Leveraging a Growing Sport: Case Study of Pickleball in Grand Rapids

Summary:

The Beer City Open is a money prize pickleball tournament hosted by the Grand Rapids Pickleball Club with support from the West Michigan Sports Commission. In the second year of the tournament, it sold out 500 spots at $60/entry in less than 36 hours. Nineteen states, with participants ages ranging from 15 to 77, were represented. The presentation will evaluate the event from a variety of viewpoints: the owner, the city rep (Katy, co-presenter), the participant (Jon, co-presenter), and the sponsors.