Networking

Olympic fever, albeit short term and every four years, can be a big driver in sports facilities. As we’ve seen Team USA excel in the pool and in gymnastics, expect little boys and girls everywhere (and their parents) to have visions of gold medals dancing in their heads. These expected booms in these sports (and more) can mean an increase in building these facilities—to meet the demands of more people who want to use state-of-the-art equipment and venues. An article in the South Bend Tribune reflects that demand—in the case of two northern Indiana cities, Elkhart and Plymouth, their schools’ facilities are aging (and a YMCA has closed) but those pools could be replaced by larger sports complexes to be used not just for students but for regional meets. If plans go through, northern Indiana would become home to two sports centers that could draw a variety of athletes, from soccer players to swimmers to fitness buffs. Both cities are planning to include a ...

Recently I was browsing through the NASC website, www.sportscommissions.org, and was reminded what a tremendous resource it is for our membership.   It’s very easy to navigate, even for a web-challenged Baby Boomer like me!  Being a destination sales person, I am drawn to the “Directories” tab.  Having contact information for a person within an organization is a valuable resource in this day and age and is a useful feature no matter what your membership category.  I particularly like the “advanced search filter” the directories offer.  I use it when traveling to various destinations around the country.  I search to identify organizations located in the city I am visiting and use this information to add face-to-face meetings to my schedule while I’m there. I have been a frequent visitor to the Models & Samples page under the “Research” tab and have used the examples there on many occasions.  I am a be...

Check out our line-up of best practices and event webinars below and reserve your spot today!  USA Cycling Thursday, July 21, 2016 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET Presented by Micah Rice Sponsored by MGM Resorts International 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 Championships. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on the 21st, remember, you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required).   Create Success with Housing Tuesday, July 26, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Patrick MacCoubrey Register Now! In this webinar learn how event housing can help you improve ...

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...

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...

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...

With all the time we spend talking about youth sports, it’s interesting to look at some of the more common sporting events that you probably see just about every weekend in your area—the charity 5K or 10K that you’ll run into (or be detoured around) on Saturday mornings. According to 2015 stats from Running USA, the number of recreational athletes completing road races declined for the second straight year in 2015. The reduction was by a more significant margin than in 2014, when finisher totals edged down one percent. For 2015, 17.1 million finishers were reported across all road race distances, a decrease of nine percent from the previous year. Between 1990 and 2013, finisher totals skyrocketed from five million road race runners to more than 19 million. But there is one group that is experiencing its own running boom—women. Women and girls, once an afterthought in the world of running, made up 57% of the 17 million U.S. race finishers last year, again accordi...

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...