Networking

Meet Zach Ebarb, Visit Baton Rouge, National Sports & Convention Sales Manager. Though he’s had plenty of fun experiences working at Visit Baton Rouge, the most fun Zach Ebarb has had is hosting rights holders at Louisiana State University or Southern University home games. “The tailgates, food, venues, and hospitality of our locals make these site visits special and personalized each time,” says Ebarb. “The atmosphere in Baton Rouge each home game day is that experience you feel on Christmas morning!” Ebarb has been working in the industry for eight years marketing Baton Rouge as a sports and convention destination. As part of the job, he attends trade shows, networks with rights holders, conducts site visits, issues sales leads to venues and hotels, and compiles bids. But more than just selling the city as a destination, Ebarb collaborates with the rest of the Visit Baton Rouge team, and local community hospitality partners, to turn eve...

Registration is now open for SportsBIZ XChange II, a virtual networking event that connects the sports events & tourism industry featuring business appointments and industry networking opportunities for its members. Virtual attendees will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with key decision-makers during 15-minute appointments, access to dozens of new and updated RFPs, and networking opportunities in the Virtual Lounges. Additionally, a virtual Locker Room will be open to all attendees to view documents (RFPs, fact sheets, and videos) from each rights holder. Register Now SCHEDULE Tuesday, May 18 | 1:00 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET Welcome & State of the Industry One-on-One Appointments Open Networking Wednesday, May 19 | 1:00 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET Welcome & Announcements One-on-One Appointments Sponsor Networking Event Thursday, May 20 | 1:00 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET Welcome & Announcements One-on-One Appointments...

Women’s Summit: March 31 - April 2, 2021 hosted in San Antonio, Texas Sports Facilities Summit: April 26-27, 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama  Symposium: April 26-29, 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama 4S Summit: October 19-21, 2021 in El Paso, Texas The Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) announced today its 2021 slate of programs, which includes four signature events designed to bring the national membership and sports events and tourism industry leaders together for educational and networking opportunities. The Women’s Summit, planned for March 31-April 2 hosted in San Antonio, Texas, is developed by top female leaders in the sports events and tourism industry to help women achieve their career goals. Attendees will take away tools and resources to elevate their personal brand and become more valuable to their organization. Registration is open now: https://www.sportseta.org/events/womens-summit The Sports ETA Symposium, which will be...

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...

Being new to this industry is intimidating, right? You have seasoned vets who seem to know everyone and then there is you – brand new and ready to make connections. But how? Here are a couple of tips and tricks I hope will help as you navigate being a “newbie” in this industry!  Go to the Sports ETA 4S Summit. Aside from the fact that you get to learn from some of the greatest leaders in our industry, this event is also one of the best opportunities to meet people. It’s smaller than the Symposium and is a completely education-based conference, making it your best opportunity for networking with colleagues. This is your chance to learn best practices and pick the brains of people who have walked in your shoes.     ASK THE QUESTION. This industry is built on relationships between clients and peers. With that being said, we can be each other’s greatest resource. You are learning the industry and it’...

There may still be time left in 2019, but here at Sports ETA, we are working hard on the 2020 Symposium. We’ll be headed to Kansas City, Missouri April 20-23 for our 28th annual meeting. Registration is now open, so start planning your trip! It doesn’t matter if this will be your first Symposium or your 28th, we are planning an all-new event with more deep-dive education sessions and breakouts divided by skill level. Plus, the 2020 Sports Marketplace is back and it is sure to be more interactive and provide informal learning opportunities to hundreds of people. You will be able to start making those one-on-one marketplace appointments in March. If that hasn’t sold you yet, then listen to those who went last year. The 2019 Symposium received a 4 or 5-star rating from 72% of respondents, who enjoyed marketplace appointments, education sessions, and all of the networking opportunities to catch up with colleagues and to meet new ones. Take a look at how much fu...

The deadline to register for the 2019 4S Summit is quickly approaching (September 20). We have a jam-packed schedule this year, with an amazing line-up of education, and we don't want you to miss out!  Take a look at the education topics we have in store for you: Strategies Government Relations Navigating Local Politics International Sport Leveraging Your Internal Marketing Resources Sales Seeing is Believing What Rights Holders Want Stay to Play, Stay to Save, and other Fancy Ways to Track Room Nights Local Community Programming vs. Sports Tourism Events Services Safe Sport Event Security FAM Tours, Site Visits, and Client Gifts, Oh My! Sponsorship Corporate Partners How to Get the Most Return on Your Investment When Supporting Sports Events in Your Community Insurance View the schedule and full education session listing. 4S SUMMIT REGISTRATION Member Rate: $499...

Fall 2019 Sports Facilities Summit Mark your calendars for October 24 - 26 as we're hosting the 2nd Sports Facilities Summit!  Developed by industry leaders in sports facilities, events, and tourism, the Sports Facilities Summit provides education and facilities tours to industry leaders who want to learn about trends, and experience live operations of a sports facility. Created to facilitate discussions and networking, the Sports Facilities Summit hosts a series of events to explore all aspects of this industry. The fall Summit will be held at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, IN. Who Should Attend?    Convention Centers Developers & Architects Indoor/Outdoor Facilities Non-Traditional Sports Venues Parks and Recreation Stadiums & Arenas Sports Complexes Sports Destinations Sports Facility Vendors Sports Parks Topics Facility Development Facility Funding Facility Management Admin Issues F...

A record turnout of industry leaders in sports events and tourism attended the 27th annual symposium held in Knoxville, TN from May 6-9 to elect new leadership, honor members with national awards and participate in dozens of continuing education programs led by industry leaders. 

Way back in April, I had the pleasure of attending an etiquette session led by Patricia Rossi at the NASC (now called SportsETA) Women's Summit in Tampa. This was the second annual Women's Summit held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four basketball tournament. I wrote about my takeaways last year as well. Patricia was the last presenter in 48 hours chock-full of wisdom and knowledge bombs. All 70 attendees were exhausted, and perhaps more than a little sleep deprived, to say the least. You might say she had drawn the short straw. Not to mention, she was presenting to a bunch of awesome women who work in sports...let's just say (and I'm just surmising here), but this industry may be a bit more casual on the etiquette side of things than say, corporate finance. In a nutshell, Patricia rocked the house! She was engaging, hilarious, and an absolute delight. She is a southern belle that (if I'm honest) at first impression, intimid...