Powerful Partners

Sports Commissions, CVBs Critical Pieces To Sports Events Success

By Marcia Bradford

“Cedar Rapids really opened its doors to the wrestling community and pulled the city together to support our tournament,” Simmons said, commenting on the role that Mary Lee Malmberg, CSEE, director of sports tourism at the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), and her staff played in the success of the wrestling tournaments held there earlier this year.

The helpful approach the CVB took toward the events paid off not only for event organizers but also for Cedar Rapids. On two consecutive weekends in March, the city hosted the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and Division III National Wrestling Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center, attracting national attention and bringing an estimated $600,000 in direct spending to the area.

According to organizers, many factors made Cedar Rapids an attractive host site, but the key to the tournaments’ success was the partnership role of the CVB. “Mary Lee and her staff served as our liaisons with all the local entities before, during and after the event; [they] saved us a great deal of time,” said Mike Powicki, assistant athletic director at Upper Iowa University, the collegiate host of the Division II contest. “They have great relationships with the facility, hotels, restaurants and city officials we needed to work with, and had already negotiated rates on our behalf. They helped us promote the event, connect with the media and leverage their contacts to bolster ticket sales. Having their presence throughout the event was critical to making things run smoothly.”

Finding The Right Fit

Of course, event organizers want to be sure their event will be well executed, and it helps to know whether a destination has successfully hosted similar events in the past, event organizers and destination marketing organization professionals agree.

For Cedar Rapids, for example, wrestling tournaments are “a natural fit,” Malmberg said. “The state of Iowa is recognized for its interest in the sport of wrestling, and Cedar Rapids’ location contributed to increased spectator attendance by area residents,” she said. “The U.S. Cellular Center’s staff is well-versed in supporting the needs of this type of competition, which generates visitor spending and stimulates the local economy.”

John McCasey, president of the Sacramento Sports Commission, said his organization could help sports event organizers establish goals and objectives, or, in some cases, even help run events that need an organizer. McCasey said the Sacramento Sports Commission has been “integrally involved” with hosting such amateur sports events as the 2007 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship and the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2009, the city will host the Men’s Intercollegiate Rowing Championship, marking the first time since the 1950s that the event has been held at a site not located on the East Coast.

“College championship events tend to work very well for us because they make sense for the type of facilities we have and typically generate a good return on investment,” McCasey said.

In the Atlanta area, there is also a strong focus on hosting sporting events that are the right fit for the city, according to Gary Stokan, president of the Atlanta Sports Council. “Ever since Atlanta hosted the Olympics in 1996, we have looked at ways to make the best use of our sports facilities and build off the international recognition we acquired.”

Stokan pointed to the Georgia Dome as a good example of a large sports facility that is used for both amateur and professional contests. Home field for the National Football League’s (NFL) Atlanta Falcons and the annual college Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Georgia Dome also will host the Georgia High School Football Championships in December and the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament in March.

Assessing Strengths

Event organizers need to understand what a host city’s strengths are. When promoting Cedar Rapids as a host city, Malmberg points out general appeal as well as technical capabilities. She emphasizes the city’s central location and that “the community is safe, friendly and easy to navigate.” In addition to the 8,000-seat Cellular Center, she promotes the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and Veterans Memorial Baseball Stadium as “facilities that provide a first-class experience for competitors in small- to mid-sized events.”

These factors were important in selecting a host site for a tournament that typically rotates from East Coast to Midwest to West Coast locations, Powicki said. “In NCAA tournaments, colleges serve as the host institutions and many schools bid for these events. We had to pick a good spot for the competition and for the participants to stay. The Cellular Center is a great facility for this event, and the fact that it is connected to a large hotel (the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel) makes it very attractive to the athletes and their families, saving time and money often required for local transportation.”

Malmberg added that the CVB provided an office for the event director, made athletic identification badges and secured rental cars. “These are typical services we provide for sports events, and they are always appreciated,” Malmberg said. “More importantly, we are able to provide continuity and confidence between the organization and the host facilities by remaining on the host committee throughout the process.”

One of the big draws for sports groups that travel to Atlanta is the city’s accessibility and support, Stokan said. “We have one of the nation’s largest airports and more than 90,000 hotel rooms, as well as world-class entertainment and shopping,” he said. “Additionally, the corporate support for sporting events is as good as or better than anywhere in the country.”