Creating a Winning Partnership to Drive Sports Tourism BY: Mike Wattigny, Marketing Director, FRESHJUNKIE Racing with collaboration from: Anthony Terling, STS, CHSP, Sports and Event Development Manager, Auburn-Opelika Tourism Cat Bobo, Communications Manager, Auburn-Opelika Tourism
Want to create a dynamic event with meaningful, trackable economic impact? Want to build something unique that energizes participants that they tell all their friends about? Want to ensure your first-year event is a success? The key? Strategic partnerships. In other words, building a team consisting of the event producer, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) or sports commission, and the host municipality/venue. That’s exactly what happened at the Inaugural War Eagle Run Fest in February when Auburn-Opelika Tourism teamed up with FRESHJUNKIE Racing to bring a new event to Auburn University. Having worked with Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports for many years, FRESHJUNKIE Racing was referred to AO Tourism to brainstorm and conceive a major running event that would attract visitors for a weekend of running and fandom. With great relationships in place at Auburn University and the city of Auburn, AO Tourism was able to facilitate the meetings necessary to gain approval for the Inaugural War Eagle Run Fest, a half marathon, 5k and kids race finishing on the 50-yard line of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Tourism impact for the Inaugural War Eagle Run Fest: • 2,551 runners • 1,564 reported room nights • 37 states were represented + Canada & and Germany • 41% of runners said they were traveling in from out of town (42.9% were from zip codes outside an 80-mile radius of Auburn-Opelika) – 1,365 hotel nights are attributed to participants traveling further than 80 miles from Auburn. – 199 hotel nights are attributed to participants within 80-miles of Auburn. • $494,000 - Direct Economic Impact (State/Local impact)
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