Entries for 2016

4 Reasons to Earn Your CSEE

 Posted on: December 20 2016
The NASC is the leader in the sport tourism industry when it comes to providing educational opportunities to its members. The Certified Sports Event Certification (CSEE) is the most recognized professional designation in our industry. The program, having been developed in 2002, has continued to evolve as the needs of the NASC members have changed. Sessions have focused on such topics as Media Relations, Hotel Contract Negotiations, Strategic Planning, Coordination of Volunteers, RFPs and the Bidding Process, and Social Media. Online courses were also recently launched to supplement the live courses. As a sport tourism professional, I believe it’s important to continuously keep myself educated on what’s happening in our industry. My primary reasons for earning my CSEE include: 1. Knowledge - The world around us is constantly changing and it’s imperative that for us to do the best jobs we can, that we stay informed. CSEE courses provide us with another source of informa...

No Excuse Zone

 Posted on: December 19 2016
It may be holiday time, but for many in youth sports, it’s coming up on tournament time. During holiday breaks many teams, whether they’re affiliated with a school or with an AAU-type organization, use the time away from school for traveling tournaments. So now may be a good time to listen to one of soccer’s legends, Mia Hamm, on how parents should handle their kids in sports. In a speech recently in Colorado Springs, she offered this bit of advice: “Resist the urge to make excuses for your kids.” Mia Hamm is now a sports mom herself, and in that role hears other sports parents blame the refs, the coaches, even their kids’ teammates if Johnny or Mary doesn’t have a good game. “They look up to you,” she told the crowd. “They are so vulnerable after a defeat. They don’t need to hear, ‘Oh, my, if Suzie had just passed that ball to you.’ Or ‘If that ref had a clue. Somebody needs to talk to him....

Everyone’s a Winner

 Posted on: December 12 2016
You know the drill: At youth tournaments, there are row upon rows of trophies, medals, etc. for everyone. Not just the members of the team that won, but EVERYONE. Because we want all the players to feel valued and to get a reward just for participating. Pittsburgh Steeler’s linebacker James Harrison famously railed against participation trophies, going as far as taking away his kids’ awards, saying he wanted them to earn their trophies. And now, add Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz to the list of those who want more of an effort from his players than just showing up. Earlier this season, after a particularly poor showing (his opinion) by his team in a basketball, game, Coach Walz blasted the “participation trophy” mentality of players. “We just live right now in a generation of kids that are coming through, everybody gets a damn trophy,” he said. “You finish last, you come home with a trophy. Are you kidding me? What...

Developing Relationships-Parks and Recreation

 Posted on: December 6 2016
It should be no surprise that if you are active in Sports Tourism that you should be working very closely with your Parks and Recreation Departments. For the most part they have what Event Planners are looking for----diamonds, fields, courts and green space. For some of you that may just be one Department and for others---like me---it involves multiple jurisdictions in our large metropolitan area. Each Park and Recreation Department may excel in a particular sport and it is nice to have them as your “go to partner” for that specific sport while others due to their availability and designated space like to branch out and be considered for some “out of the box type events”. No matter how you look at it or approach their space get to know each Parks and Recreation Department Leader. Invite them to lunch, let them know some events that you are working on and who knows----maybe they have heard of an event that needs a nudge or some assistance that you could connect w...

Get your foot in the door

 Posted on: November 28 2016
When an acquaintance finds out that you work in the sports industry, there’s a very good chance that his or her first reaction is, “Wow, that’s so cool.” Those of us in sports know that yes, it’s cool, but it’s also a lot of hard work. And it’s not all that easy to break into the business and find the job that you want. You probably talk with school groups or hear from aspiring sports professionals who might drop you an email to ask, “I’d like to do what you’re doing. How do I get in the sports business?” Well, we know that there are probably as many ways to get into the business as there are jobs. But recently Kathryn Smith, the first full-time female coach on an NFL team (Buffalo Bills), talked with writer Lyndsey D’Arcangelo about how she got into the NFL, and her advice for others who want to get into the sports business. Among other things, Smith said, “Get in where you can, and do what you can to ...

NASC Member Mentoring

 Posted on: November 22 2016
Member Mentoring is one of the best services the NASC has to offer for new members/partners to the NASC.   Having been involved with the NASC since 1996, I have seen the NASC transform into one of the strongest association in the tourism industry.  One of the special aspects of the NASC is the Member Mentoring committee.  This committee assists new members to the NASC and helps answer questions, work through issues with event owners or rights holders and helps in creating that fraternity of “been there and done that” so the new member does not feel like they are on an island. One of my best Member Mentoring stories I like to share from time to time happened several years ago.  I was assigned Daniel Rush, Vice President of Global Sports & Event Sales for MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, NV.  Now as first, I am thinking, what do I have to share with the Vice President of Global Sports and Event Sales for MGM Resorts that he has not seen or been thro...

Another deciding vote…

 Posted on: November 14 2016
One referendum decided last Election Day will go a long way in deciding the future of the San Diego Chargers. San Diego voters were asked to approve public funding for a new stadium for the Chargers. Measure C would have raised $1.15 billion from increased hotel occupancy taxes to help pay for a $1.8 billion stadium and convention center annex downtown. Chargers owner Dean Spanos spent more than $10 million on the campaign to approve the measure, but only about 40% of the voters were in favor of the funding. The Chargers needed 66.7% of the vote to pass. The vote means that there’s a good chance that the Chargers will return to their ancestral home in Los Angeles (they started life as the Los Angeles Chargers in their baby blue uniforms) and share a new stadium with the Rams—the facility is being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke. The Rams are playing at the L.A. Coliseum until the new stadium in Inglewood is ready after 2018. The Chargers could come up with a similar ...

NASC designates a dozen sport tourism professionals as Certified Sports Event Executives (CSEE)

 Posted on: November 10 2016
The National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC), the non-profit 501(c)3 trade association serving the sport tourism industry, is pleased to recognize the most recent graduates of the Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) program.   Fall 2016 graduates include: Terra Alphonso, CSEE, Director of Sports Marketing & Development, Branson Chamber and CVB Rio Andrasko, CSEE, Sales Manager, Sports & Special Events, Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Derek Bombeck, CSEE, Sales Development Manager, Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau Jennifer   Breedlove, CSEE, Convention Services Manager, Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau Tim Ellis Director, CSEE,  Global Sales – Sports, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group John Friebele, CSEE, Director of Sports + Events, Bryan College Station Sports + Events Matt Reed, CSEE, National Sales Manager, Team San Jose Janis Ross, CSEE, Executive Director, Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Jennifer S...

Pay it Forward

 Posted on: November 8 2016
My life has centered around connecting with people. Perhaps it was growing up in the small town of Fairport Harbor, Ohio (where everyone really does know each other) that gave me the love of meeting new people, getting to know them, and staying connected to them.  That fortunate trait has been my greatest personal joy, and has become my greatest professional strength. The business of sport that we are all engaged in as members of the National Association of Sports Commissions is conducted through our personal relationships with people from every facet of our professional world, and when we share our experiences with each other we all benefit. I can still remember the hundreds of hours of benchmarking that it took to launch the Greater Columbus Sports Commission in 2002.  Colleagues (many of whom have now become my friends) from dozens of cities such as Richmond, Orlando, St. Louis and Portland shared their budgets and best practices to help get us off the ground.  I coul...

You’re never too young…

 Posted on: November 7 2016
Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton has made headlines lately, not just for his play on the field, but for his complaints to the NFL Commissioner off the field. Newton, a strong and mobile quarterback, has been hit hard this season, with few if any penalties called for the hits. He’s said he “doesn’t feel safe” on the field anymore, an issue he and his team have brought up to Commissioner Roger Goodell. The continuing discussion on when, or if, football is ever played safety was brought up again in a recent article in The Atlantic. The article quotes Christopher Whitlow, chief of neuroradiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, who wanted to see how head impact affects developing brains. His team studied male football players between ages 8 and 13 over the course of a season, recording “head impact data” using a Head Impact Telemetry System to measure force, which was correlated with video of games and practices. The findings, publ...
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