Lubbock, Texas: The Way Above and Beyond

In Lubbock, they call it hospitality. Everywhere else in the world, it’s called extraordinary service. If you’re looking for a destination that will give your event five-star service, the luxury resort equivalent of sports event execution, Lubbock’s the place to be.

The Sports Events You’ve Always Dreamed Of
If Lubbock isn’t at the top of your places to visit, that’s just because you haven’t been there. “All we have to do is get people here. Once they’ve experienced it, they always want to come back,” says Scott Harrison, director, Lubbock Sports.

Lubbock’s numbers speak for themselves. In a still-tepid economy, Lubbock has held strong, bringing events and visitors of all kinds to the city with its famous hospitality and proven success. Lubbock Sports hosted 124 sports events in 2011, for a total of 77,517 room nights and more than $25 million in economic impact.

The Lubbock secret: service that simply amazes.

A quick and not-at-all comprehensive description of Lubbock Sports’ services includes a marketing team, available to design and create programs, name badges and tickets. The Lubbock Sports publicity team not only writes press releases for visiting events, but also sends them out to local and regional media. The staff also takes photos or videos of events, which they promote through social media, then give to event organizers for future promotions.

Photo courtesy of Visit Lubbock

“We just hosted a USA Track and Field (USATF) tournament, and one of the athletes from Houston broke the record in the 4x100-meter sprint relay. We made a big deal out of it, and the Houston media picked it up, which shows that we can sometimes do better for you even than your own city,” says Josh Dill, sales manager, Lubbock Sports.

A member of the Lubbock Sports team took photos of the USATF event, so when the USATF record was broken, the world got to hear about it and see it.

Lubbock’s service extends far beyond planning and marketing, too. Team members staff events, making themselves available from the first pitch to the final trophy.

“It’s our job to bring events to Lubbock, but we go way above and beyond that,” says Harrison. “You’ll always find Josh or me or one of our other team members selling tickets, making programs or hosting hospitality. We do it all.”

Photo courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics Communications

The Lubbock Lowdown
Outstanding service is one thing, but a destination also has to have the right facilities, hotels and amenities. Home to Texas Tech University, Lubbock has all of the exceptional facilities, attractions and charm that goes with being a much-loved college town, and that’s just the beginning.

Lubbock visitors enjoy the city’s 263 days of sunshine, along with more than 5,000 hotel rooms (with three new hotels in development), award-winning wineries, championship golf courses and internationally-recognized museums. Lubbock is also home to the only four-diamond hotel in West Texas, the Overton Hotel, as well as the largest cowboy symposium in the world, a rich musical heritage and an array of unexpected adventures to tempt visitors in their off-field time.

Hitting the Field
“The Lubbock Sports team makes it easy to do what we do. They provide the support we need to put on a successful event. They are pros and are probably the best in the country when it comes to running a successful baseball tournament,” says James Ellison, president, Premier Baseball.

Facilities are just one more way Lubbock shines. A city known for baseball, Lubbock also has facilities that provide the perfect home for just about any sport.

Baseball: With over 13 unique complexes, including Texas Tech’s legendary Dan Law Field and Lubbock Christian University’s newly-renovated Hays Field, Lubbock’s impeccably maintained baseball facilities offer special features you won’t find anywhere else.

Photo courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics Communications

Basketball: The options abound, from one of many local high school gyms to Lubbock Christian University’s Rip Griffin Center or Texas Tech’s United Spirit Arena. Ample practice courts, top-of-the-line locker rooms and concessions and hospitality rooms at almost every gym make your event shine from tip-off to final buzzer.

Bowling: Lubbock offers three unique bowling facilities including a new 28-lane complex, for a state-of-the-art tournament experience. Each site has experience with large tournaments and numerous players, assuring that every event runs perfectly.

Football: Texas and football are almost synonymous, and Lubbock is proud to offer many locations where that tradition can thrive. Teams can hit the gridiron at Lubbock’s Lowrey Field, Frenship’s Tiger Stadium, or AT&T Jones Stadium at Texas Tech. Hosting numerous high school playoff games during the season and all-star games in the summer, Lubbock Sports offers top-of-the-line turf fields, locker rooms, concessions, and experienced game staff.

Golf: Lubbock is home to 11 courses and 189 challenging holes, from traditional, well-established courses to modern courses, each exceptional in its own way. The Rawls Course—voted Golf Magazine’s #23 Best 50 Golf Courses in the U.S. for $50 or less, Golf Week’s #3 University Golf Course in America and Golf Digest’s #2 New Affordable Public Golf Course in the U.S.—makes the most of Lubbock’s Texas South Plains on a short-grass prairie, positioning Texas Tech as a leader in NCAA championship golf.

Gymnastics and More: With numerous flexible, multipurpose facilities, including the 6,904-seat City Bank Coliseum, 40,000 sq. ft., column-free Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, 51,500 square-foot Rip Griffin Center and 204,025 square-foot United Spirit Arena, Lubbock has gymnastics covered. Gymnastics is a growing sport in Lubbock, drawing many qualifying competitions and athletes from New Mexico and Oklahoma. These facilities, along with a range of specific-purpose facilities, offer numerous options for a range of sports, including martial arts, tumbling, cheerleading, dance, power lifting, roller derby, etc.

Softball: With no more than 15 minutes between facilities, Lubbock makes even the largest softball tournaments an easy home run. Each facility has regulation-size fields, concessions, and atmospheres that leave players wanting to come back again and again.

Swimming and Diving: Lubbock is home to the Pete Ragus Aquatic Center with two eight-lane pools, split by diving. Home to regional UIL swim and dive meets, the Pete Ragus Aquatic Center offers the Colorado Timing System and state-of-the-art scoreboard with extensive graphics and photo capabilities. This facility features two 3-meter boards and three 1-meter boards.

Tennis: With over 70 courts available at local country clubs, schools, and public facilities, Lubbock has served as a regional site for University Interscholastic League (UIL) tennis competitions, as well as many USTA (US Tennis Association) tournaments. Most courts are lighted and four indoor courts are available.

Track and Field: The Terry and Linda Fuller Track & Field Complex at Texas Tech, as well as the many tracks and fields at Lubbock’s high schools, offer a unique competitive experience, drawing large crowds in Lubbock’s track-enthusiastic community. That same enthusiasm for the sport means Lubbock offers experienced officials, ensuring that athletes can compete at the highest level.

Triathlon: Known as one of the best courses to prepare athletes for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, the Buffalo Springs Lake landscape offers a unique setting for multi-sport competitors. Steep canyon bike climbs, challenging runs along a cotton field, and swimming as the West Texas sun slowly rises on the horizon all contribute to a triathlon course that draws competitors from all over the world. The perennial success of Lubbock’s 70.3 Ironman World Championship qualifier helped make Lubbock an easy choice to host the USA Collegiate National Championship Triathlon in 2009 and 2010.

Motocross: If a roaring crowd is what you’re looking for, Lubbock is the place for your motocross event. Lubbock offers the option of hosting an indoor competition in the City Bank Coliseum or an outdoor competition in one of Lubbock’s local-and family-owned tracks, giving athletes the chance to experience motocross with many generations of West Texans.

Soccer: With 49 fields available for play at the Berl Huffman Complex and one brand new complex at the John Walker Soccer Field at Texas Tech, Lubbock offers many regulation fields, all within an easy drive of one other, for teams of all ages and experience levels, and tournaments of any size.

Find out more about how Lubbock hospitality can help you hit a homerun: www.visitlubbock.org/sports.