July/August 2009

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Sports Destination Management Magazine

July/August 2009

Recently, several of our staff attended the annual Sports Event Symposium, hosted by The National Association of Sports Commissions in Denver. Learning that the sports travel industry will be less impacted by the downturn in the economy than other sectors was one highlight of the show (and there were many).

Don Schumacher, executive director, provided numbers in his opening address that sports travel is more insulated than other segments of the travel industry, and much more than other industries. His explanation, while somewhat simple, makes perfect sense: People will get Janie to her soccer match. They may have to sacrifice certain things to get there, but sports event participation is a growing past-time that is an important facet of life in America.

In this issue

What Facilities Really Want from an Event

BY: Ramona Moon

For anyone struggling to put a large event together, it's easy to get tunnel vision and think of the event only from an event planner's perspective. You know what you want from the event and may think of the facility as only the place where it's going to be held. But to get the most value and cooperation out of that facility, it's important to ask at every step of the process, "What does this facility really want from our event?" more....