Expanded Definition of Success for the Sports Events and Tourism Industry
By Jennifer Stoll, PhD, STS
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For many years, the primary metric for success among sports events and tourism organizations has been economic impact, usually equivocated with hotel room night generation. In other words, sports events and tourism’s primary objective was to solicit non-local travelers to a destination resulting in maximum room-night generation – commonly referred to as “heads in beds.”
As the industry has evolved, it has become apparent that hosting sporting events in a certain locale provides deeper value than solely counting heads in beds. However, despite the growing body of evidence underscoring the widening value of sports events and tourism efforts on the local community, industry-accepted expanded metrics of success have significantly lagged.
Confining the scope of industry success to room nights presents several limitations...
Another episode of our Life In the Front Office podcast series powered by Breinfuel is now available!
Tune in for a deep dive discussion on the World Cup Bid Process with Jason Siegel, President & Chief Executive Officer, Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Terry Hasseltine, Executive Director, Maryland Sports, Monica Paul, Executive Director, Dallas Sports Commission, and Jackie Reau, Committee Member, Cincinnati Local Organizing Committee - FIFA World Cup 2026.
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The third episode of our Life In the Front Office podcast series is now available!
In this episode, you'll learn how three NGB's are preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Listen now to find out what it takes Craig Cress, Executive Director, USA Softball, Kate Reisinger, Director of Sports Performance, USA Fencing, and Adam Andrasko, CEO, USA Artistic Swimming to gear up for this national event.
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Contact:
Jackie Reau, Game Day
(513) 708-5822 | jreau@gamedaypr.com
Sports ETA and Ohio University Partner to offer
Masters Certificate in Sports Gambling Education
In partnership with Ohio University’s Sports Gambling Education program, Sports ETA is offering its members a new education offering in the fast-moving legalized sports betting industry.
The Masters Certificate in Sports Gambling Education, comprising three online courses, will help sports events and tourism leaders understand the landscape of legalized sports gambling and how to best leverage it. A 15% discount on tuition will be offered to Sports ETA members. To learn more about the program, visit the Sports Tourism Learning Institute.
Introductory Webinar: June 10, 3 PM ET
For those interested in learning more about the Masters Certificate in Sports Gambling Education, a webinar is being offered on June 10, 3 PM ET. Registration is free and o...
Contact:
Jackie Reau, Game Day
(513) 708-5822 | jreau@gamedaypr.com
Check out the pulse now
Sports ETA and EventConnect announce the first-ever real-time
dashboard for the sports events and tourism industry
CINCINNATI (June 3, 2021) – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, and EventConnect, the event platform that aims to evolve how youth and amateur sports events are managed with its no-cost software, announced today a partnership to provide the first-ever live dashboard for the sports events and tourism industry.
Sports ETA’s The Pulse powered by EventConnect provides vital industry insights for destinations and events rights holders alike to reference as they develop business plans. The Pulse dashboard includes year-over-year data: Travel registrations, average night stays in U.S. hotels, average nightly hotel rate, a heat map of the United States where events are held, and the number of e...
The Threshold 360 Platform is the industry-leading virtual tour solution, with a library of more than 100,000 locations and nearly 2 billion views worldwide.
Join us on Tuesday, June 8 at 11:30 AM ET for a Sports ETA and Threshold 360 partnership webinar led by Seth Lawson, Sales Director, Threshold 360, Jennifer Rothman, International, Domestic & Sports Sales Manager, Discover Long Island, and Al Kidd, President and CEO, Sports ETA to learn more about the impact this program can have across your sports, sales, marketing, and partnership initiatives.
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The second episode of our Life In the Front Office podcast series is now available!
Tune in to hear what it took for our friends in Cleveland to host the 2021 NFL Draft, featuring David Gilbert, President & CEO, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Aubrey Walton, Director, Event Location Strategy & Planning, NFL Events. Click here to listen.
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All of us here at Sports ETA are thrilled to congratulate our first class of Sports Tourism Strategist (STS) graduates! We are excited to share your accomplishments with your industry peers and proud to recognize the commitment you've shown towards your professional education.
The Sports Tourism Strategist certification encompasses 32 credit hours of leading-edge sports events and tourism industry education from crisis communications, event management, innovation, sports business analytics, and more. The STS certification is a program of the Sports Tourism Learning Institute, offered by Sports ETA, and is the leading-edge education institute for the sports events and tourism industry offering topical content, in-depth, and industry-leading certification programs. To learn more visit, learn.sportseta.org/about.
“Sports ETA congratulates these 35 individuals who are actively advancing their knowledge and skills about the sports events and tourism industry with the Sp...
With FIFA deciding this year on 23 cities hosting the 2026 World Cup, with Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and with Santiago hosting the 2023 Pan and Parapan American Games, all eyes are on the Americas at this pivotal moment in world history. Host City Americas connects international rights holders and suppliers with event hosts and investors in the Americas.
Participants in Host City events include IOC Members, Sports Ministers, Mayors, International Federations and Organising Committee leaders. Join 1,000+ participants at Host City Americas to discover the opportunities ahead as we emerge from the pandemic to a landscape defined by digitalization and private investment.
Sports ETA President and CEO, Al Kidd, will be a panelist to discuss Emerging From The Perfect Storm - how COVID and digitalization have impacted live events, the role of events in sustainable urban development, and where future growth is going to come from over the next 10 years. For ...
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...