Inside
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
May/June 2010
12 Cover Story:
Ready for the World Years before being selected to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa was preparing for the world’s largest soccer event. With new stadiums built and soccer fans ready to visit, the nation hopes to exceed the world’s expectations.
Sports Spotlight: Cycling
4 From the Publisher While Lance Armstrong remains a powerful draw for fans, cycling events big and small have found ways to maximize a growing interest in the sport.
A convention boycott of Arizona quickly engulfs the state’s sports-event industry.
5 Reader Response Center The easy way to subscribe and connect.
7 Press Box News from the sports-event industry.
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8 Governing Body Dossier NGB voice may grow on the USOC Board.
Destination Feature: Global
Destinations International destinations provide a range of dramatic and historic venues for a wide array of sporting events.
33 Ask The Event Doctor What to ask for in host city agreements and items to emphasize in bid documents.
43 Event Profile The tradition-filled Preakness Stakes is Maryland’s largest annual sporting event.
45 Winners and Losers
34 Jerry Colangelo
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The Arizona sports legend and chairman of USA Basketball on the international game, the NBA and the Hall of Fame.
SportsTravelMagazine.com
Tiger Woods should consider two examples of how best to get his career back up to par.
46 Bid Bowl Sporting events up for bid and others that were recently awarded. ON THE COVER: Lionel Messi, FIFA’s 2009 Player of the Year, will lead Argentina into the 2010 World Cup. Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images
May/June 2010 |
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From the Publisher
Publisher & Editor
Travel Matters
T
he firestorm of controversy surrounding Arizona’s new immigration law has once again put the meetings and sports-event industries at the center of political crosshairs. A call for a convention boycott of the state quickly spilled over into the sports world. Some have suggested that baseball’s 2011 All-Star Game should be pulled from the state, while others have said the U.S. bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup should no longer include Glendale, Arizona, as a potential host city. TIM SCHNEIDER
While the issue at hand is one with high emotions on all sides, I find it astounding that calls for a convention boycott of Arizona originated from a politician who represents a congressional district in Arizona. That travel should be politicized in this way speaks to a lack of understanding of the value of the travel industry as a source of employment and economic development. According to the U.S. Travel Association, one of every eight Americans is employed in the travel industry. Travel and tourism is a $700 billion industry that generates nearly $110 billon in tax receipts every year. What political leaders at every level need to realize is that even if the geographic area they represent is not considered a tourist destination, their constituency still includes people whose livelihoods are tied directly to the travel industry. Similarly, major events such as the All-Star Game and the World Cup can have an enormously positive economic impact that’s felt well beyond the confines of the venue where the event is held. In mid-April, I attended a meeting of convention bureau chief executives organized by Destination Marketing Association International. I am pleased to report that an attitude of optimism regarding the near-term prospects for the travel industry pervaded my conversations with these CEOs. But as the situation in Arizona attests, the health of the travel industry cannot be assured until political leaders at all levels show greater respect for its protection and well-being.
Timothy Schneider tim.schneider@schneiderpublishing.com
Associate Publisher Lisa Furfine lisa.furfine@schneiderpublishing.com
Senior Advertising Sales Associate/ Eastern U.S. & Canada Yvonne Garcia yvonne.garcia@schneiderpublishing.com
Advertising Sales Associate/ Western U.S. & Canada Ilana Edell ilana.edell@schneiderpublishing.com
Managing Editor Jason Gewirtz jason.gewirtz@schneiderpublishing.com
Executive Editor Ann Shepphird ann.shepphird@schneiderpublishing.com
Associate Editor/Destinations Rachel Carr rachel.carr@schneiderpublishing.com
Assistant Editor/News Alexia Gura alexia.gura@schneiderpublishing.com
Business Features Jamie Stringfellow jamie.stringfellow@schneiderpublishing.com
Art Director Hagit Worona hagit.worona@schneiderpublishing.com
Creative Consultant Karin Ludwig
Event Organizer Liaison Clarice Bongolan clarice.bongolan@schneiderpublishing.com Office Manager Martha Romero Villaseñor martha.romero@schneiderpublishing.com
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
To that end, I am pleased to announce an upcoming special editorial section titled, “Why Travel Matters: Going Places Fuels the World’s Economic Engine.” Produced in conjunction with DMAI and included in the July issues of both SportsTravel and Association News, this special section will examine the critical role meetings, conventions, trade shows and sporting events will play in the economic recovery. It will also consider ways to make destination promotion a priority for governmental decisionmakers who are struggling with the allocation of their limited resources. This marks the third consecutive year that we have produced this special section in conjunction with DMAI and with the advertising support of many DMAI members. In addition to distributing “Why Travel Matters” at DMAI’s Annual Meeting, we will also distribute it at other top industry events, including the U.S. Travel Association’s Travel Leadership Summit on Capitol Hill. To be a part of this special publication, please give me a call toll-free at (877) 577-3700. And to experience first-hand the powerful role of sports in the travel industry, plan now to attend TEAMS ’10—the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers—October 18–22 in Charlotte. For more information, please see the advertisement on pages 24–25, call us toll-free at (877) 577-3700 or visit TEAMSconference.com.
Paul Anderson National Sports Law Institute Meg Bernardo Association of Surfing Professionals Rick Bratman Aggressive Skaters Association Hill Carrow Sports & Properties, Inc. Anita DeFrantz International Olympic Committee Lisa Delpy Neirotti, Ph.D. The George Washington University Mitch Dorger Pasadena Tournament of Roses Stephen Ducoff National Governing Body Association Ken Hackmeister International Softball Congress Jim Kahler Ohio University Craig Masback Nike Mike Millay Disney Sports Attractions Chris Overholt Canadian Olympic Committee Dick Schultz Marketing Associates International Don Schumacher National Association of Sports Commissions Mike Unger USA Swimming Tay Wilson International Olympic Committee Tim Yount USA Triathlon Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved. ISSN 1091-5354 SportsTravel is a registered trademark of Schneider Publishing.
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Reader Response Center For a free print and/or digital subscription, complete the form below and fax to (310) 577-3715 or visit SportsTravelMagazine.com.
May/June 2010 / Vol.14, No.5 The advertisers listed below are leaders in the sports-event industry. Contact them first when you’re searching for a destination, hotel partner or event supplier. For further information from our advertisers, you may also visit SportsTravelMagazine.com.
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Louisville CVB
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The Sports-Related Travel Market Generates More Than 47 Million Room Nights Annually. SportsTravel Is Your Key To This Growing Market!
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E-Mail 2. I am involved in the selection, authorization, approval, planning and/or review of travel activities for my organization. Yes No 3. My organization is (check one only): University, College, Junior College Professional Team Sports Governing Body/ Sanctioning Organization Sports Organization / Association Sports Event Sponsor Alumni Association Sports Marketing Firm Travel Agency Media Sports Event Promoter / Manager Other: Specify: 4. My responsibilities include (check all that apply): Tournament/event site selection Lodging selection/booking Transportation selection/booking Meal/entertainment planning Trade show planning Recruiting event sponsors Purchasing sporting goods/ sports equipment Meeting/Convention planning Other: Specify:
8. On average how many persons stay in each hotel room used for these events/trips? 1 2 3 4 5 or more: Specify: 9. At what level do these events/ trips occur? (check all that apply): Local State Regional National International 10. Estimate the amount your sporting events generate annually in regards to travel: Less than $25,000 $25,001 - $50,000 $50,001 - $100,000 $100,001 - $500,000 $500,001 - $1 million $1 million - $2 million $2 million or more: Est. amount: $ 11. Check seasons in which you generally hold events/trips: Spring Summer Fall Winter 12. In the coming year, will the number of events planned by your organization: Increase Decrease Stay the same
13. Do you wish to receive information via e-mail from 5. Approximately how many events/ third-party vendors whose trips that involve overnight stays products match your interests? does your organization plan annually? Yes No 1-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31 or more: Is there anyone else at your organiSpecify: zation who might benefit from a free subscription to SportsTravel? 6. On average how many people If so, please give us: (including coaches and staff) are involved with trips described in #5? 1-5 6-10 11-20 Name 21-30 31 or more: Specify: Address
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Zip
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‘Canes to Host NHL All-Star Game Mark Emmert has been appointed president of the NCAA and will begin in the post on November 1. He succeeds Myles Brand, who died in September. Emmert MARK EMMERT has been president of the University of Washington since 2004. Prior to that, he was chancellor at Louisiana State University, chief operating and academic officer at the University of Connecticut, provost and vice-president for academic affairs at Montana State University, and associate vice-chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Colorado. The Canadian Olympic Committee has appointed Jean R. Dupré CEO and secretary general. Dupré previously served as the director general of Speed Skating JEAN R. DUPRÉ Canada. The committee has also appointed Chris Overholt chief operating officer and chief marketing officer. Overholt, a native of Toronto, returns to Canada after working for the NHL’s Florida Panthers and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Patti Phillips has been appointed executive director of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators. For the past 10 years, Phillips has PATTI PHILLIPS served as the executive director of the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City. Before that, she was CHAMPS/life skills program coordinator for the NCAA. She succeeds Jennifer Alley, who held the post since 1996. Steve Ethier has been appointed chief operating officer for Atlanta Hall SportsTravelMagazine.com
Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes gear up for a major league event with an estimated economic impact of up to $20 million.
T
he NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina, have won their bid to host the 2011 NHL All-Star Celebration, nine years after the franchise first expressed interest in hosting the event. The Hurricanes beat out 14 other bidding teams to secure the January 30, 2011, event. “We built on the strength of what’s new in the community, like the convention center and new hotels,” said Davin Olsen, vice-president and general manager of the RBC Center, where the event will be held. “That Raleigh’s RBC Center is got us to the level of expectation of what’s in the bid.” home to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and can seat up Since the Hurricanes first began discussions with to 18,176 hockey fans. the NHL in 2001, the city has built the 500,000square-foot Raleigh Convention Center with the adjacent Raleigh Marriott City Center, and the Hurricanes have worked to increase season-ticket sales, Olsen said. Though the bid effort was led by the Hurricanes, who will serve as the game’s official host, the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau provided support with developing and compiling the written bid and in coordinating an NHL site visit, according to Scott Dupree, the CVB’s vice-president for sports marketing. In addition, the CVB has formed a local organizing committee made up of local community and business leaders in order to, “roll out the red carpet for the NHL and enhance the visitor experience,” Dupree said. “It will be a lot of hard work jammed into nine months, but it will be a lot of fun as well.” —Alexia Gura
Management, the organization created to build and operate the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Ethier was executive director of the Minneapolis Convention Center; before that, he held management posts with Miller Park in Milwaukee, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and MLB’s office of the commissioner. Sports and entertainment moguls Tim Leiweke and Casey Wasserman have joined the board of directors for the USA Bid Committee, aiming to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022. Leiweke is president and CEO of AEG, where he has worked for the past 14 years. Wasserman is chairman and CEO of Wasserman Media Group, which he founded in 2002.
World Wrestling Entertainment has named Tandy O’Donoghue vicepresident of operations and new business development. O’Donoghue has more than 12 years of experience as a business executive and sports and entertainment lawyer and most recently was managing director of business affairs at the U.S. Tennis Association. Before that, she was chief legal officer and head of TV and business affairs at the Women’s Tennis Association. Korean Air Chairman and CEO YangHo Cho has been named an international ambassador for Peace and Sport, an organization aiming to contribute to world peace through sports. Cho was president and CEO of Korean Air starting in 1992 and chairman and CEO since 1999. He has also been chairman May/June 2010 |
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GOVERNING BODY DOSSIER
USOC Advisory Group Calls For Bigger NGB Role
N
ational governing bodies may soon get a stronger voice at the U.S. Olympic Committee, based on the recommendations of an advisory group led by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. In a report that suggested several ways to improve USOC governance, the advisory group recommended that the USOC add four members to its board, including a director selected from a list of NGB nominations. For the governing bodies, whose leaders in recent months had expressed frustration with their role on the USOC board and the direction of the USOC, the move was welcome. “It gives the NGBs confidence that you have individuals in the boardroom that are familiar with the understanding of the operational functionality of the NGBs and their place in the Olympic family,” said Skip Gilbert, CEO of USA Triathlon, chairman of the Association of Chief Executives for Sports and a member of the advisory group. The USOC board heard the committee’s findings at a meeting in April, but no timeline has been set for possible adoption. Board Moves. The USOC formed the advisory group last year, asking Tagliabue to lead a 12-person committee that received wide leeway to review the USOC’s structure. The group concluded that the USOC’s governance did not need “wholesale” changes, but that there was room for improvement. Although the NGBs now help nominate two board members, the advisory group recommended that one of the four proposed new members come from a short list provided
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by the NGBs. Another proposed seat would come from the Athletes’ Advisory Council, and the two others would be independent, although the committee urged the board to consider a member of the Paralympic community as well as representatives from Multi-Sport Organizations or U.S. Olympians. A move to a larger board would come just seven years after the USOC slashed the size of its board from 124 to 11 as part of the reforms that followed the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. But Tagliabue’s report concluded that a slightly larger board would allow for “additional skills, experience and expertise” to be added to the existing board mix. No Conflict. Another key recommendation is that any national governing body representative be allowed to continue his or her role with their organization if they serve on the board. Tagliabue said that that compares to how the NFL works, where owners have served on league committees without having to relinquish their roles with their own organizations. Gilbert said that doesn’t mean a chief executive of an NGB would necessarily become a board member if the proposal were adopted. Rather, he said, it could provide an opportunity for the USOC board to add someone with a particular expertise. “It might mean someone who’s an expert in digital media or sponsorship or governance relations,” Gilbert said. “I think that’s where the USOC needs to go: When they have openings, they need to see what the organization needs and then go out and find that person.” —Jason Gewirtz
of the Hanjin Group, a conglomerate in international travel, since 2003. He has served as president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, East Asia regional vice-president of the Asia Table Tennis Union and a member of the Korean Olympic Committee.
Paul Upchurch has been appointed as president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. Upchurch was most recently chief operating officer for TCA Holdings of Chicago, PAUL UPCHURCH which operates private sports resorts and clubs. He has also been vice-president of hotel operations for Marcus Hotels & Resorts, based in Milwaukee. Upchurch succeeds Doug Nielson, who announced his resignation last August. Scott Blalock has been named vicepresident and general manager of the new JW Marriott/Indianapolis. Blalock has 22 years of hospitality experience, most recently as regional vice-president for Chicago and Northwest Indiana at White Lodging, in Merrillville, Indiana. The Fairbanks (Alaska) Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Helen Renfrew director of meetings and conventions. Renfrew spent the past eight years as sales manager for the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. Matt Meunier has been promoted to associate director of sports development at the Bloomington (Minnesota) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He first joined the bureau in 2005 as a sales manMATT MEUNIER ager working with the association and sports markets. The Plano (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Cissy Aberg sports marketing sales manager. Aberg joins the CVB from Dallas consulting firm Victor Credo, which specializes in sports management and public affairs. Prior to that, she was SportsTravelMagazine.com
IN MEMORIAM
executive director of All Around Game, a basketball training program. The Greater Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau has made two new appointments: Katrina Gallagher has been named convention sales manager and Lauren McAlpin has been promoted to convention services manager. Gallagher spent the past six years as an account executive for Estes Public Relations in Louisville. McAlpin, who joined the bureau in 2008, was previously the visitors services coordinator at the bureau’s visitor information center. Shawn Lewis has been named sports and tourism marketing manager at the Tempe (Arizona) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Lewis has been with the CVB since 2007, most recently as tourism marketing manager.
The Sacramento Sports Commission and the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with AEG, will host the Official Team Presentation & Gala for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California on May 14 at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium. The event is held each year before the Amgen Tour cycling race, which is scheduled this year for May 16–23. Attendees will include professional cyclists, celebrities, local dignitaries, retired racers, executives from AEG and Amgen, and representatives from host cities throughout California. The Wakesport Ranch in Cresson, Texas, will host the 2010 Cable Wakeboard National Championships, scheduled for May 29–30. The Wakesport Ranch is one of the largest cable parks in the country. The event will serve as team trials for the 2010 U.S. cable wakeboard team, which will compete in the world championships July 16–18 in Neubrandenburg, Germany. Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is scheduled to host the U.S. Open Volleyball Tournament & Festival at Ford Festival Park, July 8–11. The festival, now in its 27th year, will include the tournament, live music and on-site camping and attract 3,000 players from across the country. SportsTravelMagazine.com
Juan Antonio Samaranch July 17, 1920 — April 21, 2010
J
uan Antonio Samaranch led the International Olympic Committee forward on a variety of fronts during his tenure as president from 1980–2001. The Spaniard’s passing was mourned by the international sports community. IOC Board Member Anita DeFrantz reflects on her time with Samaranch and his contributions to the Olympic Games. Juan Antonio Samaranch was the IOC’s president of inclusion. He made certain that the IOC included the other half of the world— women. He made certain that athletes were included at the decision-making table and that parts of the world were included through the creation of National Olympic Committees where before there had been none. He also recognized the importance of the sponsors who could make the Olympic Games semiindependent of governments. Samaranch had declared before he was elected that women should be a part of the IOC and he made good on that. He was elected in 1980 and by 1981, two women were elected as IOC members. At the Centennial Session before the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, he established the goal that all of the decision-making boards in sport would have at least 20 percent representation by women by the year 2005. As he considered the future, he recognized that we would need to have more women Olympians to draw from in order for more women to be elected to the IOC. He also
recognized that we would need more opportunities for women to compete at the Olympic Games. He encouraged every sport to include women’s events. At the Opening Ceremony for the IOC Session in Sydney, he announced that every sport at the Olympic Games would have opportunities for both women and men. And that’s important. That has helped us become a 21st century organization. I spoke with him the week before he passed away. We had known each other long enough that we didn’t have to have long, drawn-out conversations, and it was just nice to hear his voice. He was always interested in what was going on around the world and in peoples’ opinions. One thing that most people may not appreciate is that he understood the role that the U.S. must play in the Olympic Movement. He appreciated that this country provides a great deal for the movement, that our citizens embrace the Olympic Games, which allows television rights to support the movement worldwide. He was able to use the lessons Peter Ueberroth provided from the 1984 Olympics to make the Games safer because they were more independent of government. We’ve lost a great man, a man who had a vision and who made it come true. We’ve lost someone who truly believed in the Olympic Movement.
Anita DeFrantz, an Olympian who won a bronze medal in rowing at the 1976 Olympic Summer Games, was the first American woman and first African-American to be appointed to the International Olympic Committee. She also serves on the USOC Board. DeFrantz is president of the LA84 Foundation, which was endowed by the surplus from the 1984 Olympic Summer Games and supports youth sports programming.
May/June 2010 |
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THE LEADERSHIP COACH
Return Every Phone Call
O
ver the years I have enjoyed reading people’s answers to the question “To what do you attribute your success?” I am amazed how many leaders in business have said, very simply, “Return every phone call.” Recently, in a magazine interview, I was asked what has surprised me in 34 years of being in business. I replied, “Two things: the lack of ethics, and secondly, how few people respond to phone calls, letters, e-mails, etc.” (Note: I only added e-mails for the benefit of those of you who use e-mail. I don’t give out my regular work email except internally within our com-
pany, so I communicate the old-fashioned way with phone calls.) Things have not changed in 35 years. In 1975, my assistant calculated that 20 percent of people replied to my communication. In 2010, it’s just about the same. So much business is lost because people don’t reply. I must admit that I have received many “out of the blue” calls and some fabulous business opportunities have arisen from those. And while I do receive some weird calls, overall the policy of returning calls has been very rewarding. But let’s forget the rewards for a moment. It is just plain decency to reply—no excuses.
The Leadership Coach is Peter Burwash, president of Peter Burwash International, which manages tennis instruction programs worldwide. His books are available through the Media Zone at SportsTravelMagazine.com. He can be reached at leadershipcoach@schneiderpublishing.com.
Portland, Oregon, has been selected to host U.S. Figure Skating’s 2010 Skate America. The international event, scheduled for November 11–14 at the Rose Garden, features 60 athletes who perform in women’s, men’s, pairs and ice dancing competitions. It is one of six stops in the International Skating Union Grand Prix of Figure Skating. San Juan, Puerto Rico, will host the first Ironman 70.3 San Juan on March 19, 2011. The swim leg will take place in San Juan Bay; the bike leg will take athletes from San Juan to Dorado, with beachfront views along the way; and the run leg will go through Old San Juan, past several historic sites. The Major League Baseball and Angels All-Star Complex is scheduled to open in July at Anaheim’s Pioneer Park. The project will consist of the reconstruction of a youth baseball and softball field and a new Miracle League Field for children with special needs. The fields will be renovated with the support of the Scotts Co., the 10
| May/June 2010
official lawn care company of MLB and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The British company Next has become the official clothing and homeware supplier to the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. Next will design outfits and formal suits for Team Great Britain, produce uniforms for technical officials and the reception staff for the London Organizing Committee, and supply home furnishings and linens for the Athletes’ Village. Oi, the leading telecommunications company in Brazil, has become the first Brazilian sponsor for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Under the agreement, which begins in 2011, Oi will be the event’s official FIFA World Cup telecommunications service provider. The NCAA has signed agreements with Capital One Financial Corp. and
UPS. Capital One has become an NCAA corporate champion with a multiyear agreement that includes credit card and retail banking marketing and promotional rights around the NCAA’s 88 championship events. UPS, a corporate partner, signed a four-year agreement that includes marketing and promotional rights as well as hospitality opportunities at NCAA championships. Dominion Riverrock, an outdoor adventure sports and river life festival scheduled for May 14–15 in Richmond, Virginia, has announced several of its sponsors. The list includes REI, Native Eyewear, Subaru of Richmond and MWV, an advocate of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster has become the official stain remover of U.S. Youth Soccer. Clorox will be able to use the soccer organization’s marks for retail events and promotions, and members of U.S. Youth Soccer will be able to sample Clorox products at upcoming tournaments. Degree Men Adventure has been named presenting sponsor of Xterra, the adventure multi-sport series. The antiperspirant and deodorant company will sponsor the Xterra America Tour; the Xterra Trail Run Series; and eight television programs, including the Xterra USA Championship and Xterra World Championship. PlaySportsTV.com, an online coaching resource, and the National Council of Youth Sports, which offers services and resources in youth sports, have teamed up to provide coaches and parents with tools for educating youngsters in sports. As part of the agreement, PSTV will make its online instructional videos and articles available to the council and its registered participants for a discounted price.
The results are in for the sixth annual Toshiba Classic “Shot from the Top,” in which participants hit golf balls from off the top of the 16-story Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa SportsTravelMagazine.com
NASC SYMPOSIUM WRAP UP
toward a pin on the course of the Newport Beach Country Club below. The closest shot came not from the three professional golfers who participated (Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, and Fuzzy Zoeller) but from sponsor and amateur
T David Kawashima/Hoag Hospital
CRAIG STADLER (LEFT) AND FUZZY ZOELLER (CENTER) WATCH AS FELLOW PRO GOLFER COREY PAVIN TAKES HIS TURN AT THE TOSHIBA CLASSIC “SHOT FROM THE TOP.”
golfer Tom Thomson of Coto de Caza. Thomson landed his shot three feet from the pin, the closest shot in the event’s history. The event raised $4,100 for the Hoag Hospital Foundation. —Edited by Alexia Gura
SportsTravelMagazine.com
he National Association of Sports Commissions announced its 2010–2011 board of directors and member awards during the 2010 Sports Event Symposium. Members of the board’s executive committee are: Regina Zara, Long Island Sports Commission, chair; Jon Schmieder, Phoenix Regional Sports Commission, immediate past chair; Tara Green, North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, vice-chair/chair elect; Gary Alexander, Nashville Sports Council, treasurer; and Terry Hasseltine, Maryland Department of Tourism Development, secretary. The remaining board members are: John McCasey, Sacramento Sports Commission; Kevin Smith, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission; Tammy Stout, Augusta Sports Council; Buddy Wheeler, Virginia Beach CVB; Greg Ayers, Discover Kalamazoo; William Knox, Hamilton County Sports Authority; Kate Parker, Cabar-
rus County CVB; Vince Trinidad, Tucson Sports; Jennifer Hawkins, VisitPittsburgh; Mary Lee Malmberg, Cedar Rapids Area CVB; Ralph Morton, Seattle Sports Commission; Marc Zimmerman, Central Florida's Polk County Sports Marketing; Mike Hill, Hilton Worldwide; and Michael Mulone, BASS/ESPN Outdoors. Award winners were named in categories based on budget size. Member of the Year: Oregon Sports Authority, Rochester Amateur Sports Commission, Snohomish County Sports Commission; Outstanding Communication/Advertising: Round Rock CVB, Greater Lansing Sports Authority, Lorain County Visitors Bureau; Outstanding Website: Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Greater Lansing Sports Authority; Outstanding Locally Created Event/Program: Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Lorain County Visitors Bureau.
May/June 2010 |
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Olympic Stadium in Berlin hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, in which Italy beat France on penalty kicks to claim its fourth title. Photo by Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
The FIFA World Cup brings together fans from across the globe in one of sport’s most watched and sought-after competitions By Lisa Clifton
Cover Story
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images; Fast Fact: AP Images
A
Landon Donovan will lead the U.S. team into the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. had its best finish in international competition in 2009, when it reached the finals of the FIFA Federations Cup.
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mid the notes of accomplishments and career highlights in Danny Jordaan’s official biography is a line that reads: “As a strong believer in normal sport in an abnormal society, he campaigned vigorously against apartheid in sports.” For Jordaan, now the CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, that line not only represents much of his life’s work but underscores the long road that he and his homeland have taken to welcome the world’s largest sporting event for the first time to South Africa. An estimated 26 billion people in more than 214 countries are expected to watch the World Cup from its first match on June 11 to its final day on July 11. And up to 400,000 fans are expected to attend the 64 matches scheduled for 10 stadiums in nine cities. But for South Africa, the event is about much more than numbers. “The cup is very, very important,” Jordaan said. “This is a game that we have pursued for a long time, since 1994.”
SportsTravelMagazine.com
Welcoming the World
Fast Fact #1 The LARGEST ATTENDANCE for a single World Cup game was the 1950 final between Brazil and Uruguay when an estimated 199,854 attended in Rio de Janeiro.
It was Nelson Mandela’s first year as president and South Africa’s first year returning to international sport after the end of apartheid, the country’s system of institutionalized racial separation. The passion for the cup was born from Mandela’s belief that sports could play a vital role in reuniting the country. “We had the responsibility of reconstructing a nation that had been divided by different parties,” said Jordaan, who resigned from Mandela’s cabinet in 1997 to pursue the World Cup effort full-time. Other championships came and went, and two bids for the World Cup
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were rejected before the country won the rights to this year’s event in 2004. The wait has been worth the opportunity that the World Cup brings, Jordaan said. “We want to show the world a new face to the continent,” he said. That same desire has pushed other nations to pursue the next round of World Cups to be awarded, for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. The United States is among several nations bidding to host when FIFA announces its selections in December. But for South Africa, the moment is now. The nation is hoping for several significant results from this year ’s World Cup: for the world to see its infrastructure has significantly improved; for tourism to grow from 11 million a year to 15 million by 2014; for nation building to continue as well as job creation, which was enhanced by 415,000 jobs through the recent infrastructure program; and, finally, for the country to be viewed as a place for trade and investment. Unfortunately, South Africa has had to weather an onslaught of oppo-
sitional views since winning the bid. “A lot of things have been said about my country,” said Jordaan. “It has been said that we won’t complete stadiums or the improvements to the infrastructure and no one will buy tickets so we need to think of a plan B country to host the cup.” But he says the facts speak for themselves: “The reality is we’ve delivered our infrastructure improvement without being affected by the world economic crisis. The reality is we’ve sold 2.2 million tickets out of 2.9.”
Corporate Interest South Africa faced further criticism over speculation that the World Cup would lead to huge financial losses. Again, Jordaan counters the criticism with the facts. “FIFA released its financial results for 2009, and it showed a revenue of $1 billion U.S.—the largest in FIFA history,” Jordaan said. “The idea that Africa can’t provide a business case or secure a profitable World Cup has been dismissed.”
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Cover Story
Fast Fact #2 FIFA commissioned a new TROPHY for the 10th World Cup in 1974 and received 53 designs from artists in seven countries. Italian artist Silvio Gazzanig won the contest with a trophy depicting two human figures holding up the Earth “at the stirring moment of victory.”
Much of that return came from television and marketing deals. “The market trusts South Africa,” FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter said during a recent FIFA executive meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. Overall, South Africa has generated FIFA an estimated $3.2 billion from broadcast and commercial programs, which exceeds Germany’s $2.8 billion in 2006. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s leading brewer, has invested its trust as a sponsor. Budweiser will be the official beer of the 2010 World Cup. Being a
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sponsor “provides Budweiser the opportunity to share some of the most memorable moments in sports with passionate football fans worldwide,” said Michael Torres, director of global external communications for AnheuserBusch InBev. “As a ‘must-see’ sporting event, it’s also a great platform for Budweiser to reach millions of adult beer drinkers in a relevant way.” The U.S. has shown strong interest in the World Cup, leading the pack in ticket purchases outside the host country. Through February, fans in the United States had bought 126,574 tickets, surpassing the United Kingdom, whose fans had bought 96,092. “We were surprised and quite thrilled,” said Sthu Zungu, president of South Africa Tourism–North America. “The U.S. has continued to maintain its lead in ticket sales, which is very good news for us.”
Safety Concerns With so many fans heading to South Africa, the country has also had to respond to safety and security concerns.
“Our government is going to extraordinary lengths to ensure the safety and security of visitors,” Zungu said. Security measures include 41,000 police officers deployed specifically for the event, dedicated police stations, a 24-hour multilingual hot line, the introduction of state-of-the-art information and communication technology and special courts to investigate and deal with incidents 24 hours a day. “The government’s event security, law enforcement and national security plans have been vetted by FIFA, the security teams of all 32 participating countries and Interpol,” Zungu said. “All stakeholders have expressed their confidence in the plans.” David Downs, executive director of the USA Bid Committee to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, says the safety issues are all part of the process. “Whenever you are planning an event as large as the World Cup there are going to be concerns along the way, but that isn’t anything new,” he said. “The key is doing everything possible to make sure there are steps
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Valeria Witters/Witters Sport via US Presswire
The vuvuzela trumpet has become a common sight and sound at soccer matches in South Africa. Despite concerns from players and broadcasters, FIFA will allow the instruments at the World Cup.
put in place to ensure that those concerns are being handled in the correct way, and we are confident that FIFA and the local organizing committee in South Africa are working diligently on all aspects of the tournament.” Security has been a top priority for the local organizing committee, said Jordaan. “We have hosted about 140 major international sporting events without incident,” he said. “We also have an average of 1 million tourists a month. If we can protect them, we can protect the fans who are coming.”
Travel Packages One of the keys to a safer trip for fans is planning ahead, said Kent Redding, president of Africa Adventure Consultants, a Denver-based travel agency that specializes in safaris in East and South Africa and has been selling World Cup travel packages. “More than a lot of places, you need to be careful where you end up and that it is clean, safe and in the right area,” he said. “We’ve already seen people getting random hotel rooms and expecting to get to a game four hours away, and that isn’t good. We’re providing an education for people in regards to infrastructure and timing. We’re doing a lot of geography lessons.” To help tourists maneuver through the games, FIFA developed a hospitalSportsTravelMagazine.com
ity program allowing fans to buy into hotel and transportation services when making travel plans. The offer is only available through one of the 10 agencies authorized by Match Hospitality to sell official hospitality packages to the World Cup. “When I went over there I was concerned about safety myself,” said Everett Jacobs, director of strategy for SportsMark, the authorized U.S. agency. “But I really got a hands-on look at what the program does. As soon as you get to the airport, you’re with the Match Hospitality, so you don’t have a random person coming up to say ‘Hey, let me take you.’ You’re also booked in a FIFA-approved hotel that meets security standards. As long as you have the city and plans mapped out and how you’re getting to one place and another, security isn’t an issue.” FIFA also plans to use the program at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The hospitality packages offer two products designed for the individual or corporate traveler. Suite Hospitality includes a seat in front of the stadium skyboxes with access to catering. The FIFA Business Seat includes a top category-one ticket. “This is the 50 yard line–type ticket with pre- and postmatch hospitality,” Jacobs said. “We have access for every match, which makes our offerings so unique.” Prices for the packages vary; some start at $6,700, which does not include airfare. May/June 2010 |
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Fast Fact #3 Brazilian soccer legend PELE is the only athlete to win three World Cups, leading Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Brazil has won a record five World Cup titles and is the only nation to appear at all 18 World Cups ever held.
While Jacob reports that sales have “been good,” they have been sluggish overall for the hospitality program, with only 50 percent of the VIP tickets purchased as of early April. FIFA leadership has blamed the lackluster sales on the economy. To boost sales, soccer’s international governing body was able to negotiate lower airfares with certain airlines, reducing the price for a round-trip ticket from New York to Johannesburg from $3,000 to $2,000 during the World Cup. Inside South Africa, soccer fans bought 797,990 tickets through February, and 120,000 were given to the poor
through the World Cup Ticket Fund. FIFA, however, was hit with criticism for only having online sales when many South Africans don’t have access to a computer. In response, tickets were made available at outlets on April 15 throughout the country. To further ensure that stadiums are filled, some higher-priced tickets were discounted and offered to locals as well. Jordaan says locals are vital for the success of the World Cup. “We want this event to be owned by the people of the country,” he said. “They must be the host. Everyone has the responsibility for it to be a success, so we launched a campaign asking the people of our country to do three things: wear the jersey of the national team, fly the flag and know the national anthem and sing it.” The campaign also includes an effort called Football Fridays. “Members of parliament and business leaders wear the jersey whether they’re working or not,” Jordaan said. “You see it all over the street. It has been quite a successful campaign. It goes
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Organizing Committee; Fast Fact: Franka Bruns/AP Images
Cover Story
Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban opened in November and is one of 10 stadiums that will be used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
beyond the things that divide us or make us different.” Music, like soccer, also has the power to bridge divides, and it will be employed in full force on June 10 at the Official Kick-Off Celebration Concert sponsored by FIFA at Orlando Stadium in the Soweto area of Johannesburg. Performers will include Alicia Keys, John Legend, the Black Eyed Peas and other African and international performers. All proceeds will go toward 20 Centers for 2010, an effort to raise money to build 20 Football for Hope Centers across the country that will promote education, health and soccer. “Ke Nako!” may be a common shout from the thousands expected at the concert. It is South Africa’s rallying cry for the World Cup, meaning “our time has come.” The declaration is at the forefront of the country’s new tourism campaign called “South Africa Shout Out.” “It is our goal to have every user leave the site with a positive outlook on South Africa and engage them to visit additional tourism outlets or websites,” Zungu said.
Live From South Africa The power of soccer to raise the spirit of an individual and a country is the message behind ESPN’s World Cup campaign “One Game Changes Everything.” This year, ESPN will 18
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Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Cover Story
England will rely on Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The country is submitting a bid to host the 2018 event, the host of which will be chosen in December.
provide extensive World Cup soccer coverage, with 64 matches broadcast live and in high definition on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. It will also be the first time in 28 years of broadcasting the World Cup that the network will originate all studio and news programming from the host country. The World Cup is the largest marketing investment for a single event on the network and is being promoted across all of its platforms. ESPN, which is sending about 250 people to cover the games, expects to see solid results from its efforts, having seen its ratings double from 2002 to 2006. “We think that the World Cup itself is a transcendent event and the most important event in the world,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN’s vice-president of programming and acquisitions. “We’re not walking around with a number in our heads, but we’re looking for a significant increase. We are not approaching the World Cup through the perspective of the U.S. team, but clearly if they move up it will certainly affect ratings from a general marketing perspective.” Guglielmino says the coverage of the matches is geared to be inclusive toward two marketing audiences. First, there is the soccer aficionado who “doesn’t need any Soccer 101,” he said, 20
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“so the idea is to deliver an authentic experience with the best announcers, best graphics and high-quality HD.” The other group is known as the bigevents sports fan, “someone who doesn’t watch every PGA match but will tune in to the Masters,” he said. “For that particular fan, we design soccer programming to make them feel they’re joining in the first chapter.”
U.S. Effort
Portugal and Spain. England will bid for the 2018 event, and Qatar and South Korea have submitted bids only for 2022. A bid by Indonesia to host in either 2018 or 2022 was rejected by FIFA in March. Downs said several factors set the U.S. bid apart. “Possibly, no other country in the world offers the mixture of cultures and nationalities like the United States,” he said. “As a result, a World Cup here would reach people of all generations and from very diverse heritages. It will be an impact that will be both immediate and lasting.” Downs added that there would be a financial benefit to FIFA for a U.S.based World Cup, and not only with the United States’ ability to host more than 75,000 spectators per match. “A U.S.-hosted World Cup would provide first-class stadium and municipal infrastructure; economic, political and personal security; and an opportunity to further grow the sport in an enormous and lucrative market,” he said. The United States also has a solid track record with the World Cup, having set attendance records that still stand when it hosted in 1994. In January, the USA Bid Committee announced 18 cities as potential hosts for the tournament if the U.S. bid is selected: Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C. If the U.S. bid is selected, that field will likely be narrowed to 12 to 15 cities, and each city could expect to host four to six games. The USA Bid Committee, in close coordination with FIFA, would select the final host cities.
While Downs is looking forward to the World Cup, May is a big month for the USA Bid Committee. On May 14, all comprehensive bids for 2018 and 2022 World Cups must be submitted to FIFA, whose 24person executive committee Fast Fact #4 will announce the selected The 2010 FIFA World Cup final ball was host cities on December 2. designed by adidas and is called the If selected to host one of JO’BULANI, named after the host city the tournaments, the U.S. Johannesburg, known as the “City of Gold.” would reap a tremendous economic impact, conservatively estimated at $5 billion by a study recently released by the USA Bid committee and con“Many factors will go into this final ducted by independent consulting firm selection process,” said Downs, “includAECOM. Australia, Japan and Russia ing things like local community and city are also vying for the 2018 or 2022 support for the sport, potential social even. Joint bids have also been filed by and environmental legacy of the event the Netherlands and Belgium and by and latest stadium infrastructure.” SportsTravelMagazine.com
Welcoming the World
Cities Excited Last summer, Baltimore was the site of a huge match-up between Chelsea and A.C. Milan as part of the World Football Challenge. The game was played at M&T Bank Stadium and provided perfect timing for the city, said Terry Hasseltine, director of the Maryland Office of Sports Marketing. “Tickets flew out the door, and it just so happened that the head of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, was in New York watching it and saw a sold-out stadium,” Hasseltine said. “He got a chance to see Baltimore in a great light, an electric environment, and it was fantastic. I think it really helped us.” If Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium makes the final cut from the bid committee, Hasseltine said, “we would definitely roll out the red carpet to make sure we would host a worldclass event as expected by FIFA.” FIFA requires a host nation to have 12 to 18 stadiums capable of holding 40,000 or more fans. Stadiums for the opening and final matches require a minimum capacity of 80,000. All 21 stadiums in the U.S. bid already exist or are under construction, and 12 can hold more than 75,000 spectators. “We’re dealing with existing venues here,” said David Simon, president of the Los Angeles Sports Council, which has backed both Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl as potential venues. “There is not a question as to how the World Cup would work.” Like Baltimore, Philadelphia is an East Coast stronghold for soccer and has hosted significant events such as FIFA’s Women’s World Cup in 2003. This is also the first season of its new MLS team, the Philadelphia Union, and its new soccer stadium, PPL Park, in Chester, just outside Philadelphia. “I think we bring a lot to the table as a potential host site from our location in the heart of the Northeast, which we think can cluster very well with other cities, to our great sport partners we have with the Union and the Eagles,” said Larry Needles, executive director of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, which has proposed Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, in its bid. Meanwhile, Simon said Los Angeles has seen significant growth in soccer since the city last hosted the World SportsTravelMagazine.com
Cup. “We have two professional soccer teams—that’s a huge change since ’94—and soccer has continued to grow in general,” he said. “We have more AYSO teams here than anywhere else in the country. We also have a huge immigrant population, with the lion’s share coming from countries where soccer is enormously popular. FIFA is as familiar with this market and its stadiums than any city in the country due to our experience in 1994 and hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2003 at the Home Depot Center.” The 1994 World Cup served as a trigger that accelerated the development of the game at all levels in the United States, Downs said. “We believe that the most common international misperception of the sport in the United States is that it is not relevant, when indeed it is very relevant,” he said. “We have an estimated 90 million fans of the game, 24.4 million players and 3.9 million youth registered players. During the summer of 2009, there were more then 100 professional matches that included
some of the top clubs in the world. Can you imagine what would happen if we could unify all of these fans with the promise of a World Cup in 2018 or 2022?”
Bright Future But before those host countries are named, all eyes will be on South Africa during June and July for a World Cup that organizers worked hard to secure. And organizers say they intend to make the most of the opportunity they’ve been presented. “We want this to show the best Africa has to present and the spirit of the people,” Jordaan said. “The world has seen enough about the difficult issues of Africa. We want to show an Africa at work and its warm, embracing people celebrating. In doing so, we hope people will see that the fruit of the dreams of the continent are also about economic growth, investment, human rights, environment and health promotion—all things to make things better on the continent.”
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Sports Spotlight
Cycling Turns Up the Excitement Cycling events and tours have seen their ups and downs over the years, but several events around the country have found a winning formula that appeals to serious and By Greg Mellen
John Pierce/PhotoSport International
casual fans alike
Martin Gilbert of Canada won the final stage of the 2009 Tour of Missouri, which concluded in Kansas City. The event is one of several statewide tours that has attracted fans and raised interest from host cities.
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lone cyclist attacking a mountain that looks more like a cliffside than a road. A small group of riders trying furiously to hold off the assault of a relentless peloton. Zealous fans in all manner of finery lining the road side. Fans are accustomed to seeing these sights in June or July, at places such as Alpe d’Huez or the vineyards of Burgundy at the Tour de France. But the same sights can be seen much closer to home. You can see riders in the United States attacking the Appalachians rather than the Alps, or cruising California’s Central Valley rather than the Loire Valley. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that cycling moved in from the outer edges of American culture and began to be seen as something more than Sting-Rays with baseball SportsTravelMagazine.com
cards flapping against the spokes. The 1979 surprise hit movie “Breaking Away,” about an Indiana boy who dreams of competing in European cycling, helped many Americans turn their vision of cycling from banana seats to 10-speeds. Greg LeMond catapulted the sport into the American spotlight as he became the first American to win the Tour de France, in 1986. Eric Heiden added star appeal, parlaying his status as a top Olympic speedskater into the sport of cycling. He won the first U.S. pro championship in 1985 and was a founding member of the country’s first legitimate pro cycling team, sponsored by 7-Eleven. But the man who put the sport over the top in the U.S. is Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor. The success of Armstrong in the Tour de France, called “the Lance effect,” has given the sport maybe its greatest boost in popularity and visibility in the United States. Micah Rice, the national event director for USA Cycling, has watched cycling grow. “I think it’s getting more and more organized. Back a long time ago it was exclusive and May/June 2010 |
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only a few Americans dared to go over to Europe and compete,” Rice said. “LeMond kind of paved the way, then along came Lance Armstrong, and that’s when cycling really started to blow up.”
Strong at its Roots
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he success isn’t just at the top levels. Competitive road cycling is gaining strength at the local level as well. On any given weekend in spring and summer, you can find races all over the country. These can range from amateur city and regional races, where several dozen racers do loops through their town cheered on by family and friends, to small professional competitions, to major events such as the Amgen Tour of California; the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championships, a staple in Philadelphia for 26 years; and the USA Cycling Professional Championships in Greenville, South Carolina. This year Union Cycliste Internationale, the sport’s international governing body, recognizes seven U.S. races: Amgen; TD Bank; Tour of Battenkill, in its fifth year in upstate New York; the Air Force Cycling Classic, a criterium in Arlington, Virginia, in its 13th year; the Tour de New York, a six-day race in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region, in its first year on the UCI calendar; the Tour of Missouri, a race between St. Louis and Kansas City, in its fourth year; and the Univest Grand Prix, a weekend series in September in the Allentown, Pennsylvania, area. An eighth race, the U.S. Open of Cycling, scheduled for May in Rhode Island, was canceled because of a lack of sponsorship but may return in 2011.
Nationwide Tours
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othing in the United States has the popularity or the staying power of the Tour de France, or other tours in Italy, Switzerland and Spain, which have been fixtures on the European sports scene for decades. But fans, entrepreneurs and organizers in the U.S. keep searching for the right formula, and sometimes they find it. The last major attempt to challenge the European tours, before the Amgen Tour jumped into the fray, came between 1989 and 1996, when entrepreneur Donald Trump organized the Tour de Trump, which later became the Tour DuPont. At its height, the event attracted the best cyclists in the world, 26
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including Armstrong, who won the event in its last two years, LeMond and top European racers and teams. Organizers of the multistage race through numerous states on the East Coast said it drew 2 million viewers at its peak. Trump left after two years, and eventually interest waned and DuPont pulled its sponsorship in 1996. But some organizers say they’re trying to drum up interest for some similar series. Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, which organizes the Amgen Tour, Tour of Missouri and USA Cycling championships, says he is engaged in “multiple discussions for tours in other states for 2011 and beyond, and we’re seeing a lot of interest.” David Chauner, president of Pro Cycling Tour, which organizes the TD Bank race, says the future of major cycling events is to gather disparate groups and promoters under one umbrella and create a legitimate high-level circuit of races nationally with a league concept that would include standings. As for tours, the Amgen Tour has had some success in California in creating a high-level event, while Philadelphia stages the top-rated international circuit race in the United States. Those two races, along with the Tour of Missouri, are the only ones in the U.S. to earn the top international UCI ranking of “hors clas,” the category for events just below grand tour status, which includes the Tour de France. Generally, the most recognized and popular brands of cycling are road races, although indoor racing in velodromes and banked tracks remain popular and BMX-style, dirt track and cross country and mountain cycling have gained a toe-hold, particularly among younger riders. Because of the outsized popularity of the Tour de France, the best-known form of road racing is the multistage tour—point-to-point events, up to 150 miles a day, depending on terrain. They often include elements such as individual or team trials, sprints, mountain climbing contests and other features to vary the competition. However, for a number of reasons, including logistics, sponsorship and fan participation and viewing, the most popular racing in the U.S. tends to be either a single-day or weekend looped circuit race or criterium in one geographic area. Circuit races are generally a set number of laps around loops of 5 to 20 miles. A criterium is a short course of usually 1 to 3 miles in which athletes race the clock to complete the most laps. Other popular formats are road races along loops of 50 miles or more with one or two SportsTravelMagazine.com
3| Lance Armstrong captivated sports fans of all types after winning seven straight Tour de France titles, and his presence in U.S. races has led to increased attendance. 4| Spain’s Alberto Contador won the 2009 Tour de France, beating out Lance Armstrong, who had come back from retirement.
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
2| Cities along the Tour of California route bid to host the start and finish of each stage. Solvang hosted a time trial that served as the sixth stage of the 2009 race.
5| The Tour de France remains the most prestigious cycling event in the world, winding its way through urban and rural areas.
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1| The Amgen Tour of California has become the largest cycling tour in the United States. The 2010 event has been moved from February to May and will be raced over eight stages.
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laps. And then there are time trials, which are individual sprints of 25 miles or less.
Philadelphia Tradition
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will broadcast the event live on the Versus network in nine markets. Chauner said that in recent years the event, when broadcast live, trails only Major League Baseball’s Phillies in ratings among sports shows in Philadelphia and outranks the French Open and NASCAR over the same weekend. The race does face challenges. The economy has made sponsorship a tougher sell this year, although Chauner says he has been able to keep his main backers. He said the event produces a 15-to-1 return on investment for sponsors. Cities like Philadelphia have also been hard hit, and that can present a problem. In recent years, the city
he largest single-day race in the United States is the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championships, which makes its 26th running June 6. The competition has drawn crowds estimated at 350,000 to the 14-mile circuit course that cuts through downtown and skirts the river. Since its inception, the race has had a local bank as its title sponsor, beginning with Core States Bank, which backed the race for 20 years. The event is in the first TM year of a three-year sponsorship deal with TD Bank. This year, the event is also playing host to its first Bike Festival, as well Even when times are challenging, as ancillary biking events that will attract about 1,000 competitors. the sports-related travel market generates Chauner, the president of Pro more than 47 million room nights annually. Cycling, says events such as the festival can be a key to growing the Be a winner: Advertise in SPORTSTRAVEL! sport in the future. In its first year, the festival will Call now to reserve space in use 70,000 square feet of convention hall space and will have more than these upcoming issues! 100 health and wellness exhibitors. “Look at surveys and [cycling] is one JULY ISSUE: AUGUST ISSUE: of the top participation sports,” Feature Stories Feature Stories Chauner said. “People are starting to LPGA Beach Sports understand how to capitalize on that vast market.” Rodeo and Bull Riding Bowling And that means tying into The South-Atlantic The Pacific States products and activities that aren’t Closing Date Closing Date necessarily related to cycling. Chauner June 1 July 1 estimates that only a quarter of those who attend the race are regular cycling enthusiasts. The festival reaches out to the others. “We want to get them engaged, and that’s where the festival comes in and enhances the whole experience,” he said. The race itself has a long-term For information on advertising, call toll-free (877) 577-3700! television deal with Comcast, which
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started charging the race for services such as police and public works that had been either donated or capped. Chauner said his race budget is about $1.5 million, of which about $200,000 to $250,000 goes to city services. However, he said the economy has not diminished interest or attendance. Philadelphia fans still come early, stake out favorite viewing spots, and stage parties and picnics as part of the weekend. In addition to the main race on Sunday, which has featured top domestic and international teams and athletes including Armstrong, the event has a women’s professional race, now in its 17th year.
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Amgen Tour of California
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big-time sponsor can make the difference. That is the case with the Amgen Tour of California, which is backed by the Amgen biotechnology company with an assist from the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Lance effect will be present this year as well, as Armstrong intends to participate in the 2010 race. This year ’s Amgen Tour was moved from its usual February schedule to May 16–23. The move was designed to allow for better weather and also to produce a more
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3| George Hincapie, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, won the 2009 USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. 4| Francesco Chicchi won the sixth stage of the 2009 Tour of Missouri in St. Joseph, which earned him a Pony Express bag commemorating the city’s role as the starting point of the historic mail route.
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5| The 2009 Tour of Missouri finished in Kansas City and had an estimated economic impact of $38.1 million statewide.
competitive field as teams training for the Tour de France will have hit their stride. Still, this year’s Amgen tour will go head-to-head against the Giro d’Italia, a prime warmup race for the Tour de France. “Cycling really is worldwide, and top teams have the abilities to be in both races,” Aronhalt of organizer Medalist Sports said. In its fifth year, the Amgen Tour has become the largest tour-style race in the country, covering eight stages and 800 miles. Last year, organizers said the tour drew more than 2 million fans and had an estimated economic impact of $100 million. Aronhalt says the race is a $3.5 million affair to produce. Cities bid competitively for the right to host a stage. The finish lines of each stage offer lifestyle festivals with vendors, demonstrations and other activities and displays. To help keep the overall event fresh and bring in new fans and interest, this year ’s Amgen Tour will have five new stops along its eight-stage route, including its first visit to Los Angeles, which will host a time trial. One of those new sites is Bakersfield, the finish of the fifth stage, which departs from Visalia. Don Cohen, manager of the Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, said winning the stage bid was a tremendous boost. With a number of bicycle clubs, the Kern River bikeway and a picturesque finish at the Panorama Bluffs, he said, Bakersfield is a bikeoriented city that was a natural for the tour. Like a lot of cities, Bakersfield is facing budget challenges, but Cohen said the community has rallied behind the event and persuaded the city to put up a $120,000 to $150,000 line of credit to play host. The city secured title sponsorship for the stage from Dutch-owned Rabobank, and Cohen said the arrangement is going well. Bakersfield will host a variety of community events as the May 20 race date approaches, including benefit rides along parts of the route. In April the city held an Amgen Cycle for Life fundraiser as well as a health fair and farmer’s market. “We’re being prudent and trying to feel our way along,” Cohen said. “I hope we’re not holding a fundraiser afterward to pay for it.”
USA Cycling Championships
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reenville, South Carolina, may not be a big city, but it’s not afraid to ride with the big boys. Four years ago, the city won the rights to play host to the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. The race is SportsTravelMagazine.com
John Pierce/PhotoSport International
2| The TD Bank race draws an estimated 350,000 fans along its route. This year, for the first time, it will feature a lifestyle festival aimed at attracting non-cycling fans.
John Pierce/PhotoSport International
1| The TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championships is the largest single-day cycling event in the United States. Its 26th running will be held June 6.
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the de facto national championship, and the winner earns the stars-and-stripes jersey to wear in European races such as the Tour de France. Each year the city turns out big for the event, including the chance to root for George Hincapie, a native son who won the event last year for the third time. “We think we’re world-class, and this is a world-class event,” said Jim Bourey, Greenville’s city manager. Greenville has been a cycling hotbed for decades, Bourey said, since before it was a host city for the Tour DuPont. He said the national championship highlights not only Greenville’s biking community but also its active lifestyle and green standards. The title sponsor is the Greenville Hospital Center, and last year’s race raised more than $120,000 for the Palmetto Peloton Project, which supports research and advocacy to fight cancer. This year’s race will be September 18–19. Rice of USA Cycling said Greenville is a perfect “middlesized” market for the race. The national governing body also stages title races in cities such as Bend, Oregon, Madison, Wisconsin, and Louisville, Kentucky, host of this year’s Masters Road National Championships. “We want to be the big event in town and fill up the hotels and restaurants,” Rice said. “On the first day of an event, I want to be on the front page.” USA Cycling stages 16 national championships in five disciplines: road racing, mountain biking, cyclocross, track and BMX. The group puts its events out for bids and encourages sports commissions and CVBs to work with experienced promoters. Rice said the key to successful events is to make them the center of a party. When USA Cycling brings an event to town, “we want to make them fun and memorable,” Rice said. “We’re trying to become an experience provider rather than a service provider.”
Tour of Missouri
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he economic downturn has thrown some speed bumps into the path of the Tour of Missouri, the third UCI-recognized hors clas event in the U.S. It is scheduled to go on again this year, although its future may be in doubt. Since its inception three years ago, the state of Missouri has been the race’s title sponsor. But this year, Governor Jay Nixon tried to cut funding for the $1.5 million, sevenday event, scheduled for August 30 to September 5. The May/June 2010 |
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Sports Spotlight
event remains on the calendar, and race organizers have been working to get bids from host cities and plan for the race to take place. With funding from the state in doubt, organizers have even asked the public to donate to ensure that the race continues. The Tour of Missouri, won last year by David Zabriskie, has some powerful allies, including Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, who is expected to challenge Nixon for governor in 2012. To bolster his support, Kinder, who is also chairman of the Missouri Tourism Commission and Tour of Missouri Inc., has pointed to a 2009 economic impact study conducted by IFM Sports, an international
marketing group. The study estimated an economic impact of $38.1 million from the 2009 race, up from $29.8 million the previous year. About 500,000 spectators watched the event along its 600-mile route and in the 11 host cities, according to the study. The number of spectators rose from 434,000 the year before and 368,000 in its first year. In a statement, Kinder said the event showcased “Missouri across the globe as a world-class tourist destination.” He said the numbers made the event the largest sporting event in the state’s history. Medalist Sports organizes the race, and Aronhalt says he has been scrambling to keep it going but still sees positive aspects. He admits that coordinating tour events, which pass through numerous counties and cities that all have their own requirements and logistical issues, is a tough task. “By all means it’s more of a challenge,” Aronhalt said. “But with multiple markets, it helps promote the entire state. It helps us integrate all the assets the state has to offer.”
Still Evolving
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espite Missouri’s struggles, other states continue to dive into the cycling pool. New York’s Tour of the Battenkill, which calls itself America’s Queen of the Classics, draws more than 1,500 riders to its professional and amateur races over the course of two weekends. Other events, like the Tour de New York, are evolving. That race began in 2004 as a criterium in Rochester, then expanded to a threeday event with a time trial, criterium and road race. It faltered and was canceled in 2009 but is scheduled to return as a six-day event this August. Some such as the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah soldier on, while other races, such as the Tour de Georgia, which went dark in 2009, fall by the wayside. It’s a pattern that will likely continue, defined by public whim and the pockets of investors, race organizers say. But the key to success, most race organizers agree, is to make the race the focal point of a larger entertainment, fitness and wellness event. That is what brings in the fans and the merely curious, and where they go, the sponsorship and vendor dollars will follow. “They say if you build it they will come,” said Chauner. “I don’t think that’s true. I believe if you build it and you market it well, they will come.” 30
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As our event grows, we have come to understand the items we want to address in our host city agreements. To cover every potential scenario seems impossible, but our lawyers keep adding language to anticipate all possibilities. We want to protect our interests but don’t want to scare off communities. Any thoughts? —Cautious
Dear Event Doctor:
Dear Cautious: My thoughts may not be what your lawyers want to hear. I have been on both sides of these agreements many times and have developed three general principles as follows: Partners in the best events rarely refer back to specific contract provisions; it is impossible to anticipate and draft specific language to address all possibilities; the best agreements and relationships are those where the parties create a general framework based on cooperation and mutual assistance. What does this mean in practice? It means that the nature of your agreement should be to create a relationship that provides for joint decisions to be continually made based on emerging and current information and needs rather than on outdated assumptions and expectations. Avoiding territoriality is crucial. The agreement should provide a framework where each party can bring their assets (resources, relationships, people,
etc.) to the partnership and can communicate their needs to both the other party and the partnership. As this happens, the best solutions can be implemented. The biggest problem I see with other forms of agreement is that too much time and effort is wasted in assigning narrow responsibility or blame and not enough is spent looking for the best ways to promote an event, encourage participation, sell tickets and attract partners and sponsors. Joint efforts can help with all these elements. Taking time to allocate responsibility instead of seeking solutions is counterproductive. This is particularly true with sponsorships. Many contracts deal with narrowly defining sponsor categories, agreeing on approval deadlines and the like, as opposed to the parties jointly seeking to generate as much total support as possible using a range of sponsor benefits. The important question here is “How do we jointly offer sponsors what it will take to get them to commit?” instead of “No, you can’t offer that, it belongs to me.”
Dear Event Doctor: Recognizing that different rights holders and events value certain community
characteristics and bid elements differently, in your experience, what are the most important event elements in general bidding terms? We are proud of our destination’s offerings overall but don’t always know what we should emphasize. How do we best showcase ourselves? —Want to Tell It Best Dear Want: I know your challenge well. Each event has different elements that are important to its rights holder. And while event owners can describe their wants in a bid document, the final decision may be based on other factors or may be weighted differently from what might be expected. All elements of a bid are important at some level, but the most important element to me and to most events is the facility that you are proposing. For me, the venue itself is the crucial element. It needs to meet all (not most) event needs, and it must help the organizer host the event rather than create problems to be worked around. All the other elements are important, but a second-class or inadequate venue just starts off wrong. From your standpoint, you need to fully understand the venue needs for any event you are trying to attract and realistically and responsibly assess your venues in comparison. Along with the facility itself, the ability to exactly match a venue schedule to desired dates is essential. A great venue is of little value if it is not available. You need to understand venue schedules and capabilities for your area of responsibility. The next area of importance is the quality and experience of local event management, both in general and for the sport or event in question. This includes the number and quality of avail-
able volunteers. Current management capabilities and your event hosting history are extremely important. You need to have detailed and accurate information on your event history and be aware of who you can count on for assistance sport by sport. Those two areas may be all that will realistically be considered in order to be successful. Some other factors are also important, but each is harder for you to improve: Location. Having great access (both highway and air) is important, but you will not be able to change this factor, and it is relatively easy to become familiar with it. Housing and hotels. The number of convenient rooms available is important, and you need detailed knowledge of when more or fewer rooms are available. But event rights holders are more interested in total capacity than in other amenities. You do need to create working relationships with key hotels. Other local attractions and amenities. This area, which some bids focus on in great detail, is generally of limited value. All in all, as you can see, decisions are most likely to be made based on the quality and availability of your venues and the quality and experience of local management. As you become more knowledgeable and apply this knowledge to your bids, you ought to get the maximum results.
The Event Doctor is Jack Kelly, a sports-industry veteran who has served in a variety of event-related roles, including positions as CEO of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, CEO of the Space City (Houston) Sports Commission, president of the 1990 and 1994 Goodwill Games, and president of two United States Olympic Festivals. Questions for The Event Doctor can be e-mailed to Jack Kelly at eventdoctor@schneiderpublishing.com. SportsTravelMagazine.com
May/June 2010 |
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Destination Feature
Global Sports on the
Fast Track International locations provide a whole world of new options for event organizers looking for sports-minded destinations eager to host events By John Vivirito
Global travel presents inspiring environments; when that travel is for a sporting event, that inspiration helps motivate both athletes and fans. And, whether event planners are looking to the nearby nations of Canada or Mexico or more distant locales such as Wales, Singapore, Australia or the Bahamas, the breadth of venues available internationally provides the right match for every sport at every level.
Singapore: Packing Them In
The 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix took place on September 27. The race is contested over 61 laps of the harborside Marina Bay street circuit.
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Tim Chong/Reuters
Southeast Asia’s smallest nation, Singapore, an island off the southern tip of Malaysia, is only 274 square miles, but it is big on sports. “We’re doing our best to get our name out there and let the world know that Singapore is sports-oriented,” said Ambrose Tham, Singapore Tourism Board area director for the Western U.S., Canada and Central America. “We are excited about the upcoming Summer Youth Sports Olympics this summer, and in 2012, the Singapore Sports Hub will be coming on board.” The 86-acre Singapore Sports Hub is the centerpiece of redevelopment in southeastern Singapore, in Kallang, and it will include a new, 55,000-seat National Stadium with a retractable roof, a
Andrew Winning/Reuters
Destination Feature
Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium hosted the Autumn International rugby matches last year, including one between Wales and Argentina on November 21. The venue boasts the UK’s first fully retractable roof.
6,000-seat indoor aquatic center, an arena with seating for 3,000, and the existing 11,000-seat Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Hub will be 15 minutes from Changi International Airport. Major venues in Singapore include the historic Singapore Polo Club and Singapore Cricket Club, Padang Sports Complex, the Singapore Flying Club and a variety of sea sports clubs, including Changi, Kallang and East Coast, which promote sailing events. Singapore’s events calendar includes a variety of triathlons; the Barclays Singapore Open, Asia’s richest golf tournament; Singapore Cricket Club Rugby Sevens; and the 2011 World Netball Championships. But this summer the first Youth Olympic Games will be Singapore’s biggest event of the year. The games will draw international athletes ages 18 and under competing in 26 sports. The Youth Olympics follow the successful Friendship Games last January, with 600 athletes competing in six sports. Goh Kee Nguan, CEO of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee, said that the Friendship Games let organizers shore up their Youth Games operations: “The Friendship Games will ensure that we are ready for Singapore 2010.” 36
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In February, the HSBC women’s golf championship took place at the Tanah Merah Country Club, which has hosted an array of pro golf events including the Singapore Open, the Johnnie Walker Classic and the LPGAsanctioned Lexus Cup. The Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix will run its third race this fall. The 2008 competition was the first night race in F1 history. The 2010 event will take place September 24–26 and is expected to attract more than 100,000 fans to the 61-lap street circuit that includes bridges over Marina Bay. The Singapore Sports Council was established in 1973 with the goal of developing a sports culture. The council runs facilities at 20 sports centers, including 3,864-seat Bedok Stadium, 10,000-seat Bishan Stadium, 6,000-seat Jurong Stadium and 3,800seat Queenstown Stadium, as well as Singapore Indoor Stadium. “One of our biggest selling points to visitors is that the country is very safe and easy to get around,” Tham said. And, “English is the language spoken on the street.”
The Bahamas: Islands of Action Spanning 100,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean, the Bahamas are not just for beach goers. The 700 islands, known for luxury resorts, are small in population but big on athletic activities. “There are unlimited sports opportunities,” said Tyrone Sawyer,
director of sports tourism development at the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. “Our total area includes 95,000 square miles of beautiful turquoise waters, so visitors love our water sports.” The Queen Elizabeth’s Sports Centre is under construction in the capital, Nassau. “We are in the process of building a world-class venue to accommodate many sports,” Sawyer said. As part of the center, the nation signed an agreement with China for the construction of a $30 million, 30,000seat national stadium. “This gift from the People’s Republic shows the friendship between the two countries,” Sawyer said. “The new stadium will propel the growth of baseball in the Bahamas. We currently have a vibrant junior baseball program that sends athletes to universities in the U.S.” Two of the most popular sports are cricket and rugby; in Nassau, cricket is played from March through November, and rugby from September through April. As for other sports, the Atlantis resort hosted the FIFA Congress last May, the Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational last December, and the Michael Jordan Celebrity Golf Invitational in January. “We just hosted the first Marathon Bahamas on February 14 with 500 runners on Nassau, and the second marathon is set for January 16, 2011,” Sawyer said. “In January, the Bahamas hosted a masters softball tournament in which the athletes, ages 59 to over 70, arrived via cruise ship. Those are the types of opportunities we embrace.” “The Bahamas is 50 miles east of Miami, which makes it popular with U.S. fishermen,” Sawyer said. “Bimini Island is the sport-fishing capital of the world, and bonefishing is popular throughout the islands.” Weather in the Bahamas rarely dips below 60 degrees. Organizers take note: Hotel and airfare prices spike from December through April.
Cardiff: Strong Appeal Recognition of Cardiff’s sporting clout came last year as Wales’ capital city was named one of four European Cities of Sport for 2009. “The inspection team was impressed by Cardiff’s commitment to sport for all,” SportsTravelMagazine.com
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Destination Feature
Melbourne Park was built for the 1988 Australian Open, and its venues, including Rod Laver Arena, have hosted the event ever since.
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said Gian Francesco Lupattelli, chairman of the European Capital of Sports Association. The jewel of Cardiff venues, 73,350seat Millennium Stadium, opened in 1999 with the first fully retractable roof in the U.K. In 2015, when London hosts the Rugby World Cup, Millennium Stadium will be one of 12 venues, the only site outside England. The stadium hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2007. “The Millennium Stadium has attracted more than £1 billion into the Welsh economy in its first 10 years,” said Steve Phillips, Welsh Rugby Union Group finance director. “Visitors attracted to the stadium number over 1 million a year, with almost half of them from outside Wales.” Cardiff International Sports Village, an athletic training facility, is the home of the Cardiff Devils ice hockey team and includes a 50-meter swimming pool, the International White Water Centre and a snow dome. Two more stadiums opened last year in Cardiff. “The SWALEC Stadium hosted the first Ashes test match in July
2009 and was a resounding success,” said Carys Pugh D’Auria, head of trade and investment for Cardiff & Co., which runs the Cardiff Convention Bureau. “The other stadium to open was the Cardiff City Stadium, which is home ground to Cardiff City football team and Cardiff Blues rugby team.” The 26,828-seat Cardiff City Stadium is part of a development that includes Cardiff International Sports Stadium, which opened in January 2009 and is Welsh Athletics headquarters and home to the Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club, Cardiff City men’s and women’s football clubs, and the Welsh Football League’s Grange Harlequins.
Guadalajara: Pan-American Action Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, has seen many sporting events, major and minor. In October 2011, Mexico’s second-largest city will be at the forefront of world sports, hosting the Pan American Games.
SportsTravelMagazine.com
Sites include the new Pan American Village, Guadalajara Country Club for equestrian events, Pan American Gymnastics Stadium, Pan American Volleyball Stadium and the CODE Paradero Sports Complex. New venues include a softball stadium at Mateos Sports Complex; a baseball stadium at Lagas de Moreno; Metropolitano Park, site of Pan American Tennis Stadium and Aquatics Complex; and a sports medicine center. Being the Pan-Am Games host has helped the metro area of 4 million build up its sports infrastructure and revitalize its downtown region. “Barcelona wasn’t Barcelona before it got the Olympic Games,” said Horacio de la Vega Flores, Guadalajara 2011 marketing director and a modern pentathlete on Mexico’s 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams. “In a more modest sense, we are doing the same.” About 6,000 athletes from 42 countries will compete in the 36sport event in October. The organizing committee is renovating the host city—building a rapid transit system; new roads and hotels; and a second terminal at Guadalajara International Airport. “We are fulfilling our dream to make Guadalajara Mexico’s number one sports city,” said Ivar Sisniega, Guadalajara 2011 operations director. Guadalajara also is hosting the Parapan American Games November 19-27, and it hosted the National Youth Olympics from April through June. The quadrennial international event consists of 12 sports, including wheelchair tennis and volleyball, for an expected 1,500 Paralympic athletes. The National Youth Games, which have been held annually since 1996, bring more than 25,000 athletes from throughout Mexico to compete in 40 disciplines. Soccer is Mexico’s top sport in terms of both players and spectators. Guadalajara is home to three of Mexico’s top soccer teams, including Chivas. The city’s top soccer venues are 56,700-seat Estadio Jalisco, 30,015-seat Estadio 3 de Marzo, and the soon-to-open 54,500-seat Estadio Chivas. Estadio Jalisco, one of Mexico’s fields used for the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cup events, is home to the FIFA and CONCACAF clubs, Futbol Club Atlas and Club Deportivo Guadalajara. SportsTravelMagazine.com
Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images
Global Destinations
Chivas, a 102-year-old club, will soon move into Estadio Chivas, a multi-use facility in Zapopan. Construction began in 2004 on the stadium, which is designed to look like a volcano with a cloud on top.
Melbourne: Seasons of Fun “Melbourne is a world-class sports capital,” said Beck Angel, media adviser for the city of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. “We are very proud of our sports in Melbourne.” The city plays host to international events such as the Australian Open Tennis Championships at Melbourne Park, the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, the Equitana Asia Pacific showcase at Melbourne Showgrounds, and the Australian Masters. And, in 2006, Melbourne also played host to the Commonwealth Games. Top facilities include Melbourne & Olympic Parks, which includes 18,500seat Olympic Park Stadium for rugby and soccer, 10,500-seat Hisense Arena, 16,820-seat Rod Laver Arena, site of the Australian Open; 6,000-seat Margaret Court Arena; 8,500-seat Kooyong Stadium; 56,000-seat multisport Etihad Stadium; and Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. Melbourne Cricket Ground in Yarra Park, which opened in 1854, seats 100,018 and is home to four Australian Football League clubs and two cricket teams. The facility, operated by the Melbourne Cricket Club, was a site for
Team Canada played against Team USA in the finals of the 2010 IHF World Junior Championship Tournament on January 5 at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 1956 Olympic Summer Games. A 31,500-seat stadium, as yet unnamed, will soon open at Melbourne & Olympic Parks. Work began in 2007 on the venue, which will be home to the Melbourne Storm rugby club, the Melbourne Rebels Super 15 rugby franchise, soccer’s Melbourne Victory and a new A-League club tentatively named Melbourne Heart. The site will open May 7 on ANZAC Day, Australia and New Zealand’s national day of remembrance, with an International Rugby League test match between teams from each country. For basketball fans, Melbourne has two teams that compete in the 11-team National Basketball League. The Melbourne Tigers play home games at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville, and the South Dragons play at Hisense Arena, which also has an International Cycling Union 250-meter track and is home to the Melbourne Vixens netball squad. Thoroughbred racing takes place in Australia every day except Good Friday and Christmas. Flemington Racecourse events include Derby Day (October 30), the Melbourne Cup Carnival in early November and the six-week Spring Racing Carnival. The May/June 2010 |
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Destination Feature
Melbourne Cup, the first Tuesday of every November, is celebrating its 150th running this year.
Saskatchewan: Games in the North Saskatchewan sits just north of North Dakota and Montana, a 250,000square-mile Canadian province, half of which is forests. From curling to lacrosse, and rugby to swimming, Saskatchewan offers a variety of events. “Our tourism product is very event based,” said Todd Brandt, president and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon. “And, we have a sports authority, Saskatoon Sports Tourism, that attracts athletic events to the area.” Regina, the capital, and Saskatoon, the province’s largest city, have hosted major sporting events including the 1998 and 2008 Can-Am Police-Fire Games, an annual competition for police officers and firefighters. Venues include 31,000-seat Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field in Regina,
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home of the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Evraz Place, a 102acre sports, business and entertainment facility with more than 1 million square feet of indoor space that is home to the WHL Regina Pats and the Regina Soccer Association. Other venues include Shaw Civic Centre, with a 10lane competition swimmin g pool; 3,200-seat Moose Jaw Civic Centre; and Saskatoon’s Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, host of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in July 2009. The WHL Moose Jaw Warriors play home games at a 3,146-seat civic center, but the 4,500-seat New Moose Jaw Arena is under construction. In 2009, the province hosted the International Softball Federation fastpitch men’s world championship; this year it will hosts the Saskatchewan First Nations Winter Games, the Wheelchair Basketball Canada national championship, Dive Canada summer nationals and the Canadian Golf Tour Saskatchewan Open. In April 2011, Regina will host the World Men’s Curling Championship,
the first qualification process event for the 2014 Winter Olympics, at Evraz Place, which has hosted several major curling events, including the first Continental Cup in 2002. “The World Curling Federation is extremely pleased to have the 2011 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship return to Regina,” WCF President Les Harrison said. “When an event is hosted in Saskatchewan, we rely on volunteers,” Brandt said. “For the World Juniors, we had 2,500 volunteers in Saskatoon and 1,500 in Regina, proving that we are really able to mobilize the cities.”
Adventuring Abroad From Canada to Mexico, Australia to Asia, and Europe to the North Atlantic, global destinations offer everything for successful sports. And, despite the distance, overseas events offer athletes and fans a chance to discover that wherever you compete, sports is an international language.
SportsTravelMagazine.com
The Interview
Jerry Colangelo The Hall of Fame basketball executive and former Phoenix Suns owner has helped the U.S. men’s basketball program return to international dominance
S
ince he sold the NBA’s Phoenix Suns in 2004, Jerry Colangelo has only cemented his already legendary status in the basketball world. As managing director of USA Basketball men’s team program, Colangelo convinced the NBA’s biggest stars to play for their country, crafting the team that won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after years of disappointing international results. Now he’s trying to rework that magic for 2012. His Olympic success mirrors his other accomplishments in sports, primarily in the Phoenix area, where he helped bring professional basketball, baseball and hockey to the desert as a coach, executive and owner. In this interview with Jason Gewirtz of SportsTravel, Colangelo discusses the challenges ahead for Team USA, his successful career and the future of the NBA.
What first intrigued you about taking a leaderhip role with USA Basketball? In 2004, I sold the Suns, I went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, I stepped down from the Arizona Diamondbacks and I finished the year with a bang with prostate cancer. So it was a watershed year for me. I was home recuperating when I received a call asking whether I’d be interested in taking on the responsibility for USA Basketball, so the timing was right. I requested full autonomy to take that on because that was important to me. I had a lot of other things I was doing, but the passion for me has always been the game. When you have the chance to represent your country at a time when the program is at an all-time low, which it was after the 2004 Olympics in Athens, it was a great opportunity to seek out changing the culture and representing your country. Did it wind up being more challenging than you thought? I think it was exactly what I thought it would be. I had a game plan almost immediately knowing that having to change the culture, we had to show respect for the international basketball community and show some humility. The attitude toward Americans at that point was that we were arrogant. Our athletes helped create that in terms of how they presented themselves, their attitude on and off the court, their appearance, etc. You have the chance to take all of that and say here’s what we’re going to do and here’s the plan and you look at a player eyeball to eyeball and ask whether they want to be a part of it. The stars were aligned. There was buy-in immediately and that started our journey. SportsTravelMagazine.com
The U.S. men haven’t won a World Championship since 1994. Why is it important that the U.S. wins at this summer’s championship in Turkey? It’s two-fold. Number one, the rest of the world basketball community puts more emphasis on the World Championships than the Olympics. We’re the only country that has it in a different order. To show ultimate respect to the rest of the basketball world, you put your best players out there for the World Championships in an attempt to win that. In 2006, we lost to Greece in the World Championships in Tokyo, proving that on any given night you could lose no matter whom you have on your roster. A number of our players did not participate in the World Championships in 2006, but they did in the Olympics and that was in itself a big change. Secondly, I think our job is half finished. We won the Olympics. I think now what I‘d like to see is our group go out and win the World Championships and finish the deal. How would you assess the state of the NBA right now? I think the game itself is in excellent shape. The economics of the game need some fine-tuning and adjusting right now because collective bargaining is at the forefront. The economy has taken its hits in every sector; the entertainment world, professional sports and the NBA have been affected. When you May/June 2010 |
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Jerry Colangelo
look at the major issues that are at stake, that the percentage of revenue that goes to the players in the way of compensation is a little bit out of whack, relative to the total revenues, it puts the ownership in a very bad position. There is an adjustment that needs to be addressed to balance it out. Your name came up recently in connection with running the New Jersey Nets. Even though you denied being contacted, are there any circumstances under which you would consider returning to team management? Without being specific about any position or team—because I don’t think that’s appropriate—I can say that I’ve done everything there is to do in basketball as far as the NBA is concerned in terms of roles, and I’m not seeking or looking to re-engage. If the right opportunity was presented, I mean, if things came to pass that there was an opportunity that made sense, that had appeal to me, it would have to be under some unusual circumstance, so I would never say never. But I’m not seeking or looking for a job. I don’t need a job. Are there any parts of running the day-to-day operation of a franchise that you particularly miss? No, the satisfaction is in the relationships and the marketing and the selling of the product and being close to the game. I get all of that with USA Basketball. I call it my basketball fix. As chairman of the board of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, you have said the selection process for hall members needs to change. Why is that? First and foremost I want to bring more transparency to the process of how individuals are nominated and then how the selection process works. That started with my term as chairman with reorganizing the board into two components, a board of trustees and a board of governors. We’ve added more involvement on the board level and raised the bar regarding membership. George Bodenheimer, the CEO of ESPN, has joined the board of governors. “WE HAD TO SHOW Charlie Denson, the president of Nike, has joined SOME RESPECT FOR the board, as has Elaine THE INTERNATIONAL Wynn from Las Vegas, who’s a great basketball BASKETBALL fan and supporter. We COMMUNITY AND have made some major improvements in our SHOW SOME HUMILITY.” board structure. Now the second phase is transparency regarding how we actually operate. And then, thirdly, I want more participation on the part of the fans. That’s never been part of our process. The Phoenix Mercury are one of the few WNBA teams still playing in the city where they started. Why do you think there’s been so much movement in that league? I was one of the early supporters of the concept of having a women’s professional league and the creation of the WNBA. I think it’s been more of a struggle than many of us anticipated. There have been a number of challenges. The timing of the season itself is one. The fact is that many of these players play elsewhere internationally because of the amount of money they can earn doing so. It’s also a combination of the time of year that the league plays and the availability of players. The timing was right to start the WNBA but there have been a number of challenges. Gaining stability has been one of the biggest challenges. 42
| May/June 2010
After the Phoenix Coyotes’ recent financial troubles, do you think the team ultimately will stay in the Phoenix? I would hope that they can make it. The reason is, selfishly, when I first got to Arizona back in 1968, there wasn’t much there. We were the first professional team when we started the Suns. My goal was to make it a major league city and we were. We eventually became one of 11 or 12 cities that had teams in all four major leagues. The market has been one of continual growth. There’s been a real hiccup with the economy the last few years, but growth will continue. There are so many reasons people want to live in this part of the country that we have grown into a very mature four-team major league market. For “THE SATISFACTION IS those reasons, I hope we IN THE RELATIONSHIPS can make it in hockey. There was a second arena AND THE MARKETING built specifically for AND THE SELLING hockey in Glendale and I OF THE PRODUCT.” would hate to see a white elephant, so I’m hoping all of this can be resolved. Several Major League Baseball teams that used to have spring training in Florida have moved in recent years to Arizona. Do you see that trend continuing? All we have to do is figure out a way to fund more stadiums for spring training [laughs]. You know, my partners and I just acquired the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa. Eight of the teams that train in the West Valley are within 10 minutes of the Wigwam and, of course, the International Raceway is right there, and then the football stadium and the arena in Glendale. Once the economy starts to turn around, I think there will be a great amount of construction. But as the market in Arizona grows, it will go west because that’s where the available land is. The Wigwam Resort is your first foray into the hospitality industry. What has that been like for you? It’s interesting. We just got possession at the end of the year and we’ve been spending a lot of time doing due diligence and speaking with potential operators. We have great plans for some improvements and the people on the west side have been very responsive to the new ownership because of the local identity. I think before next season you’ll see some real improvements in place. I’m excited about it. When you build an arena or a stadium and you have seats and restaurants and suites to fill, it’s not much different than hotels. You have rooms to fill. You have amenities you offer. There’s tweaking and adjustment. It’s a learning curve for some of us but that’s why we’ll have an operator. We just want to add to the mix and add value to the property. You’ve had much success building up the sports industry in Phoenix. To what do you attribute that success? My timing could not have been better. The community was very responsive. I was able to throw myself into the community and vice versa and build something and have a platform that led to other successes. It was there and available in Phoenix at that time and place, maybe not so elsewhere. Your career record as a head coach with the Suns was 59–60. Do you ever dream of going back for two more games to try to get your record over .500? I used to kid about that over the years but I think that time has passed. I’ll have to settle for what happened. SportsTravelMagazine.com
Tim Shaffer/Reuters
The Preakness Stakes
Event: The 2010 Preakness Stakes Date: May 15, 2010 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Venue: Pimlico Race Course Event History: The Preakness Stakes was first run in 1873—two years before the first Kentucky Derby—making it the thirdlongest-run sporting event in America. Survivor won the first race by 10 lengths (for a purse of $2,050), which remained the largest margin of victory until 2004, when Smarty Jones won by 11. In 1919, Sir Barton won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, effectively making him the first Triple Crown winner, though the achievement didn’t get that designation until 1931. Just after the horses are called to the post on race day, the audience is invited to sing “Maryland, My Maryland,” the state song, traditionally led by the U.S. Naval Academy glee club. SportsTravelMagazine.com
recent history of high jinks had led to the banning of alcohol on the infield last year, and attendance dropped sharply (35,000 fewer people than in 2008), so the party is once again on at the Pimlico infield. Attendance: Turnout has been as high as 121,000; attendance is typically second only to the Kentucky Derby among horse racing events. Tickets: Prices range from $25 for general admission to more than $5,000 for a table for 10 in the Turf Club Tent. Reserved seats in prime spots such as the “Top of the Stretch” can run about $100. Sponsorship: Nicknames: Corporate partners include Budweiser In 1931, the Triple Crown order was Select, ESPN3.com, CBS Radio and fixed, with the Kentucky Derby first Nutramax Pet. and the Belmont Stakes last, making the Media coverage: Preakness the “middle jewel of the NBC will broadcast the race, and variTriple Crown.” The Preakness has also ous local Maryland stations such as become known as the “race for the WBAL-TV in Baltimore will also have coverage. black-eyed Susans” Hospitality: because of the blanket of “The Preakness sets Pimlico options flowers placed around the range from the Clubwinner’s neck. It’s a misthe foundation for house Turn Suites to nomer, though, as the the Triple Crown. the Grandstand Maryland state flower is Apron box. not in bloom in mid-May, It really resonates Ancillary events: so organizers use with our state: It’s The week leading chrysanthemums painted up to race day to look like them. Maryland’s signature Race Details: includes a festival, annual event.” Thirteen thoroughbreds a parade and chil—Terry Hasseltine, race 9.5 furlongs (13⁄16 dren’s activities. Director, Maryland Office of miles), the shortest of the The Alibi Breakfast Sports Marketing three Triple Crown races. allows media peoQualifying: ple to mingle with Only 3-year-olds may race; colts and owners, trainers, jockeys and horsegeldings can carry 126 pounds, and filmen on the Thursday before race day lies can carry 121 pounds. and get race predictions. The event is What’s new: so-named because in its early days, it The Maryland Jockey Club, which oper- involved colorful horse-racing storyates Pimlico, has voted to resume selltelling, with “no alibis” allowed. ing alcohol in the track’s infield. A —Jamie Stringfellow May/June 2010 |
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Winners and Losers
Tiger, Joe and Jack As Tiger Woods seeks to change his public image, he can learn lessons from two legendary athletes
T
he return of the world’s number one golfer and estranged husband (the latter title having more contenders than the former), freshly back to pro golf from sex rehab, certainly provided the leading story line to this year’s Masters. I, like many, tuned in to see how Tiger 2.0 BOB LATHAM would differ from the original version. I certainly did not see any difference in temperament, as Tiger Woods struggled at times to find his rhythm (insert your own joke here). It was hard to resist considering, once the tournament was over and Woods had finished fourth, whether his domestic relations affected his emotions on the course. I don’t have the answer. Nor do I know what they teach in sex rehab. However, I do know this: As Tiger Woods tries to find his way forward, there are two available examples, one positive and one negative, he might consider to see how his life could end up. The positive example is provided by the man Woods is chasing in Don Quixote–like fashion for the all-time record of major championships: Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus has six green jackets to Woods’ four, and 18 major championships to Woods’ 14. Nicklaus also had and has one of the most extraordinary relationships and devotion to family of any professional athlete of his stature. From all public accounts, Barbara Nicklaus was part of a true team with her husband during his pro career. Nicklaus would schedule golf tournaments around his family life, not the other way around. Was his success due in part to the fact that he married the girl from Clintonville, Ohio, he met during his first week at Ohio State University, and not the supermodel or starlet du jour? Hale Irwin certainly believed so when he said of Barbara Nicklaus, “Behind every good man is a better woman.” That adage, however, is being tested in a time when sports, celebrity and entertainment get mixed together. The assumption is that once you reach a certain degree of prowess in professional sports, your spouse should be somebody who has achieved equal status in the acting, modeling, reality-show category. The new adage seems to be, “Behind every great athlete is a Kardashian sister.” Now for the cautionary tale. There once was another athlete, the marquee athlete of his generation, who married a SportsTravelMagazine.com
glamorous blonde star and who, for all appearances, had everything going for him. In fact, Joe DiMaggio’s 1954 marriage to Marilyn Monroe may have set the bar for modernday athletes’ personal aspirations. Even though the union lasted only nine months and was dissolved amid allegations of maltreatment by DiMaggio, it is still glamorized today. The parallels between DiMaggio and Woods are striking. Consider this description of DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer in his definitive biography, “Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life,” published in 2000: “He was revered for his mystery. We cheered him for never giving himself entirely to us.” Like the pre-November 2009 version of Woods, DiMaggio had a carefully cultivated public image during NICKLAUS WOULD his playing career and spent his post-playing days SCHEDULE GOLF as the keeper of his own TOURNAMENTS legacy. As Cramer noted: “The coverage of DiMaggio AROUND HIS FAMILY over sixty-five years was LIFE, NOT THE OTHER mostly flat because Joe would show nothing but a WAY AROUND. shiny surface of his own devising” and would excommunicate anyone from his inner circle who would deign to reveal details of his life. Sound familiar? To his dying day, DiMaggio was trying to find endorsement deals wherever he could—a path Tiger may be headed down if that creepy new Nike commercial is any indication. DiMaggio died a lonely death, with no supermodel, no star—aging or young—by his side, only a collection of carefully packaged memories. Jack Nicklaus, by contrast, appears to be a fulfilled man. His extended family is close to him, and he and Barbara will celebrate their 50th anniversary this summer. There may be a lesson in that for Tiger Woods and for all professional athletes. After reading Cramer’s book, I couldn’t help but rethink one of Paul Simon’s most inspired lyrics from the 1960s: “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.” In the case of DiMaggio and Woods— unless he gets his act together soon—the nation could do better focusing on a role model more like Nicklaus. Bob Latham is a partner at the law firm Jackson Walker, L.L.P., and is a former chairman of USA Rugby. He can be reached at blatham@jw.com. May/June 2010 |
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SPORTS EVENT & FRANCHISE BIDDING HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USA Bowl Summer Nationals HISTORY Miami, FL, 2007–09 Minneapolis, MN, 2005–07
STATUS Open for bids through July 1, 2010
INSIDE TRACK This event is organized by 360 Sports Management. The USA Bowl Summer Nationals is an adult amateur football tournament that is scheduled to take place over four days in August. It attracts an estimated 400 players plus spectators and requires a football stadium with practice venues. The event generates an estimated 120–150 room nights. Contact Terry Sullivan at (575) 322-2695 or admin@allamericanbowl.com.
2011–12 USA Archery National Field Championship And 2012 World Field Team Trials INSIDE TRACK This outdoor event attracts 100–150 participants over three to four days, preferably in early June. This bid is for a two-year commitment. In 2011, the event will be a three-day National Field Championship and in 2012 it will be a combined four-day National Field Championship and World Field Team Trials. For more information, contact Christine McCartney, events coordinator at USA Archery, at (719) 866-4576 or cmccartney@usarchery.org.
HISTORY Spokane, WA, 2010 Tippecanoe OH, 2009
STATUS Open for bids through June 1, 2010
2012–2013 International Archery Federation World Cup Final HISTORY Edinburgh, Scotland, 2010 Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009 Lausanne, Switzerland, 2008 Dubai, UAE, 2007 Merida, Mexico, 2006
STATUS Open for bids through September 1, 2010
INSIDE TRACK Bids are open for the 2012, 2013 or both World Cup Final events organized by FITA, the international governing body for archery. The Archery World Cup consists of four stages held in spectacular venues around the world, culminating in the World Cup Final, where the top archers compete over two days. Based on previous figures, a city’s prime venue can be showcased to up to 250 million TV viewers during one event, according to FITA. A winning city will be selected November 12, 2010. Download bid documents by clicking on World Cup, then General, then Bid Documents at worldarchery.org. Contact Juan Carlos Holgado, FITA events director, at +41 21 614 3050 or info@archery.org.
2011 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships HISTORY Vancouver, WA, 2009–10 Kenosha, WI, 2007–08 Louisville, KY, 2003–06
STATUS Open for bids through June 1, 2010
INSIDE TRACK The cross country championships are held the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving and attract about 320 athletes (32 men’s teams and 32 women’s teams, with seven runners per team) and about 1,000 spectators. In addition to a well-kept cross country course that has a 5K women’s course and an 8K men’s course, the event requires a headquarters hotel within 15 minutes of the course. Contact Ruth Stein, NAIA cross country administrator, at (816) 595-8108 or rstein@naia.org.
2012–2013 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship HISTORY Fresno, CA, 2008–09 Olathe, KS, 2007 Daytona Beach, FL, 2005–06 Olathe, KS, 2003–04 Bowling Green, KY, 2001–2002
STATUS Open for bids through June 1, 2011
INSIDE TRACK This event is held in late November or early December and features 16 teams in a single-elimination format. An estimated 400 players participate and the championship attracts an estimated 5,000 spectators. A stadium-type facility with a minimum seating capacity of 1,000 and a playing surface of natural grass or sport turf is required. Three to four practice fields must be located within close proximity to the championship venue and housing. Contact Scott McClure, manager of championship sports, at (816) 595-8112 or smcclure@naia.org.
R E C E N T LY A W A R D E D FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships May 22–25 Venue: Vanderbilt Legends Club Contact: Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau at (615) 791-7554
BEND, OREGON 2011–2012 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships Venue: Streets of Bend Contact: Visit Bend at (877) 245-8484 FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA 2011 USA Curling National Championships February 12–19 Venue: Urban Plains Center Contact: Fargo-Moorhead Athletic Commission at (800) 235-7654
MIAMI, FLORIDA 2010 USA Judo World Cup August 27–30 Venue: Doral Golf Resort & Spa Contact: Miami-Dade Sports Commission at (305) 818-7188
NEWARK, DELAWARE 2011 American Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s Division I National Championships March 5–9 Venue: University of Delaware Ice Arenas Contact: Delaware Sports Commission at (302) 672-6832 PORTLAND, OREGON 2010 Dew Tour Wendy’s Invitational, August 12–15 Venue: Rose Quarter Contact: Oregon Sports Authority at (503) 234-4500
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA 2011–2012 USA Hockey Tier III Junior A National Championships Venue: Graham Arena and Rochester Recreation Center Contact: Rochester Amateur Sports Commission at (507) 280-4701 SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA 2011 USA Weightlifting National Collegiate Championships Venue: LSU Shreveport. Contact: Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau at (800) 551-8682
To submit information for inclusion in the Bid Bowl, visit SportsTravelMagazine.com. 46
| May/June 2010
SportsTravelMagazine.com
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It’s not hard to picture a successful event when you place yourself in either one of our two downtown properties. The Kentucky International Convention Center and the Louisville Arena (opening in 2010) provide an awe-inspiring
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A 175-person state-of-the-art conference theater with tiered seating and a fully interactive A/V setup that can be used for presentations and teleconferencing Just a short walk or trolley hop away from museums, area attractions and galleries such as the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory and Museum, Glassworks, Muhammad Ali Center, Frazier International History Museum and more Two large areas of flexible column-free exhibition space – one is 146,000 square feet and the other is 45,000 square feet – Both have upper-level VIP suites and dressing rooms 30,000-square-foot, column-free Cascade Ballroom that can be divided into three smaller rooms for meetings, receptions and banquets
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ABOUT ANYTHING. Located on the banks of the Ohio River, the Louisville Arena will put your group in a prime location. Need a huge space that’s totally
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The nation’s seventh-largest public facility of its kind
sati
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Just five minutes from Louisville International Airport and ten minutes from downtown Louisville
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19,000 lighted parking spaces
Louisville, Kentucky
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Kentucky EXPOSITION Center
Pst
ROU mo G s ’ n o . ti xes e na
OUR Y f th c o m p l e o e le IN o n ve r
The nation’s seventh-largest public facility of its kind
sati
1.3 million square feet of total exhibit space Over 720,000 total square feet of Class A space – all on ground level Two arenas with flexible layouts – Freedom Hall holds over 19,000 people and Broadbent Arena holds 6,600 people 54 flexible meeting rooms ranging in size from 590 square feet to a maximum of 25,000 square feet
Just five minutes from Louisville International Airport and ten minutes from downtown Louisville
300 acres of outdoor exhibit and demonstration space
Direct access to major interstate routes
Set up for WiFi hotspots, Virtual Private Networks, Broadband Internet, as well as VOIP and analog phone technology
13,000 affordable hotel rooms nearby
KENTUCKY EXPOSITION CENTER
19,000 lighted parking spaces
Louisville, Kentucky
KEC NORTH W IN G
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The first item you’ll want to place is a phone call or email. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
With us, there’s no need to contact multiple people to gather the information you need about each of our facilities. One person is all you need. And with our unsurpassed reputation for hospitality, you’ll quickly see why five of the nation’s top 25 trade shows call Louisville home.
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