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 ...
CINCINNATI (January 6, 2020) – Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) has appointed Janis Ross, CMP, CSEE as VP of Events & Experiences. In her new role, Ross will oversee the association’s major events and programs including the annual Symposium, Women’s Summit and 4S Summit, among other programs.
Ross previously served as Executive Director for the Eugene Cascades & Coast Sports Commission for 15 years, where she developed the region into a premier sports event destination through strategic partnerships and the development of new facilities and events to drive tourism.
Additionally, Ross was an active board member of Sports ETA for five years serving in various leadership roles including Chair of the Education Committee. She is also active as a board member for Oregon Track Club and a member of the MPI Meeting Executives Advisory Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s of business administration from Portland Stat...
While you may still be enjoying your holiday gifts, hundreds of college football players are about to receive more presents as they arrive at their bowl destinations. Sports Business Journal digs every year to find out what each player will get at their respective bowl games. Popular gifts include electronics, apparel, and gift suites, which are private events where game participants are allowed to select a gift or gifts up to a value determined by each bowl.
The NCAA allows the committees to provide each participant with gifts totaling a combined value of $550. One gift that will not count towards that limit is the “History of The Bowls: Celebrating The Good of the Game” book. The NCAA gave committees a one-time waiver to provide the book to each player without it counting towards the $550.
Here are some of the highlights for this year’s Bowl Gifts:
-PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal): PlaySation PS4 gift package, Fossil watch, Ogio...
As we put a bow on 2019 and roll into 2020, there are a number of areas we are watching in the sports events and tourism industry. Below is a list of the top 10 trends to watch in 2020 from Sports ETA:
10. Continued growth in the sports department of Destination Marketing Organizations.
More and more CVB/DMO organization leadership is realizing and investing in the ROI and ROM of a strong sports tourism segment. The results of this value will continue to be championed by Sports ETA. Stay tuned for more as we launch a new and improved State of the Industry Report at the 2020 Sports ETA Symposium in Kansas City.
9. The increasing role of parks and recreation departments in sports events and tourism initiatives.
Parks and recreation departments continue to play an integral role in the sports events and tourism landscape. We expect this trend to continue into 2020, particularly as youth sport specialization is scrutinized and communities see the opportunity for recreational spo...
The winter 2019 edition of the Playbook is available now. Download your copy.
Inside this issue
Symposium Important Dates
Sports ETA Award Nominations
Event Hosting Opportunity
American Resident Sentiment Toward Tourism
The primary contact for your organization will receive a hard copy of the Playbook - Winter 2019 edition in the mail in the next few days.
We encourage members to share information with their peers. Contact Meagan Grau, Director of Member Services and Engagement, at Meagan@SportsETA.org to learn more about how you can contribute to a future edition of The Playbook.
The holiday season- it’s a time to feel jolly, be with family and friends and celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. This time of year, we at Sports ETA are so happy to have such great members like you.
You have helped us through a year of change starting with our name. Making the switch to Sports Events & Tourism Association was not something we took lightly. Thanks to the support of our members and embracing the name, the transition has been a smooth one. Now, we are inclusive to all our members, whether they are involved in sports events, sports tourism, or both.
We have also added new members and new partnerships, including one with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, enjoyed events throughout the year and learned about the latest trends and strategies in the sports events and tourism industry.
Thank you for being a part of our journey, and a part of our impact. Happy holidays!
Branding can take you to two very different places.
You own some cows
You own an idea, product, or company
Although the first could be a bullish conversation.....we'll spend some time talking about how it impacts your business, team, product or idea.
Branding in the marketing sense has several major distinctions but here are a few of the key points:
Branding communicates the consistency of your product and the customer experience
Branding is essential for good advertising in today's digital noise
Branding encourages employee price, satisfaction, and morale
Branding allows you to communicate why you stand out from the competition
Branding helps you generate more customers
Branding if done right can help increase your company's value
Most importantly Branding It creates trust and loyalty with the customer
Within sports, a segment that has such a strong media component, we ofte...
“Never settle for things. We should do what we are most passionate about and enjoy doing. When that happens you are not working, you are sharing your passion with others.”
Wisdom from Sports ETA mentor Kindra Fry who is living out her passion for sports as the President and CEO of Experience Bryan College Station and Executive Director for Bryan College Station Sports + Events.
In this role, Kindra works with communities to provide resources her staff needs to market and sell Bryan College Station as a premier destination for sports events and other conventions and meetings. Besides her extensive knowledge of working with community leaders and organizations, Kindra has experience as an event owner and in destination marketing organizations.
One of Kindra’s favorite aspects of her job is watching spectators come into her community and truly enjoy being there. Or watching up-and-coming NCAA DI athletes before they make it big. But her favorite sports memories c...