Education

I often think about the phrase “learn something new every day”. I think about it because I realize I don’t commit enough time to learning or growing professionally. If you think about it, learning is really unavoidable. I mean, every encounter, interaction and experience has a takeaway, but how often do we take time to reflect and realize the lesson learned? I’d like to say I do so every time, but let’s be real! My life, like I imagine most, feels like one distraction after another. This is not a complaint. I love my life, personally and professionally. But I really wish I was better about taking the time to learn and advance my professional skill set. I imagine others feel this way as well. Every spring I attend the NASC Symposium and while I enjoy interacting with clients at appointments, that is actually near the bottom of my satisfaction list. I have just as meaningful interactions outside the appointments as I do during. I understand many people at...

Registration and housing is open for the 26th NASC Sports Event Symposium to be held April 23-26, 2018 in Minneapolis, MN.  Special thanks to our hosts Sports Minneapolis powered by Meet Minneapolis and Explore Minnesota Sports.  By attending, you will learn how to produce measurable ROI, elevate your sports events, and improve the quality of life in your destination.  Registration Register now before rates increase on March 9. View rates. Hotels The host hotels are the Hilton Minneapolis and Hyatt Regency Minnapolis.   Please be aware the cut-off date for the NASC room block at the host hotels is March 30, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  Make a reservation. Preliminary Schedule and Important Dates Networking from beginning to end is a critical component of a successful Symposium. Start making your travel plans now! View the preliminary schedule here.   Registration and Housing Early Registration De...

The NASC is the leader in the sport tourism industry when it comes to providing educational opportunities to its members. The Certified Sports Event Certification (CSEE) is the most recognized professional designation in our industry. The program, having been developed in 2002, has continued to evolve as the needs of the NASC members have changed. Sessions have focused on such topics as Media Relations, Hotel Contract Negotiations, Strategic Planning, Coordination of Volunteers, RFPs and the Bidding Process, and Social Media. Online courses were also recently launched to supplement the live courses. As a sport tourism professional, I believe it’s important to continuously keep myself educated on what’s happening in our industry. My primary reasons for earning my CSEE include: 1. Knowledge - The world around us is constantly changing and it’s imperative that for us to do the best jobs we can, that we stay informed. CSEE courses provide us with another source of informa...

The National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC), the non-profit 501(c)3 trade association serving the sport tourism industry, is pleased to recognize the most recent graduates of the Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) program.   Fall 2016 graduates include: Terra Alphonso, CSEE, Director of Sports Marketing & Development, Branson Chamber and CVB Rio Andrasko, CSEE, Sales Manager, Sports & Special Events, Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Derek Bombeck, CSEE, Sales Development Manager, Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau Jennifer   Breedlove, CSEE, Convention Services Manager, Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau Tim Ellis Director, CSEE,  Global Sales – Sports, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group John Friebele, CSEE, Director of Sports + Events, Bryan College Station Sports + Events Matt Reed, CSEE, National Sales Manager, Team San Jose Janis Ross, CSEE, Executive Director, Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Jennifer S...

Upcoming Event Webinar - Register Now November 2, 2016 Check out our upcoming event webinar, below and reserve your spot today! USA Curling Wednesday, November 2 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST Presented by Mike Dellemann Register Now! Join Michael Dellemann from USA Curling as he discusses the 2018 Olympic Trials for Mixed Doubles Curling and the 2018 Curling Night in America RFP’s.  Both of these events will be featured on NBC Sports, and Curling Night in America, in its third year, has already gained a strong following, reaching nearly 2 million views last year.  There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on November 2nd, remember you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required). https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6552437669261092609   REGISTRATION LINK

As registration just opened for the 25th annual NASC Sports Event Symposium, it is never too early to start planning for appointments.  Whether you are a rights holder, DMO, sports commission, or vendor, appointments require some level of planning from both an appointment setting and discussion point of view. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting down for an appointment with someone who is unprepared for the meeting. Whether you are a rights holder or a destination, the first thing you need to know going into a trade show with appointment style meetings is “know what you are selling.”  If you are a rights holder this means knowing the type of event, a time frame, and your minimum list of requirements.  If you don’t know what your requirements are, then how are destinations supposed to know if they can accommodate your event?  From the destination side, the DMO/Sports Commission must know its own inventory.  There is no point in meeti...

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...