Being flexible and open minded are critical to marketing the destination for sports. CVBs and sports commissions need to look at everything about a potential sporting event to determine if it will be profitable. Just saying. Profitability is determined if it’s a good fit for the host community and the event owner. How do you make sure it’s going work? What does success look like?

1. 1. Be willing to negotiate bid fees
2. 2. Show a willingness to make the event re-occurring
3. 3. Be flexible in setting dates, day of the week and time; keeping in mind that event/competition time should have the participants best interest at heart as well as the best interest of the tourism business in the community

SOURCE: Sports Events Magazine

If you ever needed an argument to promote birding, biking, canoeing and the like, consider that outdoor recreation i one of the biggest sectors in the U.S. economy.

Consider these benchmarks:

• 6.1 million American jobs
• $646 billion in outdoor recreation spending each year
• $39.9 billion in federal tax revenue
• $39.7 billion in state/local tax revenue

Consumer spending on outdoor recreation exceeds spending on pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles and parts, household utilities and gasoline/fuel, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. So as a Convention & Visitors Bureau or Destination Marketing Organization, make certain you haven’t overlooked the great things your Parks & Recreation is doing. It’s an opportunity for a unique partnership to drive visitation.

SOURCE: Southeastern Tourism Society

Almost every destination goes after some sort of sporting event. Amateur, organized… whatever fits best within the host city. When we look at connecting the dots, it’s important that the tournament organizers work closely with the CVB and local sports commission. Here’s a tip that host cities should look for from the tournament organizers

Tip#4 Promote the Host City

While CVBs and sports commisions can reach out to their own networks, even organizers should also help generate interest and attendance by promoting the host community to participants, families, and fans.

1. 1. Provide collateral material about the event and the host city when promoting the event.
2. 2. Help create organized activities for participants to enjoy during free time.
3. 3. Create an event website that includes host hotel information and promotion of local hotels, restaurants, and attractions to event attendees.

SOURCE: Sports Events Magazine 

As a meeting organizer, there’s benefit to working with a convention & visitors bureau (CVB). Association Meetings Magazine suggests, “Relationship building with CVBs. Using a convention and visitors bureau to book room blocks brings added benefits. CVBs can educate hoteliers about the group, offer, coupons for area businesses, provide travel guides, help with marketing, and even welcome people at the airport. CVBs also can provide concessions for citywides, such as free shuttle buses, particularly when the meeting is considered high value and has a proven history of room pickup.”