Sports Destination Management Magazine

Everyone has a horror story. I'm not talking about the kind with the zombies and vampires. I'm talking about the kind that event planners, CVBs and others have dealt with. We all have them, and I'm guessing you've had one too. Maybe yours is about a pipe that burst and flooded the facility that was going to host your basketball tournament. Maybe it's about a school-system-wide flu epidemic that left you with a lot fewer athletes than you were counting on for your tournament. Maybe a big weather event closed the airport and left you unable to get to your tournament -- or maybe it's something else entirely that came out of left field and disrupted your well-laid plans.

It's summer again and chances are good you're working at top speed. Kids are out of school, so summer sports camps, team tours and rec programs are in full swing, as are everything from tennis tournaments to 5Ks to swim meets. It all adds up to a full schedule for planners. But in the midst of our crunch season, it's essential we remember how we got here, and what (or actually, who) keeps us here: the athletes. We love their ever-developing skill, their enthusiasm and their competitiveness. We love the way they've embraced their sports. And (need we say it?) we love the way they keep us busy.

As the economy ebbs and flows, everyone is looking for incontrovertible evidence that the recession is over. And while it hasn't really presented itself, the members of the hospitality and tourism industry all remain optimistic that the era of the 'stay-cation' (and haven't we all come to hate that term?) is over.

Our focus for the issue is on cycling, swimming and baseball, summer sports that campers and others will be enjoying during the warm months ahead. You can also learn a great deal from Chris Huot's insights into what to expect when working with CVBs (Convention and Visitor Bureaus) and Sports Commissions. Finally, we take an in-depth look at speedways, focusing on their unique attributes for hosting events, some of which might surprise you.

For many of us, sports play a dominant role in our lives. While we may have many other obligations, we still find time to make the game. Whether it's in the form of watching it on television, attending it in person, or actually participating in it, the sports-minded individual makes sacrifices in order to make it happen.

With most organizations, the end of the year brings a brief time to reflect and review where the organization has been, and more importantly, where it's going. This is a great opportunity to evaluate what worked, what didn't, and how to do it better next year. In this issue of Sports Destination Management, we take that same approach and offer excellent insight into improving your events while looking at what works, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to stay on top.

Recently, I read an interesting article talking about the demise of softball at the international level due to its removal from the Olympics. Even in the U.S., funding for these top-level athletes has dwindled as the USOC no longer has the level of resources to dedicate to this sport. I find all this news a bit ironic, as softball participation in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Events surrounding this sport generate generous revenues to the rights-holders and the locations that host them. And yet, at the highest level, we cannot find the resources to keep these athletes in the sport.

Sometimes we don't see things that are right in front of us. Sometimes the most obvious is overlooked because we see it all the time. And the answer that we seek has been there all along. In this issue we focus on those things that we all know, but oftentimes fail to recognize.

Recently, a friend of mine made his first hole-in-one at a local golf course. Within minutes I received a tweet of the occurrence, followed immediately by an e-mail containing a photo of him holding the ball. A few hours later I received a Facebook notification with another proclamation of this accomplishment. And this was on a random Sunday morning. Imagine what the coverage would have been had he made that hole-in-one at a special event with cruises and cash on the line?

Whether it is a national competition or local event, every participant and attendee has an investment. While winning is usually the goal, everyone needs to leave the event with that sense of purpose and camaraderie that we glean from time together. That is one of the unique aspects of sport - at all levels.

Around here, the New Year brings forth a certain optimism where we all set out our objectives and slowly begin the process of perusing them. While these goals may vary in substance and importance, be they professional or personal, they all share one common trait - a timeline. Included in this annual rite of passage is the planning that goes into accomplishing those goals, specific with action plans.

On October 2nd I received an e-mail alert notifying me that Chicago had been officially eliminated as a contender for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Shortly thereafter I learned that Tokyo, then Madrid had been removed as well, leaving Rio as the ultimate choice. Agree or disagree, the reverberations around the globe were immense.

Sports as a Cause There is an old saying that things and events happen in threes. Be they births, deaths or other random events, the theory is that if one happens it will be followed by two more. I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory of threes, but I have noticed that events in my life tend to happen in bunches - so much so, that I find it hard to write-off as coincidence. Such is the case with the development of this issue.

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

It seems that every four years an athlete comes along and enthralls the country with his or her Olympic run to glory. From Bruce Jenner, to Dorothy Hamill, Carl Lewis and Dan Jansen, each has captivated the country with their accomplishments. Ancillary to these successes is the awareness generated by these athletes for the sport.

"Pitchers and Catchers Report" - To many this is music to your ears. It is that great announcement that says winter is almost behind us and spring is around the corner. Soon fields across the country will be ripe with the cacophony of bats and balls. In this issue of SDM we take an in-depth look at Baseball and Softball organizations, the venues in which they play, and how to choose the right facility (our new Site Selection column).

Providing Solutions Read any news item, turn on the TV, listen to the radio - and one thing is clear. The current U.S. economy has slowed. Some parts of the country have been hurt more than others, but almost everyone has felt (or will soon feel) a pinch of some degree. In an effort to alleviate some of the stress, we have decided to take a look at creative solutions to reduce costs and enhance the value of your events, all the while finding new revenue streams.

This is the time of the year, as the New Year approaches, when most businesses and organizations begin to reassess their goals and plans in an effort to improve upon even the most successful endeavors of the past year. This is very prudent, as one of the first rules of good management is to know your organization inside and out, understanding what works and what does not.

Making it all Work With the job of securing a location, finding sponsors, and running an event, the sports event organizer has a full plate of responsibilities and obligations. So many duties, in fact, that often the obvious goes unattended: the participants.

Welcome to the premiere issue of Sports Destination Management. We are very excited to bring you solutions and best practices in our editorial content that we are confident will help you more effectively manage your events.