Justification Toolkit
Need help convincing your boss on the benefits of attending the Sports ETA Symposium?
We've got your back!
Items for consideration in justifying the travel and training expense:
- Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization as return for the investment.
- Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues to share what you learned. That way others in your unit will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
- Share the syllabus and speaker handouts with your colleagues. As an attendee, you have unlimited access to materials posted by speakers.
- If you are working to obtain or maintain your Sports Tourism Strategist certification, remind your supervisor that this is a great way to earn your next STS credit and it also requires less time away from the office.
- Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.
- Offer to share a room with a colleague to reduce hotel expenses.
- Check out the registration page, where all the various rates are listed to see if you qualify for any discounts.
Letter to boss
Sports Event Owners
Destinations
Industry Partners
Don't just take our word for it
“We’ve enjoyed a successful, long-term relationship with Sports ETA that has resulted in numerous pieces of business and hotel room nights for Greater Miami and the Beaches. We would highly recommend Sports ETA to any destination, event rights holder, or industry partner looking to build relationships and grow within the industry.”
- Mat Ratner
Greater Miami CVB
"The Symposium is one of my must attend events of the year. The industry education at Sports ETA is the best that is out there, it’s up to date and relevant in today’s market, achieving my STS designation has been a milestone in my career. The marketplace appointments, either one-on-one appointments or the event overview appointments give me the opportunity to connect with partners and learn how we can work together to enhance their events and our community. The networking opportunities are a great way to build relationships with others in the industry.”
-Kris Jackson, STS
Bismarck-Mandan CVB
"I attend symposium so that I can visit with old friends, make new friends and catch up on the latest trends in sports marketing. Sports ETA is the event for education and contacts.”
-Carey Harveycutter
SALEM-Virginia’s Championship City
"The Symposium in Knoxville really was a game changer for our business in terms of collaboration with other event rights holders and vendors. While our focus tends to be appointments which are always beneficial in growing our business and absolutely necessary in our industry; sometimes we forget to learn and grow from those around us running similar operations. We’re excited to be home and working on collaborative partnerships and opportunities to expand our reach of events and our relationships with event owners across the country. “
-Elle Marks
Elite Tournaments
“Visit Winston-Salem has been an active member of SportsETA for nearly 10 years and finds the Symposium to be one of the top conferences in the sport tourism industry. We’ve always received quality appointments with event rights holders and have been able to take advantage of the newly introduced event overview appointments; it’s an effective way to learn more about a right’s holder and their events that might be unfamiliar to us. As far as education, the Sports ETA Symposium offerings are unsurpassed; there are always immediate takeaways that we can implement upon returning to our office. And best of all, the friendships and professional relationships that are formed and cultivated during Symposium are invaluable!”
-Bonny Bernat, STS
Visit Winston Salem
"As always, this year’s Symposium delivered on several levels. The educational components were top notch with attendees learning everything from what’s new in sports safety to navigating the politics of community funding. For SPG it represents the best opportunity each year to spend quality time with our DMO and Sports Commission partners as well as our readers who look to us for answers to their tournament planning. There’s simply no other show like it! That’s why I encourage all of my contacts to put it on their calendar every year.”
-Dan Maloney
Sports Planning Guide / Premier Travel Media
Questions?
Contact our Member Services Team at info@SportsETA.org.