Another Successful Chief Executive Summit is in the Books

 Posted on: November 12 2019
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Leaders in the world of sports events and tourism just wrapped up another great Chief Executive Summit in Louisville. These great minds came together to address topics of leadership management, business strategy, and crisis management, all while getting to know the city of Louisville and their colleagues.

“Leadership is a constant learning process and our industry executives can benefit from top business professionals,” said Al Kidd, President and CEO of Sports Events and Tourism Association. “Our Chief Executive Summit gave sports tourism leaders and executives the chance to hear from others in business and learn best practices from leaders in higher education, horse racing, and technology, among others.”

One of the highlights of the Summit was keynote speaker Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, president of the University of Louisville. She discussed principles of leadership and management styles. Jonathan Paris, the executive director of sports tourism at Visit Myrtle Beach, said he took away several great ideas that he could immediately incorporate into his management.

“Dr. Bendapudi suggested to take into consideration both the head and heart when it comes to your leadership of the team,” said Paris. “You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room to be successful. And you need to respect and genuinely care for the individuals on your team.”

For Josh Todd, CSEE, executive director at Omaha Sports Commission, Jon McGraw made an impression on him. McGraw is a former NFL player and is now the president of the Jon McGraw Foundation, which supports various charitable causes and is a partner at Vision Pursue, a performance mindset training and technology company.

As a football fan, I was stoked to hear from him,” said Todd. “He really hit home to the group with steps to improve your mindset including shifting your brain foundation, being more aware of thoughts, meditation, and withholding judgment.”

With this year’s Chief Executive Summit being in Louisville, Sports ETA was excited to welcome T. Kevin Flanery, president and CEO of Churchill Downs. Flanery discussed his organization’s approach to maintain top-notch customer experiences.

“It was impressive to hear the lengths that Churchill Downs goes to listen to the customer, gather customer feedback, and then, most importantly, act on that information,” said Paris.

What would be a trip to Louisville without going to Churchill Downs? Both Paris and Todd said that was a highlight of their trip and it taught them a little something.

“We in the sports and event side are in the entertainment business,” said Todd. “[Churchill Downs] hit home that it is a year-round destination, not just Derby week experience. They have expanded their business models to include community-driven events. Churchill Downs is constantly looking to stay on top by innovating and thinking about the guest experience with every capital improvement they make.”

Sad you missed out on the fun and learning at this year’s Chief Executive Summit? It will be back next year. Until then, make sure you check out one of our other events including the Women’s Summit and our Sports ETA Symposium.

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