with Shelbey Morris, Senior Manager of Sales and Partnerships at North Little Rock Tourism.
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 3, 2026) -- Sports ETA hosted its 2026 Chief Executive Summit here from June 1-3, bringing together chief executive officers, presidents, and senior leaders from sports commissions, sports tourism organizations, and rights holders from across North America for two days of strategic discussions focused on leadership, industry growth, and the future of sports events and tourism.
The annual Chief Executive Summit serves as Sports ETA’s premier gathering for executive-level leaders to exchange ideas, discuss emerging challenges and opportunities, and collaborate on solutions that strengthen destinations and the sports events and tourism industry.
Throughout the summit, attendees participated in executive roundtable discussions, leadership sessions and peer-to-peer conversations focused on organizational growth, destination alignment, economic impact, workforce development, industry innovation and the evolving role of sports events and tourism in communities...
COLUMBUS, OH (June 2, 2026) -- Sports ETA, the leading trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, today announced that Greg Fante, President and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, has been named Executive of the Year. The honor was presented during the Sports ETA CE Summit today in Columbus.
While Fante was unable to attend the Summit in person, Sports ETA surprised him with the award during a special virtual presentation held in advance and shared with attendees during the general session lunch.
The Executive of the Year award recognizes an outstanding sports tourism executive who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, industry impact, and long-term contributions to their organization and community.
Since assuming the role of President and CEO in 2023, Fante has built on nearly two decades of leadership within the Louisville Sports Commission, helping position Louisville as a premier destination for national and international sporting events. Under ...
with Yolanda Mendez, MBA, SPHR, Vice President of Human Resources at Desert Services, and Past President and Founding Member of WISE Arizona, Maria Mwangi, CEO of Warehouse215, and President of WISE Arizona, and Gina Phelps Thoebes, PhD, ACC, Vice President, Organizational Performance for the Arizona Cardinals Football Club, and on the Board of Directors for WISE Arizona.
with Greg Pepitone, Associate Director at Tourism Economics.
The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation plays a central role in advancing athletic opportunity and community engagement in “Olympic City USA”. By using sports as a platform for destination development, the organization continues to elevate Colorado Springs as a place where events, athletes, and communities can thrive.
From Vision to Venue: City for Champions
Since 2013, the City for Champions initiative has served as a catalyst for destination development in Colorado Springs. Designed to build on the city’s Olympic identity, it pairs state incentives with local and private investment to attract new spending, expand tourism, and support long-term growth.
Its anchor projects, including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Weidner Field, Ed Robson Arena, the Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center at UCCS, and the Air Force Academy Visitor Center, work together to strengthen visitor appeal, enhance event-hosting capacity, and support downtown revitaliza...
Anthony Holman, Vice President of Championships and Alliances at the NCAA
CINCINNATI (May 14, 2026) — Sports ETA, the leading authority for the sports events & tourism industry, announced the launch of Active Insight, powered by EventConnect, a next-generation, AI-driven data intelligence platform designed to transform how industry stakeholders access, interpret, and apply event and travel data.
Developed in strategic partnership with EventConnect, Active Insight represents the evolution of The Pulse, a data platform first introduced in 2020. The enhanced solution leverages an expanded dataset of more than five million verified traveler records, combined with advanced analytics and emerging large language model (LLM) capabilities, to deliver deeper, more actionable intelligence for destinations, rights holders, and tournament organizers.
Purpose-built for the sports events ecosystem, Active Insight provides real-time visibility into event performance metrics, hotel demand patterns, booking behaviors, travel trends, pricing dynamics,...
with 2026 Sports ETA Woman of the Year, Rachel Rogers, VP of Sports Sales & Engagement at Cobb Travel & Tourism and the Cobb Sports Alliance.
Sports ETA and Special Olympics Announce Strategic Partnership to Expand Inclusive Sports Tourism
LAS VEGAS (May 4, 2026) – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, and Special Olympics, Inc. today announced a new multi-year strategic partnership designed to expand opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities through the power of sports tourism.
The collaboration brings together Sports ETA’s national network of more than 850 member organizations with Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for individuals with intellectual disabilities, serving millions of athletes globally.
Through this partnership, Sports ETA will provide Special Olympics with research, education, and connections to destinations and event hosts across the country. The agreement also includes expanded media visibility, storytelling opportunities, and integration into key industry platforms such as the Sports ETA Sy...