National Association of Sports Commissions
From March 31-April 3, USYCA President Jamie Harrison will attend the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Sports Event Symposium in Oklahoma City. NASC is the only trade association for the sports tourism industry and serves sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), and sports event owners. USYCA has been an active member of NASC since 2013.
USYCA President, Jamie Harrison.
“This will be an outstanding learning experience for me, and the education I’ll receive in sports event management will be invaluable going forward,” said Harrison. “I’m also looking forward to networking with fellow sports executives and those with tourism boards from around the country.
“Cricket has never been included in the discussion at national forums like this, and I’m thrilled to be able to finally plant the flag.”
According to the organization’s website, “the NASC Sports Event Symposium, the original sports event industry conference, has been produced annually by the NASC since 1992. The Symposium features the Sports Marketplace, which is the longest-running reverse tradeshow for the sports tourism market, and equips sports event professionals with solutions that produce measurable ROI. Lead generation, education and certification are what make the NASC Symposium the #1 resource for industry professionals looking to increase their market share, expand their brand’s exposure, or produce top-notch events.”
Symposium education sessions are focused on “participatory learning” and include best practices, peer interaction, focused education content led by sports event industry veterans, and in-depth general sessions on relevant ‘hot’ topics.
On the agenda for the Symposium are:
Best Practices Roundtables Luncheon: Roll up your shirt sleeves and dig into best practices, industry trends, and idea generation among organizations with similar market sizes and budgets. Don’t miss the opportunity to get answers to your toughest challenges and find out what others are facing in the sports event industry.
Breakout Sessions:
– Partnerships: Event Owners and Host Cities
– The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon: From Its Start to the Finish Line. Plenty of tips and ideas for those planning any kind of sporting event.
– Exceed Your Participants’ Expectations: The session will focus on specific partnership opportunities to offer participants higher value experiences, and will include creative solutions to costs savings, partnering to achieve success at all levels and development of a best practices models to use for event managers and destinations service managers.
The Ins and Outs of Arena Operations: During this interactive session, participants will get to experience first-hand the ins and outs of arena operations. The module will begin with a panel discussion on the state of the arena industry, followed by a trip to Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports in Destination Marketing and Management: Discussion prepares for an integrated sports destination marketing plan that includes:
– Current issues and trends in sports tourism as well as challenges and directed priorities
– Research and economic impact analysis
– Partnerships and product development potential
– Sports marketing, sales and servicing strategies
Creating a Fair Stay-to-Play Policy
Fight the Good Fight: Resolving Disagreements
Sports Participation Trends in America
The Symposium also provides an opportunity for rights holders, such as USYCA, to meet with representatives of convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) to discuss future opportunities.
