The Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) Appoints Mike Sophia as Director of Sacramento Sports Commission

The Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) has appointed Mike Sophia as Director of the Sacramento Sports Commission.  In this new position, Sophia is responsible for fostering economic growth in the Sacramento region by securing, promoting and sustaining highly visible sporting events, tournaments, amateur & youth sports and conventions.

As the newly appointed Director of the Sacramento Sports Commission, Sophia has 20 years of management experience, most recently as the CEO of the National Senior Games.  Prior to that position, he was the Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission for the previous 10 years.  In that capacity Sophia secured event business that resulted in $500 million of economic impact that included high-profile events such as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, McDonald’s High School All-America Basketball Game, USA Volleyball Junior Olympics and the FHSAA High School Football Championships. He also led South Florida’s effort to bring the 2022 FIFA World Cup to the United States and developed partner programs that generated more than $2 million in private funding. 

While we had a talented pool of candidates for this position, Mike’s wide-ranging experience and previous success in other markets proved impossible to overlook and we’re extremely pleased to bring someone’s of Mike’s caliber to Sacramento,” said Steve Hammond, president & CEO of the SCVB.  “Mike has a tremendous background in bringing new sporting opportunities to communities while retaining existing sports business and we’re excited to leverage his expertise to further grow Sacramento’s reputation as a top sporting events destination.”

 Sophia has also held positions with the Florida Sports Foundation, Miami Gallos World Boxing Franchise, U.S. Track Coaches Association and Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences from the University of Florida, Gainesville.  

Since taking over the management of the Sacramento Sports Commission on January 1, the sales and marketing teams at the SCVB have been actively recruiting new sports business for Sacramento and have successfully booked three major sporting events. 

About The Sacramento Sports Commission: The Sacramento Sports Commission is a joint city-county advisory board created in the 1980s to attract and develop major professional and amateur sporting events in the capital region.

Since its inception in 1988, the Sports Commission has been responsible for bringing a number of high profile events to Sacramento, including the 1994, 1998, 2002, 2005, and 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the 1995 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the 1999 John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, the 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track and Field, the 2001 National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships, the 2007 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, and the 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Amgen Tour of California. Information is available at the website, http://sacsports.com/.