Networking

The NASC Awards and Hall of Fame Committee are delighted to announce that they are now accepting submissions for annual awards and the first class of NASC Hall of Fame inductees.  Nominate an Industry Leader to be Inducted into the NASC Hall of Fame First Class of NASC Hall of Fame Inductees to be Recognized at 25th annual NASC Symposium The NASC Hall of Fame Committee was established to honor those who play a vital role in the success and promotion of the NASC. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to promote the professional management of sporting events and the sport tourism industry as a whole by honoring those individuals who exemplify the values of the NASC in their careers and by acknowledging their legacies to provide guidance for future members of the NASC. To be considered, nominations must be received no later than December 1, 2016. Submit a nomination. Direct any questions about the NASC Hall of Fame to Denny Gann, Hall of Fame Committee Chair.  NASC Awards Commit...

As registration just opened for the 25th annual NASC Sports Event Symposium, it is never too early to start planning for appointments.  Whether you are a rights holder, DMO, sports commission, or vendor, appointments require some level of planning from both an appointment setting and discussion point of view. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting down for an appointment with someone who is unprepared for the meeting. Whether you are a rights holder or a destination, the first thing you need to know going into a trade show with appointment style meetings is “know what you are selling.”  If you are a rights holder this means knowing the type of event, a time frame, and your minimum list of requirements.  If you don’t know what your requirements are, then how are destinations supposed to know if they can accommodate your event?  From the destination side, the DMO/Sports Commission must know its own inventory.  There is no point in meeti...

Have you experienced challenges with how to track room night information better, or do you wonder if others pay bid fees and, if they do, where do they receive the money?  Well, you are not alone with challenges or issues we may face in the sport tourism industry.  The upcoming NASC Market Segment Meetings in Indianapolis, October 25-26, 2016, is a great meeting to attend for the opportunity to discuss your challenges/issues and to share best practices in the sport tourism industry. NASC Market Segment Meetings are very beneficial.  Here are three top benefits for attending these meetings in Indianapolis. 1.         Learning Opportunity.  Market Segment Meetings are an excellent opportunity for you to sit down with your colleagues and share challenges or questions you may have.  Learn best practices, trends, strategies, ideas or solutions in small group discussions.  You will be discussing with organizations similar ...

We continue our featured benefit for the month of August with a blog post on NASC Best Practices Webinars. As the sport tourism industry's only association, the NASC emphasizes educational and professional development opportunities year-round that help make our members more effective in the business of bidding on, booking, and managing sporting events. The NASC uses a variety of platforms, including webinars, to share information with serious-minded sport tourism executives.  Best Practices Webinars focus on a trend or topic that is relevant and timely. Led by industry experts, the webinars are an educational tool that present solutions for sport tourism professionals with a common theme of industry best practices for a specific issue. After 15-20 minute presentations, participants engage in Q&A sessions to get answers to tough questions and are able to take away ideas that they can execute immediately.  Registration is free for all NASC members and $25 for non-members. W...

Check out our line-up of best practices and event webinars below and reserve your spot today!   The Sport of Politics Best Practices Webinar Thursday, August 25, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Kathy Nelson and Marc Schreiber Register Now! Join Kathy Nelson, President/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission, and Marc Schreiber, Vice President of Marketing & Development, St. Louis Sports Commission, as they discuss how you can be an advocate for your local and state legislation. They will share their story of navigating the political waters, and tips for what works and what does not. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on the 25th, remember, you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required).   USA Boxing Event Webinar Sponsored by MGM Resorts International Thursday, September 8, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Brandon Dyett Register Now! Join Bran...

Olympic fever, albeit short term and every four years, can be a big driver in sports facilities. As we’ve seen Team USA excel in the pool and in gymnastics, expect little boys and girls everywhere (and their parents) to have visions of gold medals dancing in their heads. These expected booms in these sports (and more) can mean an increase in building these facilities—to meet the demands of more people who want to use state-of-the-art equipment and venues. An article in the South Bend Tribune reflects that demand—in the case of two northern Indiana cities, Elkhart and Plymouth, their schools’ facilities are aging (and a YMCA has closed) but those pools could be replaced by larger sports complexes to be used not just for students but for regional meets. If plans go through, northern Indiana would become home to two sports centers that could draw a variety of athletes, from soccer players to swimmers to fitness buffs. Both cities are planning to include a ...

Recently I was browsing through the NASC website, www.sportscommissions.org, and was reminded what a tremendous resource it is for our membership.   It’s very easy to navigate, even for a web-challenged Baby Boomer like me!  Being a destination sales person, I am drawn to the “Directories” tab.  Having contact information for a person within an organization is a valuable resource in this day and age and is a useful feature no matter what your membership category.  I particularly like the “advanced search filter” the directories offer.  I use it when traveling to various destinations around the country.  I search to identify organizations located in the city I am visiting and use this information to add face-to-face meetings to my schedule while I’m there. I have been a frequent visitor to the Models & Samples page under the “Research” tab and have used the examples there on many occasions.  I am a be...

Check out our line-up of best practices and event webinars below and reserve your spot today!  USA Cycling Thursday, July 21, 2016 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET Presented by Micah Rice Sponsored by MGM Resorts International Register Now! Join Micah Rice from USA Cycling as he discusses what he looks for in a host city and what it takes to host their events. Micah will share details on their upcoming 2018-2019 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships, 2018-2019 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships and the 2019-2020 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions. If you are unable to join us on the 21st, remember, you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required).   Create Success with Housing Tuesday, July 26, 2016 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET Presented by Patrick MacCoubrey Register Now! In this webinar learn how event housing can help you improve ...

For a number of years back in the very late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Florida State Games used to host a Business of Sports Symposium.  As a new kid running a CVB in Lincoln, Nebraska, it was a great way to learn more about this new sales specialty.  There weren’t many CVBs involved then.  It was mostly sports commissions with some of them tussling with CVBs to get part of the lodging tax dollars. So, this young guy from North Carolina, Hill Carrow, tried to organize a “National Association of Sports Commissions”.  It didn’t resonate on the first try.  He persisted, and a few of us started to listen.  Along the way, we created the bones of the organization deciding such a group should be dedicated to sharing information with each other and rights holders, along with quality, professional education.  The NASC was officially born in a meeting room in St. Louis with about fourteen people in attendance. Why tell you ...

More than 900 members and events rights holders attended the 2016 NASC Sports Event Symposium in Grand Rapids to elect new NASC leadership, honor members with national awards and participate in dozens of continuing education programs led by industry leadership. “As the only only not-for-profit trade association for the sport tourism industry offering an annual meeting for serious-minded sport tourism professionals, we enjoyed a week of educational programs to share best practices in the industry as well as honoring those doing great work in our member communities,” said Don Schumacher, CSEE, executive director of the NASC. “In future years, our members will have the opportunity to visit three fantastic American cities in Sacramento, Minneapolis and San Diego as we host our annual Symposium in each city.” The Symposium Committee is currently developing the schedule, recommended pricing structure and other important elements of the planning process. The Board of...