Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc. Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS Conference & Expo Laura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB Michael Jorgensen

Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS Conference

& ExpoLaura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB

Michael Jorgensen / Westin Hotel St. Louis

How The Sports Market Can Help You Grow!

That was the

worst javelin

throw in history

How the pole vault was invented

Topics in This Session:

2. Why Convention Bureaus Should Target the Sports

Industry

3. The Hotelier’s Role in the Sports Market

4. What Event Organizers Want

1. How To Be Sports Friendly

Characteristics ofSports-Related Travel

• Behaves in ways that counter economic downturns

• Highly resilient and bounces back quickly from

world events

• Is one of the leading sources of group drive

business

Sports Move People!

75.3 million out of 199.8 million U.S. adults

(38% of the adult population) traveled 100

miles or more

to attend an organized sporting event in the

past five years

Source: Travel Industry Association

Level of Competition on Most Recent Organized Sports Trips of 50+ Miles

(Base = 75.3 Million Sports Travelers)

Note: Multiple Responses Allowed


15%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Professional High School College AmateurAthletic

Little League Church/Intramural

Other

50%

14%13% 12%

5%4%

6%

Season of Travel


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Spring Summer Fall Winter

23

%

32

%

26

%

19

%

Primary Mode of Transportation


0 20 40 60 80

Other

Train

Ship/Boat

Bus

Camper/RV

Rental Car

Airplane

Own Auto/Truck

Auto (Net) 80

%75

%

15

%3%

2%

2%

0%

1%

2%

76

%71

%18

%3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

2%

Total U.S. Travelers

Sports Event Travelers

% % % %

Sports Event TravelersRegion of Destination


Region of Origin

Northeast

South

Midwest

West

Non-Resident (combined)

WestMidwestSouthNortheast

69%

16%

11%

4%

31%

9%

77%

10%

4%

23%

6%

15%

75%

4%

25%

4%

8%

7%

82%

18%

The Bottom Line:

Sports-related travel generates 46.2 million room nights annually!

“The doctors X-rayed

my head and found nothing.”

—Dizzy Dean

Lisa Furfine / Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.Chad Starbuck /SportsTravel and TEAMS Conference




How To Be Sports Friendly And Increase Your Share of

46.2 Million Sports-Related Room Nights:1. Know the market

The Sports Event Industry

Source: SportsTravel subscriber forms

Professional Leagues & Teams

Corporate Sponsors of Sports

Sports Industry Associations

Sports Event Promoters, Managers & Marketing Firms

College Athletic Departments & Alumni Groups

Sports Governing Bodies & Sanctioning Organizations

Types of Organizations:

Ideas for Getting to Know the

Market:• Become aware of what’s already happening in your local sports community

• Do opportunities exist to enhance activities that increase economic impact?

• Allows entree into regional, national or international events

• Read local sports page, research using the Internet

• Increase awareness of variety and scope of sporting events available


46.2 Million Sports-Related Room Nights:1. Know the market

2. Know what you have to offer

Ideas for Getting to Know What You Have to Offer:

• Determine if your CVB has done a sports venue and facility inventory for your destination

• If one has not been done, complete such an inventory

• Use local resources to determine what types of events have been successfully staged in your destination in the past


46.2 Million Sports-Related Room Nights:

3. Communicate your offerings to appropriate prospects

1. Know the market


Ideas for Communicating Your

Offerings:• Prepare a venue and facility guide

• Call on appropriate event organizers

• Participate in industry conventions, trade shows and conferences

• Position your city or hotel as “Sports Friendly”


46.2 Million Sports-Related Room Nights:

1. Know the market


3. Communicate your offerings to appropriate prospects4. Provide service that exceeds sports event organizers’ expectations and your reputation as sports friendly will grow

Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS

Conference & ExpoLaura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB



Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS

Conference & ExpoLaura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB



Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS Conference




What Event Organizers Want

Event Organizers Top Ten List

• #10 – Funding – financial support

for the event – grants, rebates,

site fees etc...

• #9 – Attention– public relations– media relations


• #8 – Housing– hotel rooms– entertainment &

restaurants– things to do

• #7 – Spectator base– participant base– merchandising– ticket sales

Event Organizers Top Ten List• #6 – Destination

– Location, Location, Location

– transportation to and from the event

• #5 – Volunteer support– Volunteer Coordinator– office with local phone

number


• #4 – Cooperation– support from

municipal agencies

• #3 – Community – enthusiastic local

support for the event


• #2 – Key Contact– one local person

who can make things happen and has the authority to make decisions


• #1 – Venue– logistic friendly

venue for the event

– site fits the sport – great weather– organization has

the freedom to create and produce a great event

Ted Turner’s Secret of Success:

“Early to bed, early to rise,

Work like hell and advertise!”

To Contact SportsTravel:

Call Toll-Free: (877) 577-3700

Other Contacts:

Laura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB: (972) 422-6803

Michael Jorgensen / Westin Hotel St. Louis: (314)

552-5707

Documents

Lisa Furfine/Schneider Publishing Company, Inc. Chad Starbuck / SportsTravel and TEAMS Conference & Expo Laura Dixon / Plano, TX CVB Michael Jorgensen