Webinar: Trends in Youth Sports: What You Need to Know

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

Watch Now

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.
 

Sponsored by: