June 2014
Inside this issue: NASC Membership Elects New Board Members Record Attendance Set At 2014 Symposium NASC Honors 2014 Member Award Winners A Local’s Guide to Milwaukee Compensation Study Shows Wide Pay Gap Among Sports Markets Register Now for 2014 Market Segment Meetings and CSEE Fall Module
Your Resource for the Sports Tourism Industry
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Telephone/Fax
Letter from Executive Director.............................4
Website
NASC Membership Committee Conducts Focus Group........................................................4
(513) 281-3888/(513) 281-1765 www.SportsCommissions.org
Staff
Don Schumacher, CSEE, Executive Director Lori Gamble, Associate Executive Director Beth Hecquet, CMP, CMM, Director of Meetings & Events Elizabeth Young, Director of Membership & Marketing Meagan McCalla, Member Services Coordinator
Board of Directors Officers
Kevin Smith, CSEE, Director, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, Chair Greg Ayers, CSEE, President & CEO, Discover Kalamazoo, Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Ralph Morton, CSEE, Executive Director, Seattle Sports Commission, Treasurer Mike Anderson, CSEE, Director of Sports, Visit Charlotte, Secretary Terry Hasseltine, CSEE, Executive Director, Maryland Sports, Immediate Past Chair
Directors
John David, CSEE, Chief Operating Officers, USA BMX Tammy Dunn, CSEE Sports Marketing Manager, Snohomish County Sports Commission Greg Fante, CSEE, Director of Sports Development, Louisville Sports Commission Kindra Fry, CSEE, SMP, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bryan-College Station CVB John Gibbons, CSEE, Executive Director, Rhode Island Sports Commission Rick Hatcher, CSEE, Director of Business Development, PSA Brian Hickey, CSEE, Director of Sports, Visit Tallahassee/ Tallahassee Sports Council Mike Hill, CSEE, Senior Director, Sports Sales, Hilton Worldwide - Sports Sales Jeff Jarnecke, Associate Director of Championships and Alliances, NCAA Michael Price, CSEE, Executive Director, Greater Lansing Sports Authority Janis Ross, Executive Director, Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Janis Schmees Burke, CSEE, Executive Director, Harris County - Houston Sports Authority Holly Shelton, CSEE, Manager of Sports Business Development, Oklahoma City CVB Benjamin Wilder, CSEE, Director, Savannah Sports Council Nancy Yawn, CSEE, CDME, Director, Round Rock CVB Marc Zimmerman, CSEE, Sales & Events Manager, Central Florida’s Polk County Sports Marketing
Media & Public Relations Advisers
Jackie Reau, Game Day Communications
Betsy Ross, Game Day Communications
www.SportsCommissions.org
NASC Membership Elects New Board Members.....5 Record Attendance Set At 2014 Symposium...... 6-7 NASC Sports Legacy Fund Donates $14,000 to Oklahoma Cleats for Kids................................8 NASC Honors 2014 Member Award Winners........9 A Local’s Guide to Milwaukee..................... 10-11 Sacramento, Grand Rapids Next NASC Symposium Sites...............................................11 Register Now for 2014 Market Segment Meeting and CSEE Fall Module .............12 Compensation Study Shows Wide Pay Gap Among Sports Markets......................................13 “Celebritizing” Your Event.................................14 Pickleball: The New Tennis? ..............................14 The Quest for Sponsorships...............................15
Affinity Partners
In the early 1990s, a group of sports destinations recognized a need for a national governing body for the sport tourism industry. This led to the establishment of the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) in 1992. Since then, the NASC has instituted industry standards and best practices for bidding on and hosting sport tourism events. The NASC advocates for more than 650 member organizations and 1,600 sports event professionals, while delivering quality education, certification, and business development opportunities. As the interest in the sport tourism market continues to grow, we are making a special effort to tell the NASC’s story and increase exposure for our members at the national level by partnering with SportsBusiness Journal to produce a special section that will run in the August 4th issue. The section will present a complete profile on the evolution of the sport tourism industry and the impact that our members make in their communities. In addition, industry trends and best practices, case studies and examples of successful events, and the monetization and economic impact of events will be shared with the national sports industry. We hope you join NASC and take advantage of this unique opportunity to put the spotlight on our very special segment of the sports industry. July 11th is the deadline for participation in this special section. Judi Bowe is the lead contact and can be reached at (312) 873-2216 or jbowe@sportsbusinessjournal. com to reserve advertising space. Yours in Sport,
NASC Membership Committee Conducts Focus Group During the 2014 Symposium, several members participated in a focus group study on the sports tourism industry as well as the benefits of membership the NASC provides and how the Association can enhance its services and offerings. The Membership Committee thanks everyone for the feedback! Here is a quick rundown of the highlights from the focus group: • Not everyone was aware of the ability to sign up for alerts on new event RFPs on the NASC website. It was suggested that the link for the signup be added to The NASC Playbook and Get in the Game eNews • The panel likes the Mentoring program within NASC, and suggested it should be highlighted more in future communications so members know about the program • As for NASC publications, the panel said Get in the Game eNews is often shared with organization leaders and/or referenced in emails to industry influencers. The panel also liked the fact that The NASC Playbook is printed so they can share with office colleagues • The panel also wanted NASC to investigate becoming more of an advocate in the industry within the individual sports markets and suggested ways to do so Again, the membership committee thanks the panel for its suggestions The NASC appreciates the ideas and will be looking at ways to implement them! Nancy Yawn, CSEE, CDME Round Rock CVB Membership Committee Co-Chair Tammy Dunn, CSEE Snohomish County Sports Commission Membership Committee Co-Chair
Don Schumacher, CSEE Executive Director Don@SportsCommissions.org
Register Now! Best Practices Webinar: 10 Things to Think About: Services for Event Owners and Destinations Wednesday, July 23rd at 2pm ET. Register at: www.sportscommissions.org/Education/Webinars
Annual Membership Benefits
The NASC continues to develop benefits and services to make your organization more efficient and effective in the sports event industry each year including: • • • •
Online Directories Online Event RFP Database NASC Economic Impact Calculator Industry Research and Reports
• • • •
Job and Internship Board Models and Samples CSEE Program Best Practices Webinars
• • • •
Event Webinars Market Segment Meetings Sports Event Symposium Consulting Services
#SportsTourism 4
NASC Membership Elects New Board Members The NASC is proud to welcome its new board members and officers, who were elected by the membership at the 2014 Symposium. Kevin Smith, CSEE, the director of the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Sports Commission, is the new chair of the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC). Other officers include: Vice Chair/Chair Elect, Greg Ayers, CSEE, president & CEO, Discover Kalamazoo; Treasurer, Ralph Morton, CSEE, executive director, Seattle Sports Commission; Secretary, Mike Anderson, CSEE, director of sports, Visit Charlotte; and Immediate Past Chair, Terry Hasseltine, CSEE, executive director, Maryland Office of Sports. “We have a dynamic group of leaders on our Board of Directors who are all well-versed in our business,” said Smith. “The exceptional relationships and talents our board members possess will enable us to continue grow and position the NASC as the national governing body for the sports tourism industry.” The slate of NASC directors includes: Board term expiring 2015, Tammy Dunn, CSEE, sports marketing manager, Snohomish County Sports Commission; Greg Fante, CSEE, director of sports development, Louisville Sports Commission; Kindra Fry, CSEE, SMP, vice president of sales and marketing, Bryan-College Station CVB and Nancy Yawn, CSEE, CDME, director, Round Rock CVB. Directors with Board terms expiring in 2016: John Gibbons, CSEE, executive director, Rhode Island Sports Commission; Michael Price, CSEE, executive director, Greater Lansing Sports Authority; Janis Schmees Burke, CSEE, executive director, Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and Holly Shelton, CSEE, manager of sports business development, Oklahoma City CVB.
Directors with Board terms expiring in 2017: Brian Hickey, CSEE, director of sports, Visit Tallahassee/ Tallahassee Sports Council; Janis Ross, executive director, Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports; Benjamin Wilder, CSEE, director, Savannah Sports Council and Marc Zimmerman, CSEE, sales & events manager, Central Florida’s Polk County Sports Marketing. Allied representatives with a board term expiring in 2015 include Rick Hatcher, CSEE, director of business development, PSA, and board term expiring in 2016, Mike Hill, CSEE, senior director of sports sales, Hilton Worldwide-Sports Sales. Rights Holder representatives are, with a board term expiring in 2015, Jeff Jarnecke, associate director of championships and alliances, NCAA, and board term expiring in 2016, John David, chief operating officer, USA BMX.
Staff Travel Schedule Dates
Location
Meeting/Event
Staff Member
June 24-25
Milwaukee, WI
2015 Symposium Site Visit
Beth Hecquet
August 2-5
Minneapolis, MN
MPI WEC
Beth Hecquet
Bay Area Houston, TX
Texas Association of CVBs
Don Schumacher
July 15-17
August 9-12
August 13-15
September 8-11
September 17-19 September 22-23 September 23-25
Las Vegas, NV Nashville, TN
Annapolis, MD
Albuquerque, NM Chicago, IL Chicago, IL
DMAI
ASAE
S.P.O.R.T.S WACVB
Market Segment Meetings
SportsLink/Olympic Assembly
Elizabeth Young, Beth Hecquet
Elizabeth Young, Meagan McCalla Elizabeth Young Elizabeth Young All
Elizabeth Young, Meagan McCalla
www.SportsCommissions.org 5
Record Attendance Set At 2014 Symposium The NASC celebrated record attendance at the 22nd NASC Symposium, the annual meeting of the Association. More than 800 sports tourism professionals, including 206 first-timers, were on hand in Oklahoma City, OK from March 31 – April 3, 2014. The membership elected new board members, presented industry awards, and participated in continuing education sessions and business development opportunities. Keynote presenter Major Dan Rooney wowed the audience with his powerful presentation highlighting the importance of personal accountability, working together and ultimately having the backs of your team when you are on the line. The 23rd annual NASC Symposium is scheduled for April 27 - 30, 2015 in Milwaukee, WI. Registration will open in Fall 2014.
#SportsTourism 6
2014 Stats · 814 sports tourism professionals in attendance · More than 6,300 business development opportunities occurred
· 26 hours of educational content offered
· 98% of attendees rated the 2014 Symposium as good or excellent · 97% of attendees have a decision-making role within their organization
· 96% of attendees would recommend the NASC Symposium to a colleague
· 87% of attendees report they will do business with someone they met at the NASC Symposium · $1.6 million in new business projected by exhibitors
www.SportsCommissions.org 7
Oklahoma Cleats for Kids NASC Sports Legacy Fund Beneficiary Thanks to your generosity, NASC Sports Legacy Fund made a donation of $14,000 to Oklahoma Cleats for Kids. The Sports Legacy Fund, originally developed by the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Sports Commission as an equipment donation program, is a way for members of the sports tourism community to make a personal and lasting impact on the lives of underprivileged youth sports programs throughout the country. Each year the NASC partnerswith the host city of the NASC Sports Event Symposium to donate the proceeds from the Sports Legacy Fund to a worthy organization in the community.
Courtesy of Oklahoma Cleats for Kids
Oklahoma Cleats for Kids (C4K) collects, recycles and distributes new and gently used athletic shoes and equipment to kids in need. In its first year of operation in 2012, Cleats for Kids delivered more than 2,000 pairs of shoes, clothing and equipment to Oklahoma kids in need. Since its first year, C4K has provided almost 8,000 pairs of shoes and pieces of equipment to kids in need. “The Sports Legacy Grant is helping C4K with opportunities to help more kids,” said Stacy McDaniel of Cleats for Kids. “We have purchased four bins for sporting goods collections and will be purchasing three permanent outdoor collection bins for locations around the Oklahoma City area. Also, our programs director, who has been a part time employee, has moved to full time. This is making a big impact on C4K’s ability to reach more kids.” In addition to the grant, NASC members also donated sporting goods and event t-shirts. Softball cleats from the International Softball Federation outfitted two junior varsity and two varsity high school teams, t-shirts are used by the Boys and Girls Clubs and community centers as incentives in sports and studies and donated Frisbees are being used in a community project to get kids active to fight obesity. Since its inception, the Sports Legacy Fund has made sporting goods contributions and monetary donations to the youth sports programs in Lexington, Kentucky; Dallas; Omaha; Denver; Columbus, Ohio; Greensboro; Hartford and Louisville. Grants may be awarded throughout the year to communities in need as approved by the Sports Legacy Committee.
#SportsTourism 14 8
NASC Honors 2014 Member Award Winners; Recognizes CSEE Graduates At the 2014 Symposium, the NASC announced the recipients of the 2014 Member Awards, signifying outstanding work in the field of sports events, marketing and promotion. This year NASC added the prestigious Sports Event Professional of the Year award, honoring the person deemed most influential in Sports Events planning and management. This year’s inaugural Sports Event Professional of the Year award goes to Ron Radigonda, recently retired as executive director of Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball. Other award winners include: • Locally Created Event of the Year, under $200,000 budget; Hampton Roads Sports Commission • Locally Created Event of the Year, $200,000 budget and above; Kansas City Sports Commission • Marketing Campaign of the Year, $200,000 budget and above; Round Rock CVB • Sports Commission of the Year, under $200,000 budget; Erie Sports Commission • Sports Commission of the Year, $200,000 budget and above, Harris County-Houston Sports Commission • Sports Tourism Organization of the Year, under $200,000 budget; Butler County Visitors Bureau
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the NASC Sports Professional of the Year award. NASC has been the leader in the Sports Travel Industry for nearly three decades and has provided the education and contacts that contributed to the success of many sports professionals. Having worked on both sides of the aisle as the head of the Sacramento Sports Commission and ASA/USA Softball it is very special to be recognized by the NASC and your colleague for such a prestigious award.” -Ron Radigonda, Radigona Consulting
Nominations for 2015 Member Awards will open in Fall 2014. Visit http://www.sportscommissions.org/Awards for more information. The NASC also recognized its latest class of graduates in its Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) continuing education program. The Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 CSEE graduates include: • • • • • • • • • • •
Cissy Aberg, Plano Convention and Visitors Bureau Christopher Ackerman, Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau John David, USA BMX; Katie Fencl, Des Moines Area Sports Commission Michael Guswiler, West Michigan Sports Commission Scott Hofmann, Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau Meaghan Hughes, Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Matthew Libber, Elite Tournaments Leah Mitcham, Mooresville Convention and Visitors Bureau Jason Philbeck, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance Beth Porreca, US Lacrosse Meghan Ziehmer, Greater Lansing Sports Authority
“Every year it is thrilling to participate in the NASC awards. It is fun to see what other organizations are doing and helps us stay motivated all year long. The awards push us to be the best we can be in the sports arena.” -Nancy Yawn, Director, Round Rock CVB
www.SportsCommissions.org www.SportsCommissions.org 15 9
A Local’s Guide to Milwaukee It’s never too early to start planning your trip to Milwaukee for the 2015 Symposium. Here are some suggestions on how to tour the next Symposium host city like a local, courtesy of Michelle Haider and Marissa Werner from VISIT Milwaukee. 1) It’ll be fun to go to a ball game if the Brewers are in town, but what should we do if they’re not playing baseball while we’re there?
We love tailgating before a Brewers game! But a few of our other favorite things to do include walking around the Milwaukee Public Market, going to concerts at the local theaters (Pabst, Riverside and Turner), boating or kayaking down the Milwaukee River, and a night out at Potawatomi Bingo & Casino.
2) What’s the best downtown restaurant that tourists won’t necessarily know but the locals will?
Wow, too many to name, as Milwaukee doesn’t have a lot of chain restaurants and is known as a foodie city. But two of our favorites are Ugly’s Pub and the Rumpus Room. Both are within walking distance of hotels and the Wisconsin Center.
3) What’s the best way to get around? Can I walk to most places or take public transportation?
Milwaukee is a very walkable city and also is bike friendly. We have a two mile long riverwalk that runs through the heart of downtown with access to some of the city’s best restaurants, brewpubs, shops and waterfront nightlife. You can find out more at http://visitmilwaukee.org/riverwalk. Later in the summer a downtown trolley runs June through the beginning of September that we tell visitors about all the time. Milwaukee also has a public transit system that runs downtown to the suburbs.
4) I’m really into craft beers. We’re familiar with ”the beer that make Milwaukee famous” but is there a craft beer scene as well?
Definitely! There are two breweries downtown, Lakefront Brewery and Milwaukee Brewing Company. Both offer fun tours and great beer. Go to any restaurant downtown and they will carry these local craft beers. Here’s more about our beer scene: http://www. visitmilwaukee.org/beer-brewing.
5) I’m coming to Milwaukee with my kids. What’s there for the youngsters to do?
We highly recommend Discovery World, Betty Brinn’s Children’s Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum the Domes, the Milwaukee County Zoo and even renting a kite or bike and having fun down on the lakefront in Veterans Park. Because of all the options we have to offer, Milwaukee actually has been named the top destination for family travel in 2014 by ABC Travel Guides for Kids!
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6) How can I get a tour of the Harley-Davidson plant?
Visiting the Harley-Davidson factory and the only Harley-Davidson Museum in the world, are a must do when you are in Milwaukee. To tour the factory, which is located in Menomonee Falls, a suburb of Milwaukee, visit http://www.harley-davidson.com/ content/h-d/en_us/home/events/factory-tours.html and http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_us/ home/museum.html to tour the museum.
7) Anything else you’d like us to know about Milwaukee?
From its very beginnings, Milwaukee has proven itself to be a place where people with ethnic roots from all over the world come together to form a community of great cultural diversity. You’ll find Milwaukee’s heritage reflected in its eclectic neighborhoods just minutes from downtown. The former warehouses of the Historic Third Ward have given way to the city’s newest arts and fashion district. Brady Street offers a bohemian mix of coffee houses, boutiques and nightlife. In East Town, you’ll find an array of restaurants to suit any taste and budget, along with some of Milwaukee’s trendiest bars and clubs. If this will be your first time to Milwaukee, you will be pleasantly surprised!
Sacramento, Grand Rapids Next NASC Symposium Sites The NASC Site Selection Committee announced the future Symposium host cities during the 2014 Symposium. The 24th annual Symposium will be held April 3-7, 2016 in Grand Rapids, MI and the 25th annual Symposium will be March 26-30, 2017 in Sacramento, CA. “Both of these cities presented impressive outlines on what they could do to help put on a first-class event,” said Don Schumacher, executive director of the NASC. “It was a tough decision but in the end these two cities stood out above all the other bidding cities.” “The West Michigan Sports Commission, along with our Greater Grand Rapids community and partners are extremely grateful and excited to host the NASC Sports Event Symposium,” said Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission. “As a longtime attendee of the Symposium, I appreciate the best practices and relationships I’ve gained from this industry leading conference. I know my colleagues and peers in the industry will find Grand Rapids to be a great host in 2016.” “As one of the longest standing members of the association, we are thrilled to host the 2017 NASC Symposium,” said Mike Sophia, director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. “Hosting the Symposium gives us the best opportunity to demonstrate to a very important audience that Sacramento is truly an elite destination for a wide variety of sports events.” The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2018 and 2019 NASC Sports Event Symposium is available at http:// sportscommissions.org/symposium-rfp.
www.SportsCommissions.org 11
Register Now for the 2014 Market Segment Meetings and CSEE Fall Module September 22-23, 2014
Registration Information
Market Segment Meetings Fees: $325 per person CSEE Fees: $300 per person Registration deadline: September 8
The 2014 Market Segment Meetings will be co-located with the USOC Olympic Sportslink at the Hilton Chicago. (Separate registration required to attend Sportslink.) Get answers to your toughest challenges and find out what other professionals are facing, and doing, in the sports tourism industry.
Hotel Information
The event starts Monday, September 22 with the CSEE Fall 2014 Module at 8 a.m. until noon. Market Segment Meeting Welcome and Lunch is from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m., then meetings by market segment start at 1:30 p.m. Cocktail reception is from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Register and reserve your hotel room at www.SportsCommissions.org/MarketSegmentMeetings
Hilton Chicago
USOC-negotiated group rate for Market Segment Meetings and USOC Olympic Sportslink: $239 per night Cut-off: Aug. 28, 2014
On Tuesday, September 23, the day starts with a buffet breakfast at 8 a.m., then from 9 a.m. until noon are the meetings by market segment.
#SportsTourism 12
Compensation Study Shows Wide Pay Gap Among Sports Markets The average sports events professional at the CEO level makes around $115,000 annually in salary and benefits, especially in the larger U.S. sports markets, according to a study by Enigma Research commissioned by the National Association of Sports Commissions and unveiled at the 2014 NASC Sports Event Symposium. In this study, for which 226 sports professionals were surveyed late last year, nearly two thirds said they give high priority to professional development, while more than half thought it was meaningful work to give back to the community through sporting events.
The survey also shows that, on average, the heads of sports commissions make about $85,000 in salaries and benefits a year. A sports professional at a “C� level (CEO, CFO) averages about $115,000 annually while directors average $73,000 a year. Salaries in larger population markets of 2 million or more residents averaged higher, around $112,000, for top executives while in smaller regions, salaries for sports executives were around $64,000 annually. The survey also looked at what sports professionals felt were the biggest challenges to their careers and how eager they would be to look for other job opportunities within the industry. The entire survey is posted in the Members Only section of www.sportscommissions.org.
www.SportsCommissions.org 13
“Celebritizing” Your Event The 118th running of the Boston Marathon was marked with, of course, great emotion and even larger crowds, both running and spectating. It also had its share of celebrity, as the famous, the almost famous and wanna-be-famous looked to showed their support for the event and, usually, run for a good cause. Among the glitterati: Former New England Patriot Teddy Bruschi; NBC Today Show news anchor Natalie Morales; Jim Wahlberg, brother of Boston stalwarts (and singer/ actors) Mark and Donnie Wahlberg; Donnie’s New Kids on the Block compatriot Joey McIntyre and many others. Of course, when you have a celebrity connected to your event, you are expecting a measure of publicity surrounding that celebrity. Note the Red Carpet treatment at the Kentucky Derby, from the famous Barnstable Brown Pre-Derby party (this year’s guest list includes Kings of Leon, Miranda Lambert, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Boy Band alum Joey Fatone and Mary Wilson from the Supremes) to the big screen celeb introductions at the Derby itself. So, you say what does Joey Fatone have to do with my local 3-on-3 basketball tournament? Well, more than you might think. Let’s go with the premise that celebrities draw coverage. Every area has a morning news show host or a wacky weatherman or traffic reporter who often is sent out into the community for feature opportunities. Say, you have the wacky weatherman go one on one with one of your basketball athletes-the younger the better-and your athlete scores a basket faster than you can spell H-O-R-S-E. That’s great TV. And, you get publicity for your event, publicity that you could never get just sending out a news release on the event. Remember, there’s lots of time to fill on local morning news shows these days, and if you can offer something different and entertaining for the morning show to cover, a camera will follow.
Pickleball: The New Tennis? You may have seen the story that ran on NBC Nightly News last week on the growing popularity of the sport called pickleball. Never heard of it? Chances are you will, and soon. Pickleball, as its national association tells us, is the fastest growing sport in America. Now a lot of sports claim that distinction, but pickleball may, indeed, hold that title. It’s a cross of tennis, ping pong and badminton, played with wiffle-like balls. It can be played inside or outside, and organizations are located in all 50 states. It doesn’t cost a lot to play, the equipment isn’t outrageously expensive and you don’t have to be a world-class athlete to be good at it. Perfect to families, seniors, just about anybody who wants to stay active at any age. So what’s the moral of the story? First, you never know what will be the next sport to bring fans and players to your area. When you’re looking for a sporting event to bid on, don’t be so focused on the big soccer, baseball or basketball organizations that you overlook associations like pickleball that have their own passionate group of fans. Second, you’ll often find that these smaller associations are more than willing to work with you, and your facilities, to make sure their events will be first class. When you have a growing sport, it’s an exciting time, and a great opportunity to bring in new fans and these organizations want to put on the best show possible.
That’s another reason that media days before an event (think golf) are a big hit. The sports anchor and a camera person (sometimes they’re one and the same) get a nice lunch at a nice golf course, do an interview with the defending champion, then stick around for a few holes of golf at a course they wouldn’t be able to play otherwise. You get publicity for your event, for the cost of lunch. So don’t hesitate to celebritize your event, from a publicity stunt to honorary coaches from the local radio/TV stations, to having the local sports anchor emcee your awards dinner or closing ceremonies. From the Boston Marathon to 3-on-3 basketball, it works.
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The Quest for Sponsorships If you are of a certain age, you probably remember weekend afternoons in front of the TV set, watching Chris Schenkel call the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tournament of the week. Big names like Dick Weber and Don Carter would compete every week in a sport that a lot of us played at our hometown lanes. It was a big deal if there was a PBA stop near you. And, it hasn’t been that long ago, in March of 2000, that the PBA tour got a jolt of enthusiasm (and cash) when former Microsoft executives Chris Peters, Rob Glaser and Mike Slade resurrected the tour, albeit for a short time. By 2009, when the economy was starting to take a hit, so did the PBA Tour, cutting the number of tour stops and overall events, with many of the tournament finals now shown on tape instead of live. In between the Professional Women’s Bowling Association went out of business in 2003, and now men and women compete equally on the tour. Now, the latest, and possibly, final blow to a once proud tour, the U.S. Open, one of the top bowling tournaments in the country, has been canceled for the second year in a row after the Bowling Proprietors Association of America failed to find sponsors. This year’s Open already had been scratched—now, the 2015 Open also has fallen victim to the lack of sponsorship. The BPAA says it costs about a half million dollars to put on the Open, money that they have not been able to raise. They say it’s because advertisers like to reach the 18 to 35 year old crowd, a crowd sponsors don’t think they can reach at the lanes. But those advertisers may be victim to stereotypes.
A 2012 Experian Simmons National Consumer Survey found that more than 51 million adults ages 18 and over, and perhaps more significantly, 19 million youths aged 6 to 17, are bowling, and 2012 was the fifth straight year that participation in bowling grew. Here are some more facts from that Experian survey: The average income of a bowling household is nearly $68,000 a year, more than 46% of those households had incomes of $75,000 a year or more, and almost 32% of them had household incomes of more than $100,000. What advertiser WOULDN’T want that demographic? You want younger demos? High school bowling is one of the fastest growing high school sports in the country, with more than 5,000 schools offering bowling programs with more than 50,000 participating in 47 states. Collegiate bowling is growing by more than 10 percent a year, and the sport is recognized at the NCAA, NJCAA and NAIA levels. The lesson? Do your research. Do your homework when looking for sponsors to match up with your events. Presenting potential sponsors with facts and figures for their target audi ence may help save—and even grow—your home town events.
Looking to share your expertise? In an effort to enhance the overall content of NASC’s publications, The NASC Playbook and Get in the Game eNews, we’d like to include peer-written articles in future editions. As a member of NASC, your knowledge of the industry lends itself to unprecedented expertise. And we’re hoping you’ll share this expertise with your peers through well-written commentary. Our Media Advisers at Game Day Communications can help with final edits. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Elizabeth Young, Director of Membership, and Marketing at Elizabeth@SportsCommissions.org. And don’t forget to add NASC to your media distribution list to have your news included regularly in our publications. Just have your media relations department add info@sportscommissions.org to its distribution list.
www.SportsCommissions.org 15
128 miles of bike and running trails 16,000 hotel rooms 125 downtown restaurants 14 sports facilities
Milwaukee is looking forward to welcoming the National Association of Sports Commissions Sports Event Symposium
to Milwaukee April 27-30, 2015. See you at next year’s event — you’ll find it easy here — VISITMilwaukee.org