Have you experienced challenges with how to track room night information better, or do you wonder if others pay bid fees and, if they do, where do they receive the money?  Well, you are not alone with challenges or issues we may face in the sport tourism industry.  The upcoming NASC Market Segment Meetings in Indianapolis, October 25-26, 2016, is a great meeting to attend for the opportunity to discuss your challenges/issues and to share best practices in the sport tourism industry. NASC Market Segment Meetings are very beneficial.  Here are three top benefits for attending these meetings in Indianapolis. 1.         Learning Opportunity.  Market Segment Meetings are an excellent opportunity for you to sit down with your colleagues and share challenges or questions you may have.  Learn best practices, trends, strategies, ideas or solutions in small group discussions.  You will be discussing with organizations similar ...

We continue our featured benefit for the month of August with a blog post on NASC Best Practices Webinars. As the sport tourism industry's only association, the NASC emphasizes educational and professional development opportunities year-round that help make our members more effective in the business of bidding on, booking, and managing sporting events. The NASC uses a variety of platforms, including webinars, to share information with serious-minded sport tourism executives.  Best Practices Webinars focus on a trend or topic that is relevant and timely. Led by industry experts, the webinars are an educational tool that present solutions for sport tourism professionals with a common theme of industry best practices for a specific issue. After 15-20 minute presentations, participants engage in Q&A sessions to get answers to tough questions and are able to take away ideas that they can execute immediately.  Registration is free for all NASC members and $25 for non-members. W...

You might remember the plans for a new high school football stadium for McKinney that called for a $62.8 million price tag for the facility. Well, the cost now is close to $69.9 million, because of construction overruns, according to a story published last week by Nanette Light, a staff writer for the Dallas News. In her article, she indicated that school board trustees learned last week that the costs are estimated to be $7.1 million more than what voters approved in May. The differences are attributed to higher concrete prices and additional road construction at the site, according to district officials. Originally the roads were to be built in phases but officials now have decided to build them all at the same time. McKinney is not alone in the higher pricing: The bill for the new stadium in Katy, Texas, has gone up around $4.5 million from the $58 million price tag the voters approved, and upgrades to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, are being scaled back because construction...

Check out our line-up of best practices and event webinars below and reserve your spot today!   The Sport of Politics Best Practices Webinar Thursday, August 25, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Kathy Nelson and Marc Schreiber Register Now! Join Kathy Nelson, President/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission, and Marc Schreiber, Vice President of Marketing & Development, St. Louis Sports Commission, as they discuss how you can be an advocate for your local and state legislation. They will share their story of navigating the political waters, and tips for what works and what does not. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on the 25th, remember, you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required).   USA Boxing Event Webinar Sponsored by MGM Resorts International Thursday, September 8, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Brandon Dyett Register Now! Join Bran...

Olympic fever, albeit short term and every four years, can be a big driver in sports facilities. As we’ve seen Team USA excel in the pool and in gymnastics, expect little boys and girls everywhere (and their parents) to have visions of gold medals dancing in their heads. These expected booms in these sports (and more) can mean an increase in building these facilities—to meet the demands of more people who want to use state-of-the-art equipment and venues. An article in the South Bend Tribune reflects that demand—in the case of two northern Indiana cities, Elkhart and Plymouth, their schools’ facilities are aging (and a YMCA has closed) but those pools could be replaced by larger sports complexes to be used not just for students but for regional meets. If plans go through, northern Indiana would become home to two sports centers that could draw a variety of athletes, from soccer players to swimmers to fitness buffs. Both cities are planning to include a ...

Registration and housing for the 2017 NASC Sports Event Symposium opens on Tuesday, September 6. The 2017 Symposium, scheduled for March 27-30 in Sacramento, CA, marks the 25th anniversary of the only non-profit, 501(c)3 association for the sport tourism industry in the United States.  The Symposium features dozens of authentic education sessions, countless networking opportunities, and business development appointments in the NASC Sports Marketplace.   The NASC staff, Board of Directors and Symposium Committee are looking forward to seeing you.  By attending, you will learn how to produce measurable ROI, elevate your sports events, and improve the quality of life in your destination.  First Class of NASC Hall of Fame Inductees to Be Recognized in Sacramento The 2017 schedule includes recognition of the very first class of the NASC Hall of Fame inductees during the opening ceremony. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to promote the professional manage...

Recently I was browsing through the NASC website, www.sportscommissions.org, and was reminded what a tremendous resource it is for our membership.   It’s very easy to navigate, even for a web-challenged Baby Boomer like me!  Being a destination sales person, I am drawn to the “Directories” tab.  Having contact information for a person within an organization is a valuable resource in this day and age and is a useful feature no matter what your membership category.  I particularly like the “advanced search filter” the directories offer.  I use it when traveling to various destinations around the country.  I search to identify organizations located in the city I am visiting and use this information to add face-to-face meetings to my schedule while I’m there. I have been a frequent visitor to the Models & Samples page under the “Research” tab and have used the examples there on many occasions.  I am a be...

Rio itself. With all the talk of crime in the streets, incomplete construction, Zika, pollution and the like, Rio has looked like the winner so far in these Olympic games. The opening ceremonies may have been too long, even with a 7:30 p.m. Eastern start, but they were memorable, from Gisele Bundchen’s catwalk across the stadium floor to the Tonga flagbearer (he’s a taekwondo athlete, by the way) to the global warming lecture, it was must see TV. And, they did it on a budget that was 12 times less than in London and 20 times less than Beijing. Why we care… With all the doom and gloom coming into these games, Rio needed to start strong, and organizers have delivered. Security is visible and plentiful, but once the games got under way, the complaints seemed to quiet down. Let’s hope it stays that way for the next two weeks. Read the rest of Game Day Communication’s “The Take” here. Blog post courtesy of Game Day Communications.

The challenge venue owners often face is what to do with all that space when your primary sport is no longer in season. In particular, a space as big as a racing oval has to find an activity as big as the space to bring in revenue in the off season. That’s why you’ll see, for example, multi-day concerts at race tracks. The growth of extreme sport challenges, like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and similar obstacle events has given these race tracks and other large venues, something to host on off weekends. And Michigan International Speedway has taken that idea one step further.    The Childrenz Challenge at MIS is in its third year and is in record territory. The muddy obstacle course for 4 to 13 year olds at Michigan International Speedway is looking at a record 2,200 participants on Aug. 13.   After having about 1,300 kids last year, the 1,500-kid limit for the Childrenz Challenge already was reached by Feb. 29 this year, Scott Vitale, founder and p...