4S Awards Portal Opens Monday, August 5!

 Posted on: July 31 2024
    The Sports ETA Member Awards Portal opens Monday, August 5th! Don’t miss the opportunity to submit your outstanding campaigns for our two award categories:      1.  Destination Branding & Marketing Campaign of the Year     2. Event Marketing Campaign of the Year   Each category will be divided based on population size: 500,000 and above Under 500,000   The portal will remain open until September 27th, and winners will be announced at the 4S Summit in Chattanooga, TN, taking place November 12-14, 2024. Prepare your submissions and get ready to showcase your achievements in sports tourism marketing and branding.   View Award Criteria We can't wait to see your entries!  

Ashley Whittaker of The Sports Facilities Companies named Sports ETA’s Woman of the Year

 Posted on: April 4 2024
Contacts: Jackie Reau, Game Day (513) 708-5822 | jreau@gamedaypr.com Ashley Whittaker of The Sports Facilities Companies named Sports ETA’s Woman of the Year CLEVELAND (April 4, 2024) – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, today at the 2024 Sports ETA Women’s Summit, named Ashley Whittaker, Partner and Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Sports Facilities Companies as the 2024 Sports ETA’s Woman of the Year. Whittaker leads corporate business development and marketing for the Sports Facilities Companies as well as the SFC Facility Marketing Department, which is responsible for the marketing, branding, and project management of SF Network facilities. Under her leadership, SFC has exponentially more communities with better business development strategies and campaigns. SFC’s clients and firms have been featured in major media outlets such as Forbes, Fortune, HBO, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Sports Bu...

Shine the Spotlight in YOUR Direction!

 Posted on: August 2 2023
We are thrilled to launch the prestigious Sports ETA Member Awards program for the second time this year, where we'll recognize our member's outstanding achievements in marketing and branding. This past spring, the Sports ETA Member Awards Committee received nearly 80 submissions for our member awards program. Wow! The judges were overwhelmed by not just the quantity of the submissions but the quality as well. The review process was detailed and often involved rigorous debate, as the difference between first place and the rest was razor-thin. What a testament to you, our membership, and the work you do to continue making a difference in our industry! In case you missed it, take a look back at the winners. As we gear up for the 4S & Rights Holder Summit this fall, we're focused on the 4 S's of sports events and tourism: strategy, service, sales, and sponsorship. For all our marketing gurus out there, you know these 4 categories are the perfect re...

MEMBER AWARDS ARE BACK IN 2023!

 Posted on: February 15 2023
Each year, Sports ETA honors organizations and individuals in the sports events and tourism industry to celebrate their accomplishments and achievements. After a deep dive into the past awards program, a small committee of Sports ETA members has revamped our program to not only streamline the submission process but include award categories that are relevant to all association members and the programs members want and should be recognized for. Now, easier and more streamlined than ever, we invite you to submit a nomination for Member Awards. The portal will remain open until March 31, 2023. Award winners will be announced at the 2023 Sports ETA Symposium in Kansas City, MO.  Submit A Nomination For A Member Award AWARD CATEGORIES Member award activities and events must have occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2022.  Sports Commission of the Year Population: Under 500,000 Population: 500,000 and above Who Can Submit: Destinations This w...

Rise Up Recognition Award

 Posted on: July 23 2021
We all endured a lot in 2020 as we saw our industry completely come to a stop. During that time, we know individuals and organizations rose to the challenge and helped make their community and our association better. We would like to hear from anyone and everyone that has positive outcomes from the struggles that occurred last year. Whether you were fighting against COVID related issues, natural disasters, social justice movements or more, we want to hear from you. Submit an entry by August 29 to tell us how you or your Destination overcame challenges in 2020 and achieved positive results. There will not be a winner selected for this award, but we will recognize all who submit for this category at the Symposium. Please submit only one entry per organization. Requirements: 1-page max description of how your Destination qualifies to be recognized. Photos and videos can be submitted, but not required. Deadline: August 29 at 3AM ET...

2020 Sports ETA Member Awards Portal is Open!

 Posted on: January 6 2020
2020 may be here, but don’t forget about all the work you and your organization did in 2019. It’s time for the Sports ETA Member Awards. Each year, Sports ETA honors organizations and individuals in the sports events and tourism industry that have done exemplary work within the past year. “Every member should consider submitting for an award because we all do amazing work throughout the year,” said Derek Bombeck, Sales Development Manager at Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau and Awards Committee Chair. “Submitting for an award acknowledges the hard work you have put into your events and allows you to be recognized at the Symposium among the top leaders in the industry.” The 2020 Member Awards activities, events, marketing campaigns, web strategies, etc. must have occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2019. The independent judging panel is looking for impact regardless of budget or staff size. Organizations of all sizes are encouraged...

2019 Award Winner Spotlight: Sports Tourism Organization of the Year, Under 500K

 Posted on: July 22 2019
From Triathlons to Powerlifting competitions, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports has hosted nearly every type of sporting event imaginable. Their success was recognized at this year’s Symposium naming them the Sports Tourism Organization of the Year. “As a sports commission, we don’t approach building relationships and businesses with awards in mind; we work hard to invite and welcome athletes, families, and fans to Alabama’s beaches,” said Beth Gendler, Vice President of Sales for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. “We were against some huge competition for sports tourism organization of the year, which just adds fuel to our fire.” Many wonder how they can follow the lead of this incredible sports commission, so we asked their Communications and Marketing Specialist, Ally Mills Dorrough if she had any wisdom to share or things that set the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach area apart from others. Here are a few pointe...

Westfield Indiana Grand Park brings in massive amounts of youth league sports

 Posted on: July 17 2019
A small town in Indiana finds their focus after the construction of Grand Park: youth sports. According to an article published by the ABC 10 news, the population in Westfield doubles with families traveling in from across the country to play competitive sports at Grand Park. The facilities were built in June 2014 and have dozens of soccer fields and baseball diamonds. This massive multi-use sporting arena required an investment of $85 million, but now, only a few years later, it has seen over a $700 million impact in the surrounding areas. Local businesses are springing up all around due to the massive amount of traffic in Grand Park. Other towns may host one major league event and bring in a lot of tourism once. Many towns are considering shifting their focus to youth tournaments for a more steady stream of tourism due to the lead of Westfield, IN. Congratulations to the Hamilton County Sports Authority and all your success in Grand Park. View the original article from...

Award Winner Spotlight: Destination Branding & Marketing Campaign of the Year

 Posted on: June 21 2019
At this year’s Symposium in Knoxville, TN, we honored organizations for being the best in 11 different categories in 2018. We want to take this time to spotlight each of them. This month, it’s Rockford Area CVB, winner of the Destination Branding & Marketing Campaign of the Year. “This accolade is certainly indicative of a lot of hard work, strong storytelling and diverse programming that collectively keeps elevating Rockford as a sports destination. But again, we have so much more to accomplish and are really excited about what the future holds for us and the greater sports tourism industry.”  Nick Povalitis, Director of Sports Development, Rockford Area CVB. Rockford Area CVB has seen many successes in the past few years including retaining legacy events such as the USA BMX Midwest Nationals, winning six bids with NJCAA National Championship, and creating a viral hit with a community watch party dubbed Jurassic Park RKFD. Povalitis counts Roc...