As an Official Partner of the 2026 SportAccord Forum, Sports ETA will connect leading U.S. destinations with international sport leaders and lay groundwork for broader collaboration
CINCINNATI, Ohio and LAUSANNE, Switzerland (August 3, 2026) – The Sports Events & Tourism Association, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in United States with more than 800 member organizations, and SportAccord, a global sport event organization based in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne, Switzerland, with stakeholders representing over 120 International Federations, today announced a new strategic partnership centered on Sports ETA’s role as an Official Partner of the 2026 SportAccord Forum.
The partnership will provide opportunities for Sports ETA member destinations to engage directly with international sport federations, rights holders, and event organizers through the Forum program, targeted networking and knowledge exchange. Taking place October 5 -7 ...
Five trends every sports tourism leader should be watching.
The Sports ETA State of the Industry Report gives our industry something invaluable: perspective.
The numbers tell an important story—measuring economic impact, participation trends, visitor spending, and the overall strength of the sports tourism economy. But perhaps even more valuable than the statistics themselves is what they reveal about where our industry is headed.
While every destination, rights holder, and event organizer will interpret the data through a different lens, several clear themes emerge—trends that have the potential to shape investment decisions, event recruitment strategies, partnerships, and long-term planning.
The State of the Industry Report isn't a roadmap—it’s a compass. It won't predict every turn ahead, but it can help point your organization in the right direction as the industry continues to evolve.
Here are five takeaways every sports tourism leade...
At the 2026 Chief Executive Summit, Sports ETA welcomed its first student participant through our new Student Enrichment Program, presented by Tanger—an initiative designed to connect emerging professionals with industry leaders through meaningful, hands-on experiences.
While the program was created to give students a closer look at careers in sports events and tourism, the experience became something even more impactful.
Keva Johnson arrived expecting to observe. Instead, she found herself welcomed into conversations, encouraged to participate in executive roundtable discussions, and treated as a valued member of the community.
"The Chief Executive Summit exceeded every expectation I had. What stood out the most was how welcoming and inclusive everyone was. They encouraged me to jump into roundtable discussions and share my thoughts, which made me feel more like a peer than a student."
Throughout the day, Keva met professionals from across the industry,...
CINCINNATI, Ohio (July 1, 2026) — The Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA), the trade association for the sports events tourism industry, today announced its new Board of Directors leadership team and newly elected directors who will help guide the association's strategic direction and continued growth.
The new leadership team was officially installed during Sports ETA's annual business meeting and will serve a one-year term.
Executive Committee
Board Chair: Clay Partain, STS, Chief Sports Officer, Sports Salt Lake
Vice Chair & Chair-Elect: Melissa Thompson, Vice President of Bids & External Affairs, Indiana Sports Corp
Secretary/Treasurer: Ryan Strickland, STS, Chief Operating Officer, Play Treasure Coast Sports
Immediate Past Chair: Matthew Libber, STS, Executive Director, Maryland SoccerPlex
"Sports ETA continues to benefit from exceptional volunteer leadership from professionals who are shaping the future of sports e...
Every year, sports tourism professionals are asked to answer some version of the same question:
"What's the value of what we do?"
Whether you're presenting to elected officials, advocating for facility investments, recruiting events, or building your annual strategic plan, data has become one of the most important tools in a destination's toolbox.
That's where Sports ETA's 2026 State of the Industry Report comes in.
Thanks to the support of Northstar Meetings Group, Sports ETA is able to provide one of the industry's most comprehensive research resources. The report offers a detailed look at the sports tourism economy, including participation trends, economic impact data, destination benchmarks, and insights from destinations, rights holders, venues, and industry partners across the country. While the headlines are impressive, the real value isn't simply reading the report—it's putting the information to work.
Here are six ...
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 3, 2026) -- Sports ETA hosted its 2026 Chief Executive Summit here from June 1-3, bringing together chief executive officers, presidents, and senior leaders from sports commissions, sports tourism organizations, and rights holders from across North America for two days of strategic discussions focused on leadership, industry growth, and the future of sports events and tourism.
The annual Chief Executive Summit serves as Sports ETA’s premier gathering for executive-level leaders to exchange ideas, discuss emerging challenges and opportunities, and collaborate on solutions that strengthen destinations and the sports events and tourism industry.
Throughout the summit, attendees participated in executive roundtable discussions, leadership sessions and peer-to-peer conversations focused on organizational growth, destination alignment, economic impact, workforce development, industry innovation and the evolving role of sports events and tourism in communities...
COLUMBUS, OH (June 2, 2026) -- Sports ETA, the leading trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, today announced that Greg Fante, President and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, has been named Executive of the Year. The honor was presented during the Sports ETA CE Summit today in Columbus.
While Fante was unable to attend the Summit in person, Sports ETA surprised him with the award during a special virtual presentation held in advance and shared with attendees during the general session lunch.
The Executive of the Year award recognizes an outstanding sports tourism executive who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, industry impact, and long-term contributions to their organization and community.
Since assuming the role of President and CEO in 2023, Fante has built on nearly two decades of leadership within the Louisville Sports Commission, helping position Louisville as a premier destination for national and international sporting events. Under ...
CINCINNATI (May 14, 2026) — Sports ETA, the leading authority for the sports events & tourism industry, announced the launch of Active Insight, powered by EventConnect, a next-generation, AI-driven data intelligence platform designed to transform how industry stakeholders access, interpret, and apply event and travel data.
Developed in strategic partnership with EventConnect, Active Insight represents the evolution of The Pulse, a data platform first introduced in 2020. The enhanced solution leverages an expanded dataset of more than five million verified traveler records, combined with advanced analytics and emerging large language model (LLM) capabilities, to deliver deeper, more actionable intelligence for destinations, rights holders, and tournament organizers.
Purpose-built for the sports events ecosystem, Active Insight provides real-time visibility into event performance metrics, hotel demand patterns, booking behaviors, travel trends, pricing dynamics,...
Sports ETA and Special Olympics Announce Strategic Partnership to Expand Inclusive Sports Tourism
LAS VEGAS (May 4, 2026) – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, and Special Olympics, Inc. today announced a new multi-year strategic partnership designed to expand opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities through the power of sports tourism.
The collaboration brings together Sports ETA’s national network of more than 850 member organizations with Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for individuals with intellectual disabilities, serving millions of athletes globally.
Through this partnership, Sports ETA will provide Special Olympics with research, education, and connections to destinations and event hosts across the country. The agreement also includes expanded media visibility, storytelling opportunities, and integration into key industry platforms such as the Sports ETA Sy...
More Than 1,200 Industry Leaders Gather as $274.5B Sports Tourism Economy Takes Center Stage
LAS VEGAS (April 24, 2026) – The Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA), the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, hosted its 2026 Symposium April 20–23 at Caesars Forum, bringing together more than 1,200 industry leaders for the premier gathering of the sports tourism sector. The event featured dozens of continuing education sessions and high-impact networking opportunities.
“We are grateful to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Caesars Entertainment for hosting and delivering a world-class experience that matched the energy and ambition of this industry,” said John David, President & CEO of Sports ETA. “This year’s Symposium signals a defining moment for the sports events and tourism industry. With stronger data, greater collaboration, and increased global interest, our industry is better posi...