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All sessions will take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

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Monday, May 2 

9:00 - 10:00 AM
Changing the Game: Funding Sports Facilities with Tourism Improvement Districts
Speakers - Roxanne Steinhoff, Legal Analyst & Sports Consultant, Civitas

As destinations increasingly realize the powerful impact of sports tourism, many are looking to upgrade their sports facilities. Simultaneously, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Sports Commissions are rethinking their tourism funding strategy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This drive for increased sports facilities and creative funding solutions has given rise to the use of the Tourism Improvement District (TID) mechanism – an industry-approved, industry-governed funding model perfectly positioned to revolutionize funding for sports capital improvements. With almost 200 TIDs in 18 states and counting, Tourism Improvement Districts are changing the game.

This session will begin with a brief overview of TIDs, including how they function, their benefits, and how they are implemented. Learn how TIDs create industry self-assessments that enjoy legal protection from government diversion, and may be used for promotion, events, and capital improvements. Hear how destinations have already used their TIDs to fund expansions of convention centers and new sports facilities, including examples from Sacramento, Denver, and Placer Valley, CA. Finally, the session will close with a Q&A.

Key Takeaways:
• Basics of TIDs and their advantages in funding capital improvements
• Examples of how sports destinations are using TIDs to fund capital improvements and sports tourism efforts
• Takeaways for future expansion of the TID mechanism
 


10:15 - 11:15 AM
Beyond Room Nights: Creating Impact That Matters
Speakers - Eric Sullivan, Partner for the Sports Facilities Companies

Historically room nights have topped the conversation regarding KPI’s for tournament-quality sports properties, but that doesn’t really capture the total impact that these facilities have on their communities. In this panel, General Managers from the Sports Facilities Companies will provide real-world examples of how they’re both generating economic impact through heads in beds and also creating a meaningful impact in their local or regional communities. This team will introduce some new KPI’s for measuring success and strategies for implementing new ideas with your stakeholders.

 


12:00 - 1:30 PM
Globe Life Field (Lunch Included)
Speakers - Sean Decker, President of REV Entertainment
John Lopes, Founder & Chairman of LST Marketing

Join us as we learn more on how to be more innovative with the use of venues and facilities!

The development of Texas Live! has been transformative for Arlington, TX. Between Globe Life Field and Choctaw Stadium, the event opportunities are endless. Sean Decker and John Lopes will be recapping the Commanders Classic, a football game between Army vs. Air Force, which was held in Globe Life Field. This session will begin with an on-site lunch and tour of Globe Life to get a hands-on feel for how venues can morph themselves in order to accommodate non-traditional events.
 


2:00 - 3:00 PM
AT&T Stadium
 


3:30 - 4:30 PM 
Dickies Arena

You’ll get a chance to learn about this unique public-private partnership and the one of a kind management model that has helped put Fort Worth on the map as a world-class sports destination.
 



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