Letter from the President and CEO As we move through the first quarter of 2022, several of our members are playing at the top of their game. By no means are these the only markets making big news, but here are a few I would like to highlight: Cleveland, Orlando, Kansas City, and Puerto Rico. Cleveland has completed a great run of major events all within a short period of time - the NFL Draft, Mid-American Conference Basketball Championship, MLB All-Star Game, and the NBA All-Star Game to name a few. I had the luxury of attending most of these events and can report on the high quality of attention to detail and delivery of each of these major marquee events. Attendees and sports leaders will benefit from the “positive vibes” for years to come. Orlando recently produced an excellent report at the Leaders Conference, a prestigious international event that took place in London. As many of you who attend international events are aware, the worldwide notion of success differs dramatically from that in the United States. In fact, over the last year, Sports ETA has been articulating these distinctions to extend the concept of success and emphasize the benefit of sports to a variety of stakeholders. More to come on that soon, in the meantime, I encourage you to read the Leaders Report and review some of the thinking. Kansas City recently appointed our very own Kathy Nelson, as the President of the CVB, in addition to her duties running the Sports Commission. This management combination is a rare accomplishment - especially in a big market like KC. Congrats, Kathy! Puerto Rico has emerged from COVID and is aggressively pursuing events to the Island. Discover Puerto Rico, President & CEO, Brad Dean was one of the session speakers at our recent Chief Executive Summit and hit a grand slam with his presentation. We are pleased to currently be working with Brand and his team on some new and innovative programs to serve their market. There will be more information to come on those efforts in the future. I’m looking forward to celebrating the 30th annual Symposium with you all in a few short weeks! Our team is working hard to provide high-quality programming as well as a positive business environment at the upcoming Symposium. The schedule is packed full of top-notch education sessions, 10+ hours of scheduled appointment time, 4+ hours of scheduled open marketplace time, and fun every night! Our content will be once again driven by our community groups, as well as a TED Talk-style stage in the Marketplace that will feature technologies to make your professional life easier. Safe travels to our members heading to the Symposium – see you soon! Those of you who cannot make it, we will miss you! THINK BIG!
Al Kidd President and CEO
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