This webinar took place August 19, 2025, and is available on demand:

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Youth sports proved their sustainable power during the pandemic and their rise only continues. But what does your event and destination need to be aware of that to position your organization for further success? In this webinar, join the president of one of the nation’s largest youth sports organizations, an industry veteran of events large and small, and a destination leader who has found success attracting events in a roundtable discussion of where the youth sports industry is headed. And come prepared with your own questions to make sure you are staying on top of where the industry is going next.

Participants:

Glen Allen
Vice President of Sports and Entertainment
Visit Lauderdale

Glen Allen joined Visit Lauderdale in 2023 as the vice president of sports and entertainment. He has over 14 years of experience in sports tourism, having previously worked with the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Central Florida Sports Commission (now Greater Orlando Sports Commission). In his current role, he oversees the sports and entertainment department, which features four teammates whose role is to recruit, develop and cultivate event opportunities for Broward County. He also leads Visit Lauderdale’s efforts with developing sports marketing partnerships with opportunities including the Florida Panthers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Meyer Shank Racing among others.

Megan Ditchman
Business Development Senior Manager
Global Sports Experiences

Megan Ditchman has 14 years of experience in soccer event management, currently serving as business development senior manager for Global Sports Experiences. She previously worked 13 years for Elite Tournaments in a variety of roles including senior vice president of marketing and partnerships. Throughout her career she has worked on youth events and professional match promotion, organizing international events for world class brands and creating unforgettable experiences for teams and fans alike.
 

Jo Mirza
President
AAU

Jo Mirza, the 49th president of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), has dedicated more than five decades of service to the AAU at the local, national and international levels. Mirza got his start in AAU as an athlete in the sport of karate in 1972, competing in the Central AAU Association (now District), though he’s been a student of martial arts since 1967. His roles with the AAU have been many throughout the years, including AAU Karate National Chair, District AAU Governor (Central and Florida Gold Coast), and District Lieutenant Governor (Central) as well as instructor, official, and dedicated volunteer. In 1987, President Mirza was recognized for his many efforts on behalf of the AAU Karate program, winning election as AAU Karate National Chair and being named the AAU Junior Olympic Games Karate Chairman, positions he has held ever since. He has been a member of the AAU Board of Directors since 1994.

Moderator:
Matt Traub
Editor
SportsTravel

Matt Traub is the editor for SportsTravel, focusing on the magazine’s content, digital and social media strategies. Before joining SportsTravel in 2019, he worked in sports departments at several newspapers across the United States, most recently as the assistant sports editor at the Salt Lake Tribune. Under his leadership, the organization grew digital audience around the region’s most-loved topics: the Olympics, the Utah Jazz and college football. He also was in charge of sports departments at newspapers in New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina that were repeatedly recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as a Top 10 section nationally with coverage of everything from the Little League World Series to Southeastern Conference football.
 

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This webinar took place February 6, 2025, and is available on demand:

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Webinar Description:
In this SportsTravel Webinar, hear from leaders across the sports-events industry on the trends your organization needs to be aware of in the coming year. Topics will include event management, event bidding, housing outlooks, hotel trends, needs of sports event organizers and the destination/event organizer relationship.

Participants:

Brian Gainor
Founder and CEO
Gainor Sports

Brian Gainor is the founder and CEO of Gainor Sports, a leading sponsorship consulting and sports marketing advisory practice specializing in helping teams, leagues, cities, and organizations worldwide drive revenue growth, fan engagement and meaningful impact. With two decades of experience, he has advised over 200 professional sports teams, leagues, cities, brands, and attractions across the globe, delivering innovative sponsorship and business strategies that fuel long-term success. His diverse portfolio of partners includes Cirque du Soleil, Chelsea FC, the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Mets, Space Center Houston, Cricket Australia’s Big Bash League, the Green Bay Packers, FELD Entertainment, the NCAA, and Ronald McDonald House Charities, among many others. Before launching Gainor Sports, he served as vice president of innovation at Legends and 4FRONT, as well as director of global sports and entertainment Consulting at GMR Marketing, where he shaped sponsorship and business strategies for leading brands such as XFINITY, Hershey’s, Lowe’s, and The Hartford.

Melany Hugo
Director of Sports and Entertainment
IHG Hotels & Resorts

Melany Hugo has dedicated over 17 years to IHG Hotels & Resorts, where she has held various roles on-property before transitioning to the IHG Corporate Office. For seven years, she served as the regional director of sales and marketing on the Americas Commercial and Revenue Management Team. Currently, she leads the sports and entertainment team for the Americas Region within IHG’s Global Sales Organization. Passionate about the unifying power of sports and entertainment, Melany believes these sectors foster community, shared experiences, and common ground. She’s witnessed firsthand the vital role that the sports segment plays in the success of the hotel industry.
 

Heidi Weber
Director of Operations
The Open Championship Series

Heidi Weber is the director of operations for The Open Championship Series/ASWC and the owner of Revolution Events & Celebrity Cheer and Dance Championships. These companies produce youth cheerleading and dance events across the United States. She retired in 2017 from a long-term coaching career that lasted 17 years. Her coaching experience spans the cheerleading industry including choreography, all-star, school, rec and college cheerleading squads. She has an MBA and is a federally recognized and certified Women in Business owner. Apart from her spirit industry companies, she also owns businesses that include a children’s salon, embroidery shop, sports apparel, and ad system/efficiency consulting. Her strengths include event producing, branding, marketing, system efficiency, customer service training and leadership/management development.

Moderator:
Matt Traub
Managing Editor
SportsTravel

Matt Traub is the managing editor for SportsTravel, focusing on the magazine’s content, digital and social media strategies. Before joining SportsTravel in 2019, he worked in sports departments at several newspapers across the United States, most recently as the assistant sports editor at the Salt Lake Tribune. Under his leadership, the organization grew digital audience around the region’s most-loved topics: the Olympics, the Utah Jazz and college football. He also was in charge of sports departments at newspapers in New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina that were repeatedly recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as a Top 10 section nationally with coverage of everything from the Little League World Series to Southeastern Conference football.
 

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This webinar took place November 14, 2024, and is available on demand.

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Webinar Description:
In this SportsTravel Webinar, discover new tech platforms that are transforming the sports event landscape by improving the experience for players, coaches, and parents. This session will dive into powerful tools designed for event organizers, including roster management, real-time updates, and streamlined communication. Learn from real-world success stories of clubs and teams that have leveraged these innovations to boost engagement and streamline operations, creating memorable and seamless experiences for everyone involved.

Participants:

Brian Werner
President
Prospect Wire & USA Premier Baseball

Brian Werner started with Prospect Wire in 2008 as director of scouting. He became the national tournament director in 2010 and vice president in 2020. In 2021, he was named president of Prospect Wire and in 2024, president of USA Premier Baseball. As president, he oversees all aspects of Prospect Wire’s operations for both showcases and tournaments, as well as the creation of new events on the schedule. Prior to Prospect Wire, Werner was director of baseball ops and pro scouting for the New York Yankees.

Justin Varitek
COO
DS Sports

Justin Varitek joined DS Sports as the chief operating officer in November 2022. Before that, he spent 13 years as the head baseball coach at Lake Mary Preparatory School, where he also served as athletic director for 10 of those years. He previously coached college baseball for four years at Rollins College and Newberry College and played professional baseball for three years. As COO, he oversees the day-to-day operations across multiple companies, coordinating efforts to streamline processes, manage resources, and maximize profitability. He works closely with other executives to develop and implement strategies that align with the company’s goals, ensuring that each event meets high quality and customer satisfaction standards.

Nelson Gord
Director of Partnerships
Playbook365

Nelson Gord is the director of partnerships for Playbook365, where he drives strategic initiatives within sports management and event housing. He is the founder of Illinois Travel Baseball Club and has coached over 350 college athletes and 18 MLB Draft picks, with additional head coaching roles at Notre Dame College Prep, Maine West High School and Harper College. Gord also consults for companies such as SkillShow, Bat Around, Diamond Allegiance and RCX Sports, using his extensive background to enhance player development and youth sports experiences.

Moderator:
Jason Gewirtz
Vice President
Northstar Meeting Group Sports Division

Jason Gewirtz is the vice president of the Sports Division of Northstar Meetings Group and the executive editor and publisher of SportsTravel. Gewirtz joined SportsTravel in 2008 as managing editor and has served a variety of roles since, overseeing editorial coverage of the magazine and content at the Sports Division’s events, including the TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe and the EsportsTravel Summit. A veteran daily newspaper journalist and editor prior to joining SportsTravel, Gewirtz worked as a reporter and editor for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California, the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and at the Broomfield Enterprise in Broomfield, Colorado. He is a member of the board of directors for the Sports Events & Tourism Association.
 

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This webinar took place October 8, 2024, and is available on demand.

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The youth sports venue boom is continuing full-steam ahead with destinations around the country investing in new venues to meet the needs of a growing list of event organizations looking for homes for their events. But every venue is different as is every need in different communities. In this webinar, hear from leaders of one of the largest venue management companies in the country on the trends they are seeing in venue development as well as a case study on the Greater Ontario community as it develops a new venue of its own. What do event organizers need to know about the types of venues being built and how can their needs be addressed early in the process for the benefit of all involved?

Speakers

Panelist: Michael Krouse/GOCAL

Michael Krouse is president and CEO of GOCAL (Greater Ontario California), Ontario Convention Center, Toyota Arena, and the California Welcome Center at Ontario Mills where he directs business development, marketing and destination sales for conventions, meetings and events, national and international visitors plus the overall operations at the venues. GOCAL promotes the Greater Ontario region as a premier destination for meetings, conventions and tourism in Southern California, and to ensure the transparency, accountability and effectiveness of the Greater Ontario Tourism Marketing District, which was established under his leadership. GOCAL’s efforts produce more than $100 million in annual economic impact for the region. Toyota Arena hosts 2 million guests with 300 active days per year, and the Ontario Convention Center hosts 400 events per year and more than 1 million guests.

Panelist: Jim Arnold/Sports Facilities Companies

Jim Arnold is widely recognized as one of the leading designers and developers of youth sports complexes in the nation. In his role as the national director of business development for the Sports Facilities Companies, Arnold leads the expansion of the SF Network of sports and recreation destinations across the country. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, he has overseen the planning, design, development, and operations of many of the most innovative and successful sports facilities in the country.

Moderator: Jason Gewirtz/Northstar Meetings Group

Jason Gewirtz is the vice president of the Sports Division of Northstar Meetings Group and the executive editor and publisher of SportsTravel. Gewirtz joined SportsTravel in 2008 as managing editor and has served a variety of roles since, overseeing editorial coverage of the magazine and content at the Sports Division’s events, including the TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe and the EsportsTravel Summit. A veteran daily newspaper journalist and editor prior to joining SportsTravel, Gewirtz worked as a reporter and editor for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California, the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and at the Broomfield Enterprise in Broomfield, Colorado. He is a member of the board of directors for the Sports Events & Tourism Association.

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In Episode Five: How an Event Organizer, Venue and Destination View Recovery, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest tournament registration statistics and trends they are seeing in the timing of those registrations.

This episode also includes an in-depth discussion from three perspectives of the sports-event industry’s recovery. James Peterson, sales and marketing director for Seacoast United Sports Club in New England, Jillian Surman, lodging director at Woodside Sports Complex in Wisconsin Dells, and Jonathan Paris, executive director of sports tourism for Visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, provide their expertise on how their sports organization, venue and destination have helped events come back. Each will also offer lessons they’ve learned from the past months and their advice on how to keep events returning in the future.

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In this fact-based, data-driven web series, SportsTravel will be interviewing leaders from destinations, sports organizations, hotels and industry suppliers to track the recovery of the sports-event industry. Each episode will feature insight from EventConnect on the latest statistics from tournament registrations and hotel bookings across the country, as well as a dialogue with a select panel of experts.

Episode Five: How an Event Organizer, Venue and Destination View Recovery

In Episode Five: How an Event Organizer, Venue and Destination View Recovery, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest tournament registration statistics and trends they are seeing in the timing of those registrations. This episode also includes an in-depth discussion from three perspectives of the sports-event industry’s recovery. James Peterson, sales and marketing director for Seacoast United Sports Club in New England, Jillian Surman, lodging director at Woodside Sports Complex in Wisconsin Dells, and Jonathan Paris, executive director of sports tourism for Visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, provide their expertise on how their sports organization, venue and destination have helped events come back. Each will also offer lessons they’ve learned from the past months and their advice on how to keep events returning in the future.

Episode Four: How NGBs are Approaching Return to Play

In Episode Four: How NGBs are Approaching Return to Play, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest tournament registration and ADR statistics, as well as which sports appear to be returning the fastest. This episode also includes in-depth discussions with leaders at two national governing bodies that are navigating return-to-play guidelines for their owned events as well as events run by other organizations in their respective sports. USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis discusses how his organization is approaching play for its elite athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic level as well as the championships that the NGB stages in convention centers and arenas and beaches nationwide. And US Lacrosse Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Ann Kitt Carpenetti talks about how her organization has approached its extensive guidelines, how the NGB has handled sanctioning of other events around the country and how the pandemic has affected the traditional season for the sport.

Episode Three: The Hotel Experience for Sports-Related Travel

In Episode Three: The Hotel Experience for Sports-Related Travel, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest tournament registration and ADR statistics, as well as which sports appear to be returning the fastest. And in a discussion about how the hotel industry has changed in recent months, hear from Yola Marshall, the vice president of commercial performance for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and Nick Worrall, Red Lion Hotels’ global director of sales for sports about what occupancy rates are like right now, how the sports market is doing compared to other travel business, changes that teams and parents should expect in their hotel experience and best practices for communicating those changes to customers. We also talk with Brian Ryman, owner of Music City Classic, a baseball tournament series in Nashville that has seen teams travel for events to learn what the response to hotel stays has been for traveling teams.

Episode Two: How Sports Venues are Reopening

In Episode Two: How Sports Venues are Reopening, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest registration and ADR statistics and which parts of the country are seeing events come back the fastest. In a discussion about how sports venues are approaching their reopening, we talk with William Knox, the director of Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana, and Jamie Cox, general manager of the Panama City Beach Sports Complex in Panama City Beach, Florida, to hear how they’ve approached bringing visitors back on their property. We also talk with Janis Burke, the CEO of the Harris County–Houston Sports Authority and the chair of the Sports ETA Board of Directors, about Houston’s citywide plan to reopen.

Episode One: The Return of Youth Sports

In Episode One: The Return of Youth Sports,  SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and EventConnect CEO Jason Parker discuss the latest registration, reservation and ADR statistics. In a discussion about what destinations are seeing on the ground, we have a dialogue with Sue Hollenbeck, the director of sports business for the Oklahoma City CVB, and Kirk Elmquist, the vice president of sports development for the Branson CVB. And in a talk with U.S. Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert and Five Tool Baseball Founder Lynn Vanlandingham, we delve into what event organizers are hearing from parents and how they are approaching their upcoming events.

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