Happy New Year! Let us ring in the new year with the January 2026 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! To kick us off, we are going to showcase a sports site from the upcoming 2026 Sports ETA Facility Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. During each Facility Summit (FS), we tour two local sport facilities from our host destination. I am proud to announce that one of our FS showcase facilities will be the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center and USBC Tournament Bowling Plaza.
The Arena & Equestrian Center is the primary space for some of the world’s well-known sports events. The Bowling Plaza is home to the USBA Open & Women’s Championships. Both of these amazing facilities are under one roof at the South Point Casino & Hotel. While not many sports facilities are designed like these two, we are proud to showcase them for their contribution to sports and Las...
Welcome to the December 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! In this final Sports ETA Facility Showcase for 2025, we are featuring the Kalamazoo Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Kalamazoo has built a reputation over the years for its ability to host a wide range of local, regional, and national sports events. They have venues of all sizes to fit the needs of many sporting events, and a new facility is in the works. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
The Future of Sports & Entertainment in Southwest Michigan
The Kalamazoo Event Center is a state-of-the-art venue currently in development. It is designed to host collegiate and professional sports, concerts, and community events. Located in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo and anticipated&...
Welcome to the November 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, we are changing things up to focus on one key area of the facilities we have showcased in the past, Design and Experience. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
What Does Design and Experience Add to a Facility?
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is a key non-profit promoting community strength through parks and recreation. While 20th-century Parks and Recreation departments mainly managed local sports facilities, the late 1980s and 1990s saw a shift toward partnerships for competition-grade facilities to drive economic development. Currently, modern Parks and Recreation departments are investing in multi-use, hybrid athletic complexes that incorporate tourism, moving beyond traditional offerings. ...
Welcome to the October 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, we are featuring the Western Sports Park in Davis County, Utah. This is an expanded facility north of Salt Lake City that increases the sports facilities landscape of the region and the State. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
The Western Sports Park, One “Seamless” Investment to the “Amusement Capital”
Davis County is home to a rich history, diverse activities and unique scenery. It might be the smallest county in landmass in the state, but they are the third most populated county in Utah. Located approximately 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City, they proudly proclaim that they are the “Amusement Capital” of the state for their offering of adventures and opportunities not offered elsewhere in the state. The team at Discover Davis...
Welcome to the September 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, we are featuring The Monument in Rapid City, South Dakota. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
Why is The Monument Important to Rapid City
According to our partners, the Rapid City Sports Commission in Rapid City, The Monument is the centerpiece of live sports and entertainment in western South Dakota. It serves as a hub for community connection, regional tourism, and local traditions. From Rapid City Rush hockey and high school tournaments to national touring acts, The Monument provides the stage where memories are created and shared.
The Monument contributes tens of millions of dollars annually to Rapid City’s economy. Visitors attending games, concerts, and tournaments generate hotel stays, restaurant business, and retail activity that ripple across the region. The most recent ...
Welcome to the August 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, the spotlight is on the First Interstate SportsPlex in Valley, Nebraska. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
First Interstate Sports Complex – A Complex for All
In the sports world, we often associate Omaha, Nebraska with the College World Baseball Championship. Don’t get me wrong, Omaha has a rich history of hosting many sporting events from regional championship to Olympic Trials, as well as baseball. Located minutes west of Omaha, lies a sports complex that prides itself as a “sports for all” and their “no kids turned away” mantra. It is owned and managed by the Elkhorn Athletic Association (EEA).
As Omaha's largest non-profit youth sports organization, they served over 8,300 kids across 10 sports in 2024 and their participants a...
Welcome to the July 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, the spotlight is on the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
The National Sports Center - A Generational Project
Not far from the mighty Mississippi river north of Minneapolis, the world’s largest amateur sports facility resides in Blaine, MN. With over 4 million annual visitors, the 700-acre National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, stands as the world's largest amateur sports facility. Its extensive amenities include more than 50 soccer fields (17 of which are turf -- the most in the US!), eight ice rinks, an 18-hole golf course, and a training facility for Minnesota United. The center is also home to the annual USA Cup Soccer Tournament, which draws over 16,000 players from around the globe. The facility's origins trace back to a 1980s s...
Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, the spotlight is on the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama. The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitor Bureau is at the center of this destination’s sport tourism and event magic.
Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility. At the core of Birmingham, Alabama’s Uptown Entertainment District lies the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) campus. It's home to two incredible sport venues, Protective Stadium and Legacy Arena. The BJCC complex welcomes over 1 million fans to events annually. It is for good reason they call themselves “Alabama’s Premier Entertainment Destination.”
Protective Stadium: A Hub of Sporting Spectacles
Since its inauguration in 2021, Protective Stadium has rapidly established itself as a dynamic and prom...
Welcome to the May 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, the spotlight is on the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In August of 2024, Lake Charles CVB announce the creation of the Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority (LCRSA). This new division of Visit Lake Charles reinforces its commitment to sports, appealing to event rights holders who seek destinations focused on hosting and promoting sporting and recreational events of all sizes. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
Behind-the-Scenes Innovation:
One of LCRSA’s main sports facilities is the Burton Coliseum. It stands as a multi-purpose domed arena, equipped to host diverse events encompassing basketball, cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, martial arts, volleyball, wrestling, and rodeos. The facility offers 24,000 square feet of floor space, characterized by a dome culminating...
Welcome to the March 2025 edition of the Sports ETA Facility Showcase! This month, the spotlight is on eastern Virginia’s Henrico Sports & Events Center in the metro Richmond, VA area. Keep reading to the end for the “Key Difference Maker” as this insight can add perspective to your own facility.
Behind-the-Scenes Innovation
The centerpiece of the Henrico Sports & Events Center (HSEC) is a state-of-the-art, center-hung Daktronics video board. This colossal display serves as a dynamic hub of information, delivering real-time game statistics, instant replays, and captivating visuals to enhance the spectator experience. The video board's high-resolution imagery and vivid colors ensure that every fan, regardless of their seating location, can feel intimately connected to the action at the Center.
Complementing the video board's capabilities is an AV Control Room, a nerve center that orchestrates the seamless integration of audio and ...