CINCINNATI (For Immediate Release) – The Board of Directors of Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA), the leading association for the sports event and tourism industry, today announced the three-year extension of the contract of Al Kidd, President & CEO of the organization. “Under Al’s leadership, our association has seen tremendous successes and we’ve made great strides to be more inclusive to a larger segment of the industry,” said Janis Burke, CEO, Harris County – Houston Sports Authority and Board Chair of Sports ETA. “The Board of Directors and I are pleased to be extending Al’s contract for another three-year period. We have great momentum going into our next phase of the organizational vision and strategy, which the board has spent time developing, and with Al’s leadership at the helm, we feel fully confident that the best is yet to come.” Kidd, who joined the organization in 2017, has led the o...

CINCINNATI (For Immediate Release) – Sports ETA, the leading association for the sport tourism industry, announced the honorees of its inaugural President’s All-Star Awards. The new award, selected by staff, is recognition for support and dedication to Sports ETA and the sports events and tourism industry. Honorees were chosen for the work performed above the normal call of duty and in supporting staff to implement programs and services to the sport tourism industry. The All-Star Team recipients are as follows: Kathy Nelson, President/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission, for her work on the Branding Committee Matt Dunn, Executive Director, Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches, for his work on the Branding Committee John Gibbons, Executive Director, Rhode Island Sports Commission, for his work on the 4S Summit Karl Schmitt, President/CEO Louisville Sports Commission, for his work on the Chief Executive Summit Janis Burke, CEO,  Harris County-Hou...

My staff and I are excited about attending the 2020 Sports ETA Symposium on April 20-23 in Kansas City. We are looking for some KC hospitality- the KC BBQ experience, distilleries & craft breweries, and exciting sports scene!   If you haven’t registered for the Symposium yet, here are some important dates for you to mark on your calendar: March 1st - Registration Deadline, Appointments cannot be guaranteed if not registered by March 1, 2020 March 13th - One-on-One Appointment Portal Opens April 3rd - One-on-One Appointment Portal Closes April 10th - Schedules Distributed Don’t delay in registering yourself and others from your organization for the Symposium. The Symposium offers a variety of education sessions, networking opportunities, and appointments with event rights holders. It’s the Sports Tourism Conference to attend in the spring. Will this year’s Symposium be your first? Join us for the First-Time Attendee Orientation on ...

How much are events worth to your destination? That’s a question many sport commissions ask themselves. Knowledge is power and that is where the Event Impact Calculator is useful. The Event Impact Calculator, in partnership with Destinations International, is the most effective way to categorically measure the economic value of a sporting event and the event’s return on investment to local taxes. Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, developed this Sports Module and platform including several sport event types: Youth, Adult Amateur, College Regular Season, College Championship and Professional Sport Events. This tool allows for quantitative analysis and the direct impact of events on businesses, employment, income and taxes. The Event Impact Calculator has proven itself both credible and comprehensive after extensive data input from more than 200 destination organizations. With over 100,000 events analyzed, the program has become an industry standard as s...

Do you know of someone within the sports tourism industry who has given their service to the field for many years? Who has made a positive impact on current and future generations of Sports ETA members? Recognize them with a nomination to the Sports ETA Hall of Fame. The committee is taking nominations until February 1 for the 2020 Class. We encourage nominations from any Sports ETA members. Past Honorees have built a legacy in the industry with their positive impact and contributions through events, marketing campaigns, and web strategies.             Regardless of budget or staff size, we invite organizations of all sizes to participate. Posthumous nominations are also encouraged. We are looking forward to recognizing Sports ETA members that have really stood out above the pack by inducting them into the Hall of Fame, where they will be recognized on the Sports ETA Hall of Fame page or section of the organization's webs...

Bonny Bernat is a Boston fan living in the Winston-Salem area. While she cheers for the Boston Red Sox, she loves bringing sporting events to her community as the Senior Sports and Event Sales Manager at Visit Winston-Salem.  Bonny works on prospecting and proposal development. It’s something Bonny has to do every day to fight for sporting events. “I have found that if I can get a prospective event organizer to Winston-Salem, we stand a really good chance of securing the event,” Bonny said. “I also think our servicing of events is strong; we do not operate with a sports commission so we have to provide as many of the same services that we can, within our limits, to compete with those cities who do.” Building relationships is something Bonny finds important in this industry. It makes for fun experiences. “It always circles back to the relationships and friends I’ve had the fortune of forming,” Bonny added. “Our indus...

Each year, Sports ETA honors organizations and individuals in the sports events and tourism industry to celebrate their accomplishments and achievements.Every member should consider submitting for an award because we all do amazing work throughout the year.  Submitting for an award acknowledges the hard work you have put into your events and allows you to be recognized by your peers at symposium as being among the top leaders in the industry.  Sports ETA as well as the awards committee understand that the acknowledgement for the winners at one luncheon isn’t enough.  We are working on showcasing our award winners not only at symposium more, but throughout the year in various ways.  This allows peers and Sports ETA members to understand the great work happening with each organization and to motivate them to submit and win the next year.  Winners in each category will be given the following benefits: Press release Playbook article featuring each ...

Sports ETA is nothing without you, our members. To continue to achieve growth and success, we rely on strong leadership from a handful of dynamic members. Board members serve as representatives of the more than 800 Sports ETA member organizations and help guide the future direction of the association. Right now, there are eight open positions on the Sports ETA Board of Directors. The deadline to apply is this Friday, January 17, 2020. Executive Committee - Secretary Executive Committee - Treasurer Four (4) Directors representing the Sports ETA Destination category serving a three-year term expiring April 2023 One (1) Director representing the Sports ETA Rights Holder category to serve a two-year term expiring April 2022 One (1) Director representing the Sports ETA Industry Partner category to serve a two-year term expiring April 2022 All Sports ETA members are invited to apply for a position and/or suggest potential candidates for the Nominating Committee to ...