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’...
Leaders in the world of sports events and tourism just wrapped up another great Chief Executive Summit in Louisville. These great minds came together to address topics of leadership management, business strategy, and crisis management, all while getting to know the city of Louisville and their colleagues.
“Leadership is a constant learning process and our industry executives can benefit from top business professionals,” said Al Kidd, President and CEO of Sports Events and Tourism Association. “Our Chief Executive Summit gave sports tourism leaders and executives the chance to hear from others in business and learn best practices from leaders in higher education, horse racing, and technology, among others.”
One of the highlights of the Summit was keynote speaker Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, president of the University of Louisville. She discussed principles of leadership and management styles. Jonathan Paris, the executive director of sports tourism at Visit M...
LOUISVILLE, KY (November 8, 2019) – Sports events and tourism leaders from around the country were in Louisville this week for the 2019 Sports ETA Chief Executive Summit, where top business experts addressed topics such as leadership and management, crisis management and business strategy.
“Leadership is a constant learning process and our industry executives can benefit from top business professionals,” said Al Kidd, President and CEO of Sports Events and Tourism Association. “Our Chief Executive Summit gave sports tourism leaders and executives the chance to hear from others in business and learn best practices from leaders in higher education, horse racing, and technology, among others.”
“The Louisville Sports Commission was pleased to host the national leadership of the sports events and tourism industry in partnership with Sports ETA to showcase our city and our own business leadership,” said Karl Schmitt, President and CEO of the Lo...
"I believe that you can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."--Zig Ziglar
That quote is the inspiration that I use every day. Mentoring, fostering, sharing, and caring are qualities that help us to build strong and healthy relationships both personally and professionally. The key to creating life-long connections is to give as much, if not more than you take.
Staying connected and developing professional relationships takes time, work, and strategy. If you’re trying to improve your professional connections, you should be. These connections will be the key to your professional growth. Here are some tips to follow:
Strong communication skills will help lay a strong foundation. Making yourself clearly understood as well as truly listening and learning from others.
Show respect by being courteous, using non-offensive language, and being courteous of people’s time.
Be open to hone...
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...
We are excited to announce that the call for speaker proposals is now open through December 15 for the 28th Sports ETA Symposium in Kansas City, MO April 20-23, 2020!
We place a strong emphasis on seeking presenters who expand our industry's knowledge base through relevant and engaging content delivery, as well as specific implementable takeaways for audience members.
Speaker Proposals
If you or someone from your organization is interested in applying to lead a breakout session at the 2020 Sports ETA Symposium, we encourage you to submit an application!
Click Here to Submit a Proposal
We are accepting speaker applications through December 15.
Sports ETA Symposium
The Sports ETA Symposium is the annual meeting of the Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA), the non-profit trade association for the sports events and tourism industry since 1992. Sports destinations meet with hundreds of decision-makers res...
Build relationships with hundreds of sports events and tourism professionals at the 28th Sports ETA Symposium in Kansas City, MO April 20-23, 2020.
Online registration is now open, lock in the best rate by registering with early bird pricing today! After 12/31/19, rates go up.
Register Today!
Important Information
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Need help convincing your boss?
Don't worry, we've got you covered!
We've put together a justification toolkit to arm you with information to share with your supervisor on the benefits of attending the Symposium, how it will make you a better employee, and help advance your organization.
Justification Toolkit
We think the Symposium is a must-attend event, but don't just take our word for it... take your fellow sports events and tourism professionals' words too! See what they have to say about the Sports ETA Symposium.
QUESTIONS?
Co...
It was another successful year for the 4S Summit. More than 150 sports events and tourism leaders attended the three-day summit in Providence, Rhode Island last week. During the three-day summit, attendees had the chance to learn new ideas and resources along with best practices to take back to their organization.
“The 4S Summit allows industry professionals to come together to share ideas and best practices about the current trends in sports events and tourism,” said Al Kidd, President & CEO, Sports Events & Tourism Association. “Providence was a terrific host city to cultivate discussions between some of the great minds in our industry.”
One of those attendees was Jarrett Dowling, CSEE Sales Manager at Columbia SC Sports. She took in several of the 20+ presentations and round tables offered at this year’s summit.
“I think I probably learn the most from listening to successful colleagues during the round tables and sessions,&rd...
CINCINNATI (October 11, 2019) - The Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) wrapped up its annual 4S Summit, which focuses on sports events and tourism and the following areas: strategies, services, sales, and sponsorships.
More than 150 sports events and tourism leaders attended the three-day summit in Providence, Rhode Island.
During the three-day summit, the program, which started Tuesday, gave attendees a chance to learn new ideas and resources along with best practices to take back to their organization. More than 20 speakers offered presentations and hosted round tables.
“The 4S Summit allows industry professionals to come together to share ideas and best practices about the current trends in sports events and tourism,” said Al Kidd, President & CEO of Sports Events & Tourism Association. “Providence was a terrific host city to cultivate discussions between some of the great minds in our industry.”
Highlights of ...
In case you missed it, we have partnered with Northstar Meetings Group. NMG is the leading multi-brand media platform for event planners of all types, and they have teamed up with us to feature their educational content.
Not only will the educational content that we provide be featured at Northstar conferences, but this agreement also includes a joint “Annual State of the Industry” publication and research co-sharing with NMG.
To launch the partnership, we are offering a course presented by Peter Ashwin titled “Protecting Your Events: How to Prepare for Uncertainty and Adverse Conditions”. This course is included in our Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) series and will take place in Anaheim, California, on November 12 at a cost of $250 for Sports ETA members and $400 for non-members. To register for this event, you can visit SportsETA.org.
“We have long admired the work that Northstar Meetings Group, through its SportsTravel brand...