How much are events worth to your destination?
Knowledge is power. This applies to sports commissions seeking to understand the economic importance of events to their destinations. By knowing the value of sporting events sold by a sports commission, industry stakeholders are empowered to make a strong case for continued destination marketing. Indeed, the case for destination marketing can hinge on an appreciation of the economic value of key events sold by sports commissions.
In partnership with Destinations International, the Event Impact Calculator measures the economic value of a sporting event and calculates its return on investment to local taxes. Armed with this information, sports commissions are better prepared to make the case to policymakers for the ongoing development and growth of the events sector.
The Sports Module and platform have been developed by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, and includes several Sport Event Types: Youth, Adult Amateur,...
The Lake Erie Cyclefest is preparing for another successful partnership with The Blues & Jazz Festival for four days of Rhythm and Ride. The event will take place the first weekend of August 2019 and contain music, entertainment, and six cycling races.
The weekend kicks off with a free race on Thursday, Aug. 2 at 6 AM. Races will continue through Sunday, Aug. 4 ranging from no cost to a $40 participation fee. All proceeds benefit EmergyCare, WQLN and the YMCA of Greater Erie.
According to the Erie Sports Commission, the race is used to encourage green living and a holistically healthy lifestyle. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of the “meet-up” space to chat with fellow cyclists.
All music events, lectures, art exhibits, and performances are completely free.
For more information about specific ride times and registration, visit www.eriecyclefest.org.
A big accomplishment was announced this month for a member of the NASC. The city of Cedar Rapids was selected to host the USA Roller Sports National Championships in 2020.
The city is currently preparing for one of the largest events in their history, with the competition lasting 23 days in the month of July 2020. All activities will take place in the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.
The six competitive sports disciplines included in the 2020 USARS National Championships are figure skating, in-line hockey, roller derby, rink hockey, freestyle, and speed skating.
According to The Gazette, this event is projected to generate more than 10,000 overnight stays and $8 million in visitor spending. Much of this revenue will come from the 1,600 participants and their families, all ranging in age from elementary to senior citizens.
Congratulations to Cedar Rapids Tourism for booking such an important event.
Learn more at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Roller-Sports
Milwaukee hosted some very big sporting events in 2018, and the whole city is benefiting. According to Visit Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Business Journal, sports tourism brought in additional revenue of $28 million for the Milwaukee region in 2018.
When calculating the monetary impact of the events, Visit Milwaukee considered dollars spent on hotel rooms, restaurants, and additional goods and services provided to visitors. Milwaukee hosted a plethora of events throughout the year, but some of the most impactful were the USA Fencing 2018 North American Cup ($2.2 million) and the Junior Volleyball Association MKE Jamboree ($1.6 million).
2019 is shaping up to be just as exciting for the Brew City. USA Fencing will be returning for the 2019 November North American Cup, while the Milwaukee Mile Speedway will host the ARCA Midwest Tour.
Sports tourism is a booming industry that continually brings in astounding revenue. Harford County, in Maryland, is a prime example of this revenue impact. In Harford County, sports tourism brought in nearly $50 million and supported 650 jobs, each year over the past three years. According to The Baltimore Sun, this revenue came in from three sports- youth baseball, lacrosse, and soccer tournaments- at three different venues.
Due to this steep incline in revenue, the Maryland Office of Tourism, did a study to see the true impact of tourism on the county overall. The study showed that Harford County gained $374 million in total or more than $1 million a day. With sports tourism bringing in $50 million, the county owes a lot to the sports industry for the more revenue.
According to the study, baseball averaged the most events per year with 39, and the most participants, 20,600. That brought nearly 55,000 spectators to the county’s Ripken Stadium. Lacrosse made a big imp...
Among the numerous segments comprising a destination’s tourism portfolio, often exists sports and event tourism. These efforts may reside in any number of organizational structures from within a destination marketing organization (DMO), a government entity or stand-alone organization. The growth of sports and event tourism has been undeniable. The industry’s professional association originated with merely a dozen communities gathering to share ideas more than 25 years ago. Today, what would become the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC), serves more than 840 members from across the country and beyond.
As the go-to resource for the robust sports and events tourism industry, the NASC serves not only destination representatives, but just as importantly, sports and event rights holders looking for host destinations that can accommodate their events, venue and facility operators, and a plethora of industry suppliers. Destinations ranging in population from less ...
Soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, destination management organization… what do all of these have in common?
Competition.
Each one is competing to win the tournament, to win the meet, to win the event. Parents are spending an exorbitant amount of money on trainers, coaches, and advanced leagues to help their children excel in hopes of winning and future scholarships. Destination management organizations are investing hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars to renovate and/or build the best sporting venues to attract large multi-day tournaments for multiple year contracts.
As destinations look to sports tourism as an option to increase overnight visitation, resulting in additional tax revenues for the destination, the question is often asked “should we invest in our current infrastructure or build new sports facilities?” If the answer is yes, then the question of “how do we pay for those infrastructure improvements” usually follows.
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“We under promise and over-deliver.” That’s what Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Paul Arrigo told WAFB is a key to the sports tourism boom in the area. It may take a lot of us by surprise, but it seems to be working for the area
Baton Rouge will be host to the US Soccer regional youth championships in June, which is worth about $20 million to the area, Marucci World Series Championships in July, and Youth Basketball of America’s Winter Nationals in December.
One of the new attractions city leaders expect will bring people to the city is Topgolf. The new location is set to open soon and is the first in Louisiana. Arrigo told WAFB that events and attractions like Topgolf bring people to Baton Rouge, and in turn they spend their money around the area at restaurants, hotels, and retail.
Read full article by WAFB.
Stuck on how to share information on Destinations International's Event Impact Calculator with the media in your community? Take a look at how Louisville Tourism is doing it:
Calculating Individual Economic Impact of Louisville’s Conventions and Events
In 2017, the LCVB transitioned to a new EIC (Economic Impact Calculator) which takes into account more variables than previous models.
The Destinations International Event Impact Calculator (EIC) is the official industry standard for measuring the Estimated Economic Impact (EEI) of an event. Once event specific data is entered into the system (dates, attendance, room nights, number of exhibits, etc.), the calculator uses eight different sources of industry data (including city-specific data such as average room rate) to compile a complete event impact analysis.
This model uses data provided by the organizing body such as anticipated room nights, attendance, ticket sales, length and type...
The Winter 2018-2019 edition of the NASC Playbook is available now. Download your copy.
Inside this issue
Awards Commitee Accepting Entries
Registration and Housing Open for 2019 Symposium
Bylaws, Branding & Strategic Planning
Tips from the Member Mentoring Committee
We encourage members to share information with your peers. Contact Meagan Grau, Director of Member Services and Engagement, at meagan@sportscommissions.org to learn more about how you can contribute to a future edition of The NASC Playbook.
Happy Holidays!
The NASC Staff