EVENT PLANNING/Looking to sports for development dollars

Over the past 20 years, sports tourism has boomed. According to a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, sports in general have grown from the 25th largest industry in the United States to the 11th largest. The bulk of that growth has been in the sports tourism and development arena. The result has proved a boon to local economies.

Much of the growth has been fueled by the realization that facilities built or modified to attract sports-related tourism can provide recreational opportunities year-round for local residents. The rapid increase in the creation of local or regional sports commissions, founded to identify sports-related opportunities and to perform the necessary outreach and marketing activities to make those opportunities reality, also has helped the industry’s growth.

Indianapolis led the way with the formation of its Indiana Sports Corp. in the late 1970s. By 1993, 30 such organizations existed, and today, there are more than 200. In some communities, sports organizations are closely tied to local chambers of commerce or convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs); in some they are separate entities. Some communities have added sports-focused individuals to the staff of their CVBs.

In attracting sports tourism, community size is irrelevant. Joplin, Mo., a city of about 40,000, has a full-time Joplin Sports Authority with an annual budget of more than $100,000. Recently, that authority helped generate more than $5 million in sports-related tourism with youth and adult soccer, softball and baseball tournaments. Grayling, Mich., a town of 4,000, attracted more than 20,000 summer visitors with its Gus Macker Three-on-Three basketball tournament, now being played throughout the country.

The high return on investment makes sports tourism attractive to cities and counties. In fact, attendees at a recent meeting of the National Association of Sports Commissions cited returns on investment as high as 50-1.

Additionally, it is not the “major” sports that provide the greatest opportunity for local communities. Most sports tourism professionals argue that adult softball and youth soccer tournaments generate more real economic impact than all the professional sports in America. And youth girls’ events generate more impact than do boys’ events – by a significant margin.

Cities and counties can capitalize on sports in two ways: attracting existing events and/or creating their own events.

To attract an existing sports event, local governments should:

– obtain general community support for the effort;

– determine the responsibility for overseeing and directing the process;

– determine community event-hosting objectives;

– conduct a detailed facility/event resource review;

– determine potential financial support;

– gather information from the event owners;

– begin promoting the local community to the “sports” community;

– develop a preliminary list of targeted events;

– request specific event bid information for selected events;

– reaffirm event hosting objectives;

– determine the primary competition for selected events;

– prepare selected bid packages; and

– complete required bid follow-up.

To create an event, cities and counties should:

– determine the reasons for creating the event;

– determine the responsibility for managing the event creation process;

– survey existing resources;

– determine schedule requirements and local resource availability;

– assess local demographics;

– tentatively decided on the type of event;

– review the sport’s/governing body’s requirements;

– finalize the event;

– develop an event management organization;

– create a first-year operating plan;

– conduct the event;

– conduct a post-event review; and

– make any necessary revisions in the second-year operating plan.

Cities and counties do not need world class facilities or huge budgets to attract the nation’s growing sports tourism industry. Creativity and hard work will help them reap that industry’s rewards.