Second Annual Oregon Sports Summit Announces Schedule, Keynote Speaker

The Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission is proud to announce the 2^nd annual Oregon Sports Summit, February 2-3, 2017, at the Valley River Inn in Eugene. Al Kidd, President & CEO of the National Association of Sports Commissions, will be keynote speaker on Friday, discussing the future of sports events and tourism.

The Oregon Sports Summit will be a two-day conference packed with knowledge, and will inspire current and potential sports events planners to create and further develop their sports events to reach new heights. It will be an opportunity to network and collaborate with local and regional sports events planners, venue facilities and vendors.
Speakers:
Bev Smith – Currently the Executive Director for KIDSPORTS (Eugene, OR), Bev was the Oregon Women's Basketball Coach from 2001 to 2009. From 1997 to 2001 she was the Canadian Women's Basketball Coach; including for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She returned as the Assistant Coach for the 2016 Rio Olympics. A two-time Olympian: 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Bev has a BS in Human Performance from the University of Oregon. She helped write the draft for Canadian Basketball’s Long-Term Athlete Development. Bev will be presenting “Community Youth Sport Solution Revolution.”

Michael Reilly – Michael Reilly is a graduate of Stanford University. His long career in event athletics began as a student athlete; and includes serving in roles at Stanford, Oberlin, UO, and as Competition Director for four USA Championships, the Olympic Trials, the NCAA Championships, and the London Organizing Committee. His current focus is on delivering the World Championships in 2021: known as Oregon21. Michael will be presenting on Oregon21.

David Higdon – David Higdon serves as Advisory Board Chair of the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and on the University’s Sports Product Management Board. He has held senior-level executive positions at the ATP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Champ Car World Series, and NASCAR. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine, and Sports Illustrated for Kids. David will be presenting “The Power of Sports.”

Al Kidd – Al Kidd is the President & CEO of the National Association of Sports Commissions. A graduate of Euclid High School near Cleveland, Ohio, Kidd attended Bowling Green State University with majors in math and physical education. He taught in Ohio and in Utah before entering the advertising world. His career eventually led him to San Diego, with several positions in advertising and venture capital investing. In 2003, Kidd helped with the financial turnaround of the San Diego Hall of Champions sports museum. As president of the San Diego Sports Commission, he led a merger effort to consolidate several non-profit sports organizations. Most recently, he was with BoldPointe Partners, a private equity firm specializing in middle market companies. Al will be presenting “The Future of Sports Events & Tourism.”

More speakers announced at OregonSportsSummit.com.