Tips For Selecting A Venue

Debra Horn, senior sports manager for AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Baseball and Softball, outlined key factors for event planners to consider when selecting a venue or host city for their next baseball or softball competition:

• Location – Planners are looking for a pleasant climate particularly when playing outdoors. It makes the logistics of the event easier to plan, helps draw teams – especially when family travel is anticipated, and helps put the attendees in a good mood. Locations within a reasonable travel distance from the largest populated areas of the U.S. are especially desirable in a tough economy.
 
• Playing facilities – Playing facilities can make or break an event. With so much competition in today’s youth sports market, premium venues tend to drive participation. Operators are looking beyond the actual playing surface to how the customer will view the overall experience including concessions, restrooms, media, ADA compliance, parking, etc. The playing facilities much be first-class. If the event is an outdoor sport, such factors as drainage, playing surface, lighting, and tarps will be considered. For all sporting events, scoreboards, web access, media areas, traffic (both foot and motor) flow, security, public address systems, any video systems, office space for event personnel, and so many others will play a role in selection.

• Hotels – The most successful hosts will be those with hotels that offer a range of amenities and price. Some families are very budget-conscious and a clean room/bed is all they are looking for. Others are making the trip their family vacation and are willing to spend more for quality and perks. Hotels need to welcome the event and its participants with welcome signs, specially-priced food and drink offerings, perhaps wearing event t-shirts rather than their customary uniforms, maps to the playing venues, restaurants and points of interest, and even lobby decorations. Operators want to know that their event means something to the hotel properties and that their people will be well taken care of.

• Dining – Again, a range of quality and value is important. Dining establishments that offer event-themed ìspecialsî at a reasonable price will be the most successful. Let the area hotels know what is being offered. Encourage hotels to accept flyers from the restaurants. Consider offering group meals with a fixed menu at a discounted price. Make sure the event operators/hotels/participants are aware of which restaurants deliver.
 
• Recreational availability – Sometimes the players and their families just need a break. Let the event operators know what other recreational facilities are available for adults as well as players: water parks, golf courses, movie theaters, arcades, museums, beaches, lakes, swimming, fishing, tours, amusement parks, historic areas, bowling, and anything else your city may have to offer in the way of recreation. Work with vendors to create discount coupons specifically for the event.

• Overall cost to teams to play in the city – Right now teams are researching bottom-line costs to travel to an event. If yours is a beautiful venue with professional playing facilities and your city offers more to do recreationally than a team could ever have time for, but the hotel rates and cost of dining out are very high, teams will simply not be able to afford the trip even though it will be an outstanding event. Operators will generally know what their teams are willing to budget.

• Available staffing for the event – Availability of volunteers or interns in your area to supplement the event operator’s tournament staff can be key. Operators cannot usually afford to fully staff an out-of-town event with assistance from the area where the event is to be held. For large events, involve your city’s service clubs, churches, schools, interns, business communities, sports clubs, and any other source that can help provide volunteer labor.

• Ease of working with the event operator – Cities that show their willingness to think creatively to help a prospective event operator will gain favor quickly with a potential client. Nothing is a faster deal-breaker for an operator looking for a city in which to hold his event than working with a group that constantly says ìThat’s not the way we do itî, ìThat can’t be doneî, or ìThis is what we requireî. Show you want the event and you are willing to become a partner, a true host – not just a city that wants the dollars an event can bring in.

• Availability of umpires, local teams, etc. – Sometimes after the event registration deadlines, there are some open slots that need to be filled to round out pools. Check in advance with local teams to see if they have interest in the event if additional participation is needed. Some operators will even include your local teams at a discount or without charge when they need to fill pools. Also make sure you can provide quality officials in the sport that is being held. Work in advance with a local officials’ organization. Every sport that your high school offers will have an organization that provides umpires. If you have the names of the organizations in advance that you can provide the event operator up front, it will assist the operator in determining whether his budget can be met in your city.

When seeking a site for a sporting event, all operators are looking for an enthusiastic partner to share in the work and in the success of the tournament. Everything that contributes to an athlete’s overall experience is evaluated. The successful host entity will be the one that addresses all needs, not just those directly related to the sporting focus.