The sports tourism industry is closer to Opening Day than the World Series when it comes to harnessing the true power of event technology. The ultimate goal is to create a process so seamless that the technology quickly fades into the background behind the roars of exuberant family members, fans and other spectators. Now, new all-in-one event technology streamlines planning and execution, helping organizers run smoother, more enjoyable experiences for participants and their families.
In this free downloadable guide, learn how your organization can benefit from innovations in event management for youth sports.

Among the topics covered in the guide:

How technology can simplify event management

How to create efficiency from team registration to roster management to lodging plans

How to use event technology tools to accommodate special requests

The benefits of such tools for improving customer relations

Proving ROI for events through data collection in event technology tools

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For most people, sports and leisure are synonymous. Which is to say, sports is leisure. But for the athletes who participate in youth, amateur and professional sporting events, playing sports typically isn’t about rest and relaxation. Rather, it’s about hard work, self-improvement and healthy competition — which is why many athletes and their families are keen to extend their stays when they visit new cities for games, matches, meets and tournaments.
In this free downloadable guide, learn how your destination or venue can capitalize on ways to keep participants in town and exploring everything else your region has to offer.

Among the topics covered in the guide:

Choosing a Leisure-Friendly Locale

Scheduling a Signature Event or Activity

Dangling Discounts

Partnering with Destination Marketers

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The post-pandemic travel world is still righting itself, making contract negotiations more cumbersome than ever. The industry has turned from a buyers’ market, where hotels were eager for business, to a sellers’ market, where it’s difficult for groups to find the space they need and wield leverage in the negotiation process.
In this free downloadable guide, hear from hotel experts that work with sports event organizers on what your organization can do to get the best scenario out of your hotel experience, from contract negotiations to sourcing the best properties.

Among the topics covered in the guide:

Basic Contract Negotiations

Getting the Best Rate

Winning the Dollar Game

What to Look for in a Room Block

What to Look for in a Specific Hotel Property

Determining the Scope of Your Housing Needs

Sports Packages Offered in Hotels

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When looking to a plan a youth sporting event, there are a number of location factors to consider. For many families, away games also serve as the opportunity for a vacation. This is why it is important to ensure a sporting destination offers full-service sports facilities and services as well as a variety of family-friendly attractions. This desktop reference guide describes the top advantages a destination must have to ensure you score big planning your next youth sporting event — with the athletes and their families.

Among the topics covered in the guide:

Finding the Ideal Location

Engaging Local Support

Arranging Site Inspections

Vetting Accommodations

Considering Food & Beverage

Showcasing Other Activities

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Esports is booming worldwide and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the live-events industry right now. Events are being held at destinations and venues of all sizes and types. Download this handbook to learn all you need to know about how to host and/or organize in-person esports events, brought to you by the editors of SportsTravel, the leading sports-related travel and events management experts, and the Atlantic City Sports Commission.

In this expert guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hosting your next in-person esports event, including technical areas you need to be aware of and three case studies from successful recent esports events and venues.

Download this free guide and get answers to questions including:

• Who are the event organizers in esports?
• What are the different elements of the esports ecosystem?
• Where are in-person esports events being held?
• How can CVBs and esports organizations work together on events?
• What technology requirements does a venue need to host an esports tournament?
• How does licensing of game titles work?
• What takeaways can you gather from recently held in-person esports events?
• What methods have the most successful esports events used to engage fans?

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A New Florida Event Venue

This 378-acre World Equestrian Center (WEC) is not just a place for equestrian sport spectators; though, with 16 outdoor rings, a stunning open‐air stadium and hotel‐adjacent arena, and four climate controlled indoor arenas, WEC–Ocala is already a home for spectators.

Indoor and Outdoor Event Space

Accommodations and Amenities

The property also includes several dining options for all tastes, including Filo’s Mexican Cantina; Stirrups for steaks, chops and seafood with a terrace overlooking the Grand Outdoor Arena; Ralph’s Burger and Sandwich Shop; Viola and Dot’s Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria; Emma’s Patisserie; and Miss Tilly’s Lollipops for tasty treats.

Nearby Attractions

After the competition, participants and spectators can find a variety of nearby attractions to help explore the area. Visitors can find miniature figurines and other merchandise at Brick City Center for the Arts, also known as “The Brick.” The nearby Appleton Museum of Art operated by the College of Central Florida also features permanent and rotating collections and is considered a preeminent art institution of the Southeast.

Silver Springs State Park is known for its glass-bottom boats that allow visitors to see the crystal-clear waters from Silver Spring. (Fun fact: The park was the filming site for many of the movies in the Tarzan franchise and was also featured in the “Black Lagoon” and “Sea Hunt” films, to name a few.)

And for motorsports fans, the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing allows a close-up look at the collection of Garlits, known as “Big Daddy,” who holds 17 world championship titles over more than 40 years of racing.

As the tourism industry begins to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the brightest spots has been the number of sports events being safely held in convention centers. From volleyball and basketball tournaments to dance and cheerleading competitions, these events have been the first to open doors that have been closed for the better part of a year. So why are convention centers proving to be ideal — and safe — hosts for these events?

This exclusive guide examines the reasons event organizers are turning to convention centers and the measures that centers are taking to keep their participants and attendees safe.

Download this handbook to learn all you need to know about how to host safe events in convention centers, brought to you by the editors of SportsTravel and Visit Lauderdale. 

In this expert guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how convention centers are safely hosting events, including:

Cleaning and hygiene protocols

Logistics of timing and attendance

Gone are the days when all teams could show up at once and hang out all day to view competition. Learn how event organizers are staggering schedules to accommodate any gathering restrictions.

PPE and air flow

Rules around masks and investments in ventilation systems have put some convention centers on a clear path to recovery. Learn what venues are doing on both fronts to keep the doors open.

Best practices in communication

As venues reopen, communicating with participants is paramount. Different venues and different event organizers have different requirements, all of which must be communicated.

What safety measures will stick long-term

The amount of change that the pandemic has forced convention centers to undertake is considerable. Not all the measures taken today will need to stick around for good. But some of them will. Find out what measures are likely to stick.

Case studies of recent successful events

A look at recent events that helped reopen the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee as well as how the National Senior Games Association plans to use the renovated Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center for its upcoming event.

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The sports-event industry continues to face unprecedented challenges as the world combats the coronavirus pandemic. Countless events, meetings, conferences and trade shows have been canceled or rescheduled, and the sports-event industry has been hit equally as hard. With many stadiums and arenas shuttered or limited to other uses, event organizers need to navigate new venue possibilities as events begin to come back.

Luckily, even before COVID-19 challenges presented themselves, savvy event organizers and destinations were partnering on creative creative sporting event venues to stage competitions and gatherings. This kind of ingenuity will likely pay dividends under the “new normal,” which will require even more creative solutions to event locations than ever before.

While stadiums and arenas will serve their own purposes for events to come, many traditional sports can be held in different locations with a little thought and partnership. Those events could be held on the beach, in a parking garage, in a stadium concourse or even in an abandoned building under the right circumstances. The possibilities are endless.

Download this handbook to learn all you need to know about how to find creative venues for your events, brought to you by the editors of SportsTravel and the Atlantic City Sports Commission. 

In this expert guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to think differently about your event’s venue, including:

Rethink the Convention Center

Many convention centers are investing in features such as social distancing infrastructure and accessible flooring that can be easily transformed, with an eye towards easing logistical challenges for sports-event organizers, including those at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Take Advantage of Stadiums’ Offseason

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has hosted events in Major League Baseball stadiums. The Summer X Games has seen success in National Football League stadiums. And at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, even the concourses themselves have served as a suitable venue within a venue, and an area that can be perfect for distancing.

Make the Most of Scenic Locations

Photogenic spots and scenic locales can make for some of the most memorable venues — and work doubly well in today’s world when they’re based outdoors. Groups like the North American Sand Soccer Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and the Jersey Jumps Beach Vault—a pole-vaulting competition in Atlantic City—have turned to the sand for inspiration in recent years.

Place New Sports in Historic Venues

In Toronto, the former home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs is now hosting esports competitions. So is the historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Altantic City. Making new uses out of historic locations can give a boost to the event and the venue.

Pick Up Your Game and Go

Think bowling in a NASCAR speedway. Beach volleyball near a British palace. Karate competitions on the top of a skyscraper. The possibilities are endless.

Reexamine the Infrastructure

Learn how Skate International Distance & Supercross Association took advantage of a parking structure to make for a unique venue. Sometimes it just takes another look around a destination to find the venues you least expect.

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Download this guide on ways that sporting events in the United States, which bring more than 200 million people together every year, can reduce waste associated with those events. There are steps that sports organizations, venues and destinations can take to ensure a more sustainable event—and one that leaves participants and spectators feeling better about themselves and the planet. Download this handbook to learn all you need to know about how to make your events greener, brought to you by the editors of SportsTravel and the Visit Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance.

In this expert guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to create sustainable sports events, including:

• Trends in recycling and reuse at sports venues

• A recycling checklist for venues

• Choosing a venue that promotes environmentally friendly practices

• Ideas on starting small when it comes to sustainability

• Case study of a sports organization that has had success promoting environmental initiatives

• Tips on making your event the most sustainable it can be

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Esports is booming worldwide. It’s the fastest growing sector in the live-events industry in the U.S. right now, growing at double-digit year-over-year rates, at destinations and venues of all sizes and types. Download this handbook to learn all you need to know about how to host and/or organize esports events, brought to you by the editors of SportsTravel, the leading sports travel and events management resources, and MGM Resorts.

In this expert guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hosting your next esports event, including five trends to watch in esports and three case studies from successful esports events.

Download this free guide and get answers to questions including:

• Who are the event organizers in esports?
• What are the different elements of the esports ecosystem?
• Where are esports events being held?
• How can CVBs and esports organizations work together on events?
• What technology requirements does a venue need to host an esports tournament?
• How does licensing of game titles work?
• How can destinations capitalize on the online audiences that stream events?
• What esports trends will destinations and venues need to be aware of in the future?
• What methods have the most successful esports events used to engage fans?

Fill out the form below for instant access to your free guide.

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