SportsEvents Media Group

10/29/2024

The All-Ripken Games Powered by Under Armour will return in 2025 with an expanded schedule and venues in S.C., Ky., Texas, Tenn., Ohio, Md., N.Y., N.J., and Fla.

10/29/2024

The All-Ripken Games Powered by Under Armour will return in 2025 with an expanded schedule and venues in S.C., Ky., Texas, Tenn., Ohio, Md., N.Y., N.J., and Fla.

10/28/2024

Placer Valley Tourism will become the naming-rights sponsor of the Roseville Soccer Complex, a state-of-the-art facility aimed at elevating Placer Valley as a sports tourism destination and generating millions of dollars for the local economy.

10/24/2024

USA Rugby and Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) will bring the USA Women’s and Men’s National Teams together to compete in the 2024 PR7s All-Star Tournament at Providence Park in Portland, Ore., on Sunday, Nov. 17.

10/24/2024

Valdosta and Lowndes County have so much to offer families and guests of all ages. Countywide, the area is home to 43 baseball/softball fields, 52 tennis courts, and 28 full-size soccer fields, which can also be used for football, lacrosse, and quidditch.

Valdosta and Lowndes County have so much to offer families and guests of all ages. Countywide, the area is home to 43 baseball/softball fields, 52 tennis courts, and 28 full-size soccer fields, which can also be used for football, lacrosse, and quidditch.

10/23/2024

Roswell is located about 20 miles north of Atlanta. The city is known for its award-winning parks system, and it also has nine miles along the Chattahoochee River.

Roswell is located about 20 miles north of Atlanta. The city is known for its award-winning parks system, and it also has nine miles along the Chattahoochee River.

10/23/2024

Jekyll Island is conveniently located just an hour’s drive from Savannah, Ga., to the north and from Jacksonville International Airport to the south.

10/22/2024

Clayton County is home to the world’s busiest airport and is just 15 miles south of downtown Atlanta.

10/22/2024

LAS VEGAS, Nev.— Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced a new strategic partnership, “More Than a Ballpark,” with select teams and destinations to promote meetings, events, concerts, and other non-baseball gatherings at their ballparks throughout the year. The announcement was made at a press conference at the 2024 IMEX America event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The partnership includes eight MLB teams and their city’s destination marketing organization—Arizona Diamondbacks and Visit Phoenix, Boston Red Sox and Meet Boston, Chicago Cubs and Choose Chicago, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Tourism, Miami Marlins and Greater Miami CVB, San Francisco Giants and San Francisco Travel, Seattle Mariners and Visit Seattle, and Washington Nationals and Destination DC.

From brand new to historic landmarks, the eight teams’ iconic and consistently upgraded venues are being reimagined and complemented by annual infrastructure, hospitality-specific upgrades, and team-led development initiatives in the surrounding neighborhoods. These ballparks and their robust and evolving portfolio of offerings are now recognized as the ultimate platform to create unique, flexible, and behind-the-scenes meeting and event destinations that planners and attendees desire.

Most ballparks have special-event spaces and onsite catering or other dining options, allowing use of the playing field, dugouts, locker rooms, suites and plazas, and conference rooms. Groups can also arrange tours of the ballparks, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of exclusive team areas.

LAS VEGAS, Nev.— Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced a new strategic partnership, “More Than a Ballpark,” with select teams and destinations to promote meetings, events, concerts, and other non-baseball gatherings at their ballparks throughout the year. The announceme...

10/21/2024

ATLANTA, Ga.—The NFL has chosen Atlanta, Ga., to host Super Bowl LXII. The big game will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in February of 2028.

The Atlanta bid was led by the Atlanta Sports Council in collaboration with the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia.

“Atlanta is thrilled to host Super Bowl XLII and welcome fans from across the NFL to our city,” says William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s an honor to host this prestigious event in our city for the fourth time and showcase what makes us the leader in hosting championship events.”

Super Bowl LXII will be the fourth time the contest will take place in Atlanta. The game was played twice at the Georgia Dome (Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl ###IV in 2000) and once at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Super Bowl LIII in 2019).

“We are so excited to welcome the Super Bowl back to Atlanta in 2028 for a fourth time,” says Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council. “Super Bowl LXII would not be possible without the incredible cooperation of leaders in the civic and business community who continue to come together to deliver for our city and state.”

Super Bowl LXII joins a string of global sporting events coming to the city over the next few years, including the College Football Playoff National Championship and MLB All-Star Game in 2025, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031.

ATLANTA, Ga.—The NFL has chosen Atlanta, Ga., to host Super Bowl LXII. The big game will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in February of 2028. The Atlanta bid was led by the Atlanta Sports Council in collaboration with the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georg...

10/14/2024

The NAIA has selected Park City Arena and Visit Wichita as hosts for the 2025 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship.

10/14/2024

GOOD MORNING, WICHITA!

We’re here along the Arkansas River in beautiful Wichita, Kansas, for day one of .
The week will launch with registrations and our annual Golf Scramble!
Then, after the opening ceremonies, we hope to see you all at the After-Hours Kick-Off party at the Emprise Bank Pavilion, sponsored by the Louisiana Travel Association.
Here’s to a fun and exciting week!

10/14/2024

Big welcome to the SPORTS - The Relationship Conference. Visit Wichita is excited to host sports planners and rights holders from across the country and show them what our great city has to offer.

10/11/2024

Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park, Ill., will host the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic National and International Championships, set to take place from June 20-22, 2025.

10/09/2024

Golf is already a $102 billion powerhouse of an industry, but high-tech simulators and new entertainment options are driving even more participation in the sport.

10/08/2024

With an ancestry dating back to the original video games of the 1970s, team electronic game playing, known as e-sports, has taken the world by storm—and may even show up at the Olympic games in the future.

10/08/2024

Compete AND explore in TrackTown USA

Eugene, Ore., known globally as TrackTown USA, is the epicenter of track and field, the birthplace of Nike, the Running Capital of the World, and a community of sports fans. RUN your event here and compete AND explore!

Visit: https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/sports/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=sportsevents&utm_campaign=competeandexplore&utm_term=mrtr

10/08/2024

In the competitive world of sports events, marketing is a crucial yet often costly endeavor for event planners and destinations alike. While planners are focusing on promoting the specific events they organize, targeting participants, spectators, and sponsors to ensure successful turnout and engagement, destinations are typically focused on marketing their location as an ideal venue, as well as highlighting local attractions, facilities, and amenities to attract event organizers and attendees. Regardless of the differences, both groups constantly seek ways to stretch their marketing budgets without sacrificing effectiveness. Adopting smart strategies and leveraging available resources makes achieving a significant impact, even with limited funds, possible.

Understand your target audience

Maximizing the marketing budget begins with understanding and engaging the target audience. Without it, it’s seemingly impossible to ensure efficient resource allocation. As Melonie Sturm, SVP and managing director at Watauga Group, notes, “If you are a destination looking to talk to event planners or stakeholders in the decision-making process, it’s crucial to understand who that person is and what their media consumption is relative to their decision-making process.”

Knowing the target audience and where to reach them makes marketing efforts more efficient and effective as well. “If a destination’s target audience is someone looking to choose a spot to host their next big event, we can reach them in specific places like LinkedIn, where they are looking for business acumen,” Sturm adds.

Sam Ashraf, director of marketing at Discover Central Massachusetts, also highlights the importance of engaging the target audience. “We identify our audience through analyzing visitor data and interest in our website and visitor guide requests. Engaging them involves branded content, targeted advertising, and promoting local businesses.”

As consumer preferences and behaviors evolve, however, marketers must continuously refine their understanding of their target audience to ensure they deliver content that resonates. This ongoing process of audience refinement is where social media analytics becomes an invaluable tool. Analyzing data from platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows you to gain deep insights into your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and engagement patterns. This knowledge allows you to create highly tailored content that resonates with your specific audience. For example, analytics might reveal that your audience engages more with video content on Instagram but prefers infographics on Facebook. Armed with this information, you can adjust your content strategy, accordingly, creating platform-specific content that is more likely to capture attention and drive engagement.



Leverage digital marketing strategies

Once the audience is understood, destinations and event planners can strategically target them through digital marketing, which offers numerous cost-effective strategies. “A digital component is an important part of the marketing strategy so that you have multiple touchpoints for the person going through the decision-making process,” Sturm explains. “The more times we can hit somebody with the right message, the better to get them to consider our destination as the place they want to go. That means a thoughtful digital component, including email.”

Ashraf highlights search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising as particularly effective. “We invest in email marketing campaigns, leveraging our subscriber list to promote upcoming events,” he says. “Our website is optimized for mobile to ensure a seamless experience for users on all devices. Additionally, our events calendar is the number one resource in the region, attracting significant traffic and providing comprehensive information on upcoming events, making it an essential tool in our digital marketing strategy.”

Geo-targeting is particularly effective for marketers operating on tighter budgets, allowing them to focus on specific geographic areas to ensure efficient spending. As Sturm shares, a destination can start by targeting people in neighboring states. “Then, if budget allows, they can cast their net a little wider,” she says. “Geo-targeting also allows marketers to focus on a specific zip code if they prefer, ensuring a particular subset sees their ads. But it’s important to note that timing is critical if your budget only allows a few weeks of geo-targeting. You’ve got to make sure your audience is seeing your ad at the most appropriate time.”



Utilize social media

Social media platforms are invaluable for engagement and reach. Sturm suggests starting with social media, especially when on a tight budget. “You can easily get into paid social through boosted posts,” she says. “By putting a small amount of budget behind your organic posts that you’re doing already, you can give them an extra lift and get exposure to a bro…

In the competitive world of sports events, marketing is a crucial yet often costly endeavor for event planners and destinations alike. While planners are focusing on promoting the specific events they organize, targeting participants, spectators, and sponsors to ensure successful turnout and enga...

10/07/2024

The Brady Hunter Foundation donated a grant to Little Haiti FC (LHFC) to support the organization’s not-for-profit initiative, which provides children in underserved communities in central Miami and the surrounding neighborhoods with free access to a youth soccer program.

10/03/2024

VALLEY FORGE, Penn.— Meetings Today has announced the winners of its 2024 Best of Meetings Today Awards, an annual recognition given to the top meeting facilities and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in North America, as well as the top global DMOs. Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board was selected as a winner in the category, “Best East CVB/DMO”.

“Every year, we reach out to our audience to ask them to vote for their top facilities and DMOs,” says Tyler Davidson, vice president and chief content director of Meetings Today. “Our annual Best of Meetings Today Awards recognize the leading properties and DMOs in the industry and can also serve as a great resource for planners when they are researching sites for their meetings.”

The following criteria were applied to the nomination of meeting facilities, where applicable: quality of meeting space, guest rooms, guest services and amenities, food and beverage service, efficiency and helpfulness of staff, availability and quality of tech, recreational facilities and activities, cleanliness and overall value and experience. The criteria for nominating destinations was the overall service they provided to planners for their meetings and events.

To discover the 2024 Best of Meetings Today Awards winners, visit https://buff.ly/46y8Tql.

VALLEY FORGE, Penn.— Meetings Today has announced the winners of its 2024 Best of Meetings Today Awards, an annual recognition given to the top meeting facilities and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in North America, as well as the top global DMOs. Valley Forge Touri...

10/02/2024

The Sandhills Global Youth Complex (“the Complex”) has hired Tom Lemke as their new director of operations & HR, starting Sept. 2024. Going forward, he will play an integral role in the day-to-day operations of the Complex.

09/30/2024

Discover Your Moment in Howard County, Maryland

Howard County, Md., is conveniently located along I-95 between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore (a mere half-hour drive to each location), making it easily accessible by car, train, or air. The County is known for its high-quality, one-on-one customer service for tournament operators. With wonderful restaurants, historic sites and towns, a great variety of hotels, and pristine athletic fields, it is not a surprise that many national tournaments are held within the county.
Howard County has hosted the Major League Quadball Championship in 2021, 2022, and 2024. It is also set to host the US Quadball National Qualifier in 2025 and 2026. The facilities in Howard County regularly host premier tournaments including several lacrosse showcases that highlight athletes from across the county to be seen by College Coaches. Specifically, the National High School Lacrosse Showcase and the All-America lacrosse are annual events each summer.

Visit https://www.visithowardcounty.com/

09/27/2024

CLEARWATER, Fla.— The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), which manages one of the nation’s largest network of sports and recreation facilities, has launched a new Ice Division after acquiring Firland Management. The acquisition includes a partnership between Central Park Conservancy and SFC, which assumes the management of the new Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink and Pool) in New York City.

SFC will also take over management of the Skating Edge Ice Arena in Harbor City, Calif., located in the Harbor region of Los Angeles. Additionally, Montclair State University Ice Arena in New Jersey and the SportONE Parkview Icehouse in Fort Wayne, Ind., will join the SFC family as part of the Firland Management acquisition.

With the creation of its Ice Division, SFC now operates more than 60 facilities with 3,000-plus team members, welcoming more than 25 million guests and producing over $500 million in economic impact annually. As part of the announcement, Firland Management’s longtime co-owner and VP of finance, Kelly Kryukov, has been named vice-president of SFC’s Ice Division.

“With this acquisition and the creation of our Ice Division, we are expanding our capabilities to better serve communities across the country,” says Jason Clement, CEO of The Sports Facilities Companies. “Firland Management has a long history of excellence in ice facility management, and we are excited to build on that legacy, enhancing our portfolio and continuing to deliver exceptional experiences for athletes and guests alike.”

Founded in 1999, Firland Management became a leading consulting firm specializing in designing, developing, constructing, marketing, and managing ice rinks and multi-purpose recreational facilities. Under the leadership of Co-Owner and President James Cain, Firland Management has consulted on over 100 projects across North America. Cain will remain with SFC as a consultant, supporting the Ice Division and future SFC ice projects.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished at Firland Management over the past 25 years,” says Cain. “We’ve transformed facilities and built strong relationships with the communities we serve. I’m excited to continue working alongside SFC in a consulting capacity to help grow the Ice Division and support future ice projects. Firland’s venues are in good hands under SFC’s experienced leadership, and I’m confident they will continue to thrive. I’d also like to congratulate Kelly on her new role as VP of the Ice Division.”

CLEARWATER, Fla.—

09/27/2024

SPORTS 2025🎉
We can’t tell you WHERE, but we can tell you WHEN!
Mark your calendars & include us in your budgets😉

It’s almost time to pack for Wichita & it’s the LAST CHANCE to see you there!
‼️Registration for SPORTS 2024 closes at 12:00pm on September 30th‼️

REGISTER HERE👇
Planners: https://www.therelationshipconference.com/plannerrsvp
Suppliers: http://tiny.cc/SPORTS2024Supplier

09/25/2024

Discover why Winston-Salem is the ideal destination for your next sports event. With state-of-the-art facilities, a rich history in athletics, and a welcoming community, we provide everything you need for a successful and memorable experience. Our vibrant city blends history and innovation, offering diverse venues and activities for athletes and spectators alike. Plan your event where the past inspires, the future shines, and the city is ready to be explored.

https://www.visitwinstonsalem.com/sports