The Pulse data dashboard is powered by EventConnect’s™ industry-leading tournament solution software. The Pulse is a part of the Sports Tourism Research Institute, a product of Sports ETA. Data is drawn from the more than 4,000 sporting events in the platform, pulled together, and analyzed at a holistic level. The comprehensive data is then segmented into these eight data visualizations representing a snapshot of key sports events and tourism industry metrics reviewed year-over-year and month-to-month. Data ranges from number of events held in each state and events by sport to number of hotel registrations made by team and average length of stay.   View Full Report

Contact: Jackie Reau Game Day (513) 708-5822 jreau@gamedaypr.com Sports ETA Wraps Up Successful Symposium 700+ Sports Events and Tourism Leaders Gather in Birmingham BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (October 28, 2021) – Sports ETA, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, held its annual Symposium here from October 25-28, 2021 with more than 700 sports events and tourism industry leaders in attendance. Keynote presentations were made by Civil Rights Activists Dr. Martha Bouyer and Lisa McNair, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Erik Moses, President of Nashville Superspeedway. “Sports events and tourism industry leaders convened from around the country in Birmingham for the Symposium designed to connect destinations to event rights holders for new business opportunities,” said Al Kidd, President and CEO of Sports ETA. “Birmingham was the perfect host for our largest annual event for our membership.” Numerous education prog...

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (October 26, 2021) – Mike Millay, the longtime executive at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Orlando, was inducted into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame today at the Association’s Annual Symposium held here. The Sports ETA Hall of Fame was established in 2017 to honor those who have played a vital role in the success and promotion of the Sports Events Tourism Association and have contributed significantly to the advancement of the sports events and tourism industry. Since his retirement from the ESPN Wide World of Sports, Millay is actively involved in three sports-related businesses in sports tourism industry, where he serves as the Managing Partner of Clancy’s Sports, a strategic planning company working with municipalities and facilities around the country. He is also a partner at 3D Institute, an online coaching education platform serving coaches and administrators, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, he serves as ...