Education

For a number of years back in the very late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Florida State Games used to host a Business of Sports Symposium.  As a new kid running a CVB in Lincoln, Nebraska, it was a great way to learn more about this new sales specialty.  There weren’t many CVBs involved then.  It was mostly sports commissions with some of them tussling with CVBs to get part of the lodging tax dollars. So, this young guy from North Carolina, Hill Carrow, tried to organize a “National Association of Sports Commissions”.  It didn’t resonate on the first try.  He persisted, and a few of us started to listen.  Along the way, we created the bones of the organization deciding such a group should be dedicated to sharing information with each other and rights holders, along with quality, professional education.  The NASC was officially born in a meeting room in St. Louis with about fourteen people in attendance. Why tell you ...

More than 900 members and events rights holders attended the 2016 NASC Sports Event Symposium in Grand Rapids to elect new NASC leadership, honor members with national awards and participate in dozens of continuing education programs led by industry leadership. “As the only only not-for-profit trade association for the sport tourism industry offering an annual meeting for serious-minded sport tourism professionals, we enjoyed a week of educational programs to share best practices in the industry as well as honoring those doing great work in our member communities,” said Don Schumacher, CSEE, executive director of the NASC. “In future years, our members will have the opportunity to visit three fantastic American cities in Sacramento, Minneapolis and San Diego as we host our annual Symposium in each city.” The Symposium Committee is currently developing the schedule, recommended pricing structure and other important elements of the planning process. The Board of...

As the interest in the sport tourism market continues to grow, we are making a special effort to tell the NASCʼs story and increase exposure for our members at the national level. For the third year, the NASC, in association with SportsBusiness Journal, will publish a special advertiser-supported section on the impact our members make in their communities and in sports. The section appearing in the August 8 issue will focus on the evolution of the sport tourism industry and how it impacts communities. Other areas of coverage will include industry trends and best practices, case studies and examples of successful events, and the monetization and economic impact of events.   This is a perfect platform for NASC members to showcase their role in the sport tourism industry. As an advertiser, you will be guaranteed an opportunity for a company spokesperson to be interviewed for the story. With SportsBusiness Journal as our partner, we know that your message will be reaching an audie...

As your professional association continues toward its 25th Anniversary at our 2017 Sports Event Symposium in Sacramento, it seems a good time to look back on the process that led to adopting bylaws and obtaining not-for- profit status. The process itself took three years, and perhaps what is most important is this: the NASC was founded to be THE place where host organizations could gather and share experiences. The first conversations regarding an association took place in 1989. A volunteer committee was formed and work continued through 1990 and 1991, culminating in adoption of bylaws and the election of officers and directors April 10-11, 1992. The single person deserving of credit for making this process work is Hill Carrow. Hill made certain our organizational meetings had agendas and minutes and each meeting resulted in progress. Those persons present in 1992 and still involved in the NASC besides Hill are Vicky Comegys, Dennis Gann, Mike Millay, Dan Quandt, and myself. Fina...

We are in the middle of Olympic Trials season, where the best the USA has to offer will face off head to head to determine who will represent America at the summer games in Rio. And while the trials could pay off in Olympic gold for the athletes, the host cities are striking their own kind of gold. For example, the USA Swimming Trials under way in Omaha are expected to bring in $35 million-$40 million in economic impact for the seven-day event, up about 20% from the last time they were the host, in 2012. The area’s 30,000 hotel rooms already are booked. Of the event tickets sold for the Trials, it’s estimated that 90% have been sold to guests outside of Nebraska. And remember, the NCAA College World Series is still going on (finals start Monday) so Omaha is bustling with sports tourism guests—and their dollars. And next month USA Gymnastics will hold its Olympic Trials July 8-10 trials at SAP Center in San Jose. San Jose hosted the 2012 trials, the 2007 U.S. ...

We continue our featured benefit for the month of June with a blog post on the NASC Economic Impact Calculator. The Economic Impact Calculator model and Event Spending data are based upon studies completed by Sportsimpacts at over 50 events within the last decade spanning various market sizes and event types, and a 2011-2012 Consumer Spending study conducted by the University of Arizona Sports Management program that analyzed daily visitor spending trends at 30 events spanning various market sizes and event types. Dr. Pat Rishe, Executive Director of Sportsimpacts, a national sports consulting firm, originally developed the calculator in 2007, which offers a consistent approach to calculate and report economic impact results. When used properly, the calculator allows NASC members to approximate the total direct spending stemming from all non-local sources, and report upon such findings in an accurate manner. Access to the calculator is offered to all NASC members as a benefit of member...

Check out our line-up of event webinars, sponsored by MGM Resorts International, below and reserve your spot today! USA Curling Wednesday, June 29, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Mike Dellemann Register Now! Join Mike Dellemann from USA Curling as he discusses what he looks for in a host city and what it takes to host their events. Mike will share details on their upcoming 2018 USA Curling National Championships which features 8-10 of the United States best men’s and women’s teams competing over a 7-day period to determine who will be crowned the National Champion. Since the introduction of Curling in the 2002 Olympic Games, Curling’s popularity has grown dramatically in the US, as shown by their membership increasing by more than 100% since 2002. Their RFP is a unique one, in that they are open to different ideas, and do not charge to host their event. Mike will discuss the arena, hotel and destination requirements. USA Curling is excited at the pros...

The NASC and Ohio University are pleased to offer the online CSEE course, Strategic Planning for Successful Sport Tourism, once again this summer. Registration*  Fee: $400 Deadline: Registration is open now and will close on June 30.  Register Now. *As a reminder; this course is Core Course 1 as outlined in the CSEE Program Redesign and is the first of three mandatory courses required for certification for those who enroll in CSEE from this point forward. If you are not already enrolled, you will be prompted to complete your enrollment during the online registration process. Enrollment is free and open to NASC members only; the registration fee for each course is $400. Timeline June 17 - Registration for Core Course 1 opens June 30 - Registration closes July 18 - Registered participants receive Ohio University student ID and Blackboard login instructions July 18 - Orientation course opens and Core Course 1 Opens August 31 - Core Course 1 Closes. Course work...

Last month I had the opportunity to present to the Florida State Sports Commissions’ convention. Along with nineteen other speakers, I had the chance to talk about my sport for ten minutes. As luck would have it, I got the chance to present last. Twentieth out of twenty. I was the only speaker between my audience and the Coors Light. The room was lost. So I zigged. I broke the pattern of presentation predictability. I engaged the room and got my point across. Here are just a couple tips that you can consider using when you are in a multiple presenter situation. 1.     Keep your message simple: Your audience will have seen dozens if not hundreds of slides. Most will be forgotten. So focus on one or two key points and keep your slides simple. 2.     Don’t let technology get in the way of your message: You have a video? Great. Doesn’t support your key message? Leave it at home. A misplaced video just gives your audience to check ou...

Check out our line-up of event webinars, sponsored by MGM Resorts International, below and reserve your spot today! The Color Run Thursday, June 23, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Kent Phippen Register Now! Join Kent Phippen from The Color Run as he discusses what he looks for in a host city and what it takes to host their events. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on the 23rd, remember you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required). USA Cycling Thursday, July 21, 2016 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET Presented by Micah Rice Register Now! Join Micah Rice from USA Cycling as he discusses what he looks for in a host city and what it takes to host their events. Micah will share details on their upcoming 2018-2019 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships, 2018-2019 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships and the 2019-2020 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championship...