For cities that host sports tournaments and events, teaming with their local tourism industry is a key to success. Promoting non-sports attractions to athletes and sports fans can be a boon for the local economy while showcasing the city’s appeal as a site for future games and tournaments.
“Don’t be afraid to be the person with the megaphone telling all the great things (that are available) in the destination. People are listening,” says Nathan Hermiston, senior vice president of sales and services for Visit Kansas City, the official tourism organization in Kansas City, Mo.
“Don’t assume guests know what is going on (aside from sporting events),” Hermiston adds. “You never know what attraction is going to resonate.”
Leveraging the internet and social media to target future visitors is the most effective megaphone available to communities of all sizes.
Snohomish, Wash.
The Snohomish County Sports Commission represents suburban cities and towns in Snohomish County, Wash., north of Seattle, and tailors online marketing to athletes, families, and sports fans from in and out of state. Those who live in the greater Seattle area may be looking for amenities such as restaurants, while out-of-state guests might be inspired to extend their stay by a day or two to enjoy all the county offers.
While the county doesn’t have a convention center or bigger arenas such as those in Seattle, Snohomish County hosts an array of regional
and national youth and adult amateur sports tournaments. These include baseball, fast-pitch softball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, archery, indoor and outdoor equestrian events, curling, a Spartan Race endurance race, and Skate America figure skating competitions.
Snohomish County Sports Commission isn’t tied to a convention and visitors bureau. Its mission is to establish the county of about 828,000 people as a premier sporting destination. The commission collaborates with local tourism organizations to promote itself to athletes and visitors.
“For us to do our jobs, we need to work with [chambers of commerce and downtown associations],” says Tammy Dunn, executive director of the Snohomish County Sports Commission. “We can be that other avenue to push information out to a niche [sports] market…that collective effort is so valuable for us because then we’re making an impact on tourism as a whole.”
A dedicated page at the commission’s website, snocosports.org/experiences, offers a quick guide to unique destinations in Snohomish County and the region. Tournament directors and event organizers can post the link on their web pages, Dunn says, to let visitors know what the area offers. The web page enables them to quickly find hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and family-friendly attractions.
By partnering with tournament directors and event organizers, the commission develops messaging designed to appeal specifically to athletes, families, and fans.
“If you’re able to work with that event director, send an email out in advance to all the teams telling [them] what there is to do. That can come from us. We can create that in advance,” Dunn explains.
Emails and social media posts tout convenience amenities such as Snohomish County’s recently rebranded Seattle Paine International Airport. The airport allows visitors to fly directly into the destination and bypass the traffic and the commute from the busier Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
SCSC also promotes aviation-related attractions—the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center, and
the Boeing Tour—that visitors won’t find elsewhere.
“People like to know where wineries and breweries are, so we’ll put up a post about the restaurants,” she says. “People love to get outdoors and on the trails, so we target social media so we’re redirecting them to what they like. There’re tons of hiking in the Cascade Mountains. Maybe there’s a festival going on so they can go to that afterward…if it’s girls soccer teams, we know they love shopping, so we promote [outlet stores and nearby malls].”
“It’s those types of things we’re working with event directors to market. What is there to entice people to say, ‘We need to take a week’s vacation here, not just a couple of days for the tournament,’” Dunn adds.
Cross-promoting sporting events and tournaments to Snohomish County’s chambers of commerce and downtown associations help destinations and businesses welcome guests.
“We’ll let them know an event is happening to encourage restaurants to be prepared and to offer special items [for guests attending tournaments and sporting events],” Dunn says. “We’re trying to do this even more in 2024…to work with restaurants so they offer an item or some type of discount.”
Kansas City, Mo.
Targeted online marketing is a major component of Visit Kansas City’s promotions to sports fans. Hermiston said Kansas City is a popular destination for many sports fans who live within driving distance.
“‘We’re a heavy drive-in market, so we have a presence in markets, including Springfield, Ill., St. Louis, Des Moines, Omaha, Wichita, and Little Rock. We know those are our primary markets. We know they’re coming in for [sporting events] and we make sure we have sustained investment in those markets,” Hermiston says.
The goal is to get and keep people excited about coming to Kansas City, not only for the sports but perhaps to revisit a favorite attraction or discover something new. With a population of just over 508,000, the city is known for its thriving creative arts with galleries, performances, and internationally known museums, as well as its craft brewing culture and barbecue.
“Kansas City is blessed with a wonderful professional sports scene and large events. We have tremendous partnerships with the NCAA, and we had the honor of hosting the NFL Draft this past April,” Hermiston says.
The city also has its own professional women’s soccer team, Kansas City Current, and hosts major league soccer playoffs.
For bigger events such as Chiefs or Royals games, Visit Kansas City’s goal is to entice guests to stay longer or visit an extra attraction while they’re in town. The organization’s marketing strategy includes weekly emails and longer-term social media campaigns.
“We leverage assets to get those folks thinking of coming into town…how can we get them to come a day early? Can we get them to maximize their time? That’s really our job…to get them out to see those unique aspects,” Hermiston says. “Can we get them to visit a farmer’s market on Saturday morning before a game? Can we get them to see one of the great breweries on Saturday night?”
“Kansas City is a robust market, and our job is to make that the story that gets told,” he adds. “We’re an up-and-coming metro market, and we have great things going on every time of year. We’re a four-season destination…here’s always something going on in Kansas City.”
Visit Kansas City’s vigorous marketing incorporates a strong social media presence targeted to people with an interest in sports. This includes 30-, 60-, and 90-day campaigns aimed at out-of-town fans, especially those who are coming for professional games.
“Probably the thing I get most excited about is every Thursday morning, we send out a ‘this weekend in Kansas City’ email that gets pushed out through social channels,” Hermiston says.
Hermiston believes it’s vital to engage the athletes themselves, as well and use social media to share events such as teams planning special activities for their fans.
Attractions and business communities, such as Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine neighborhood, can help strengthen ties between the local sports and tourism industries. The 18th and Vine district, for example, contains the American Jazz Museum and several restaurants and shops.
“They do a tremendous job of engaging out-of-town guests from a social media standpoint,” Hermiston says. “If it’s a Chiefs weekend, they’ll talk about all the people coming in from Denver or Los Angeles or wherever they may be. I think it’s a really cool thing to do…you get a true Kansas City experience that generates a lot of organic traffic. 18th and Vine is such a cool area with social media and storytelling, and it impacts everybody.”
St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
Destinations such as St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla., need no introduction because visitors already flock there for the beaches and beautiful weather.
“For us, it’s pretty easy. It starts and ends at the beaches,” says Caleb Peterson, senior business development manager for Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “We’ve been awarded the number one beach in America—a couple of different outlets have named Clearwater or St. Pete’s Beach. There are several beaches [locally] that have received accolades for some being some of the best beaches in the country and the world.”
“First and foremost, we are a true destination in terms of somewhere you would want to go. Sports is an extra layer of something you can do, or it may be a deciding factor [to visit Florida],” he explains.
St. Petersburg/Clearwater has a thriving sports scene that has benefitted from significant publicity along with the tropical atmosphere.
Since the early 1990s, the region has hosted the Valspar Championship PGA Tournament at Innisbrook Golf and Spa Resort. The resort attracted 125,000 visitors last year, according to Peterson.
“We get a lot of marketing exposure and visibility through the production of that event,” Peterson says.
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts the racing season every year, and the nationally televised event attracted more than 139,000 people. For the past couple of years, the region also hosted an ESPN softball tournament in February.
“March is far and away the busiest time of year with golf and the Grand Prix. There’s also major league spring training [for the Phillies and the Blue Jays]. We have travelers…who just want to take in baseball,” he says.
These nationally broadcasted sports are an added boon for tourism that help St. Pete/Clearwater promote itself to future travelers, Peterson notes. Located in Pinellas County, the region has a population of nearly a million people and a richly diverse choice of attractions.
When visitors come to St. Pete/Clearwater, Peterson says, introducing them to sporting events and tourism that takes them beyond the beaches is like “the cherry on top” of their trip.
“We’ve got just over 40 breweries and we have a beer trail…we’ve got a dynamic arts scene. There’s a lot for people to do,” Peterson says. “Every area of our county is different. St. Pete is a very eclectic, arts-driven scene. It’s a younger demographic.”
Meanwhile in Dunedin, the city taps into its Scottish heritage by hosting Highland Games, and Tarpon Springs celebrates its Greek heritage with a festival and traditional activities.
“We have concerts and festivals that go on through the year,” Peterson says. “There’s several layers of our destination. It’s a matter of what you’re looking for…we have aquariums, zoos, amusement parks—I could go on and on.”
“There’s a lot of things to do. We don’t try to steer anyone one way. We want to have information available for you to customize your visit,” he adds.
Howard County, Md.
Howard County, Md., also benefits from its location, but for much different reasons.
“We’re smack dab in between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore,” says Eric Teisch, sales and membership director at Visit Howard County.
Howard County is 251 square miles, has a population of about 312,000 people, and is home to four airports. In minutes, visitors can travel from an airport to sports fields and hotels.
Howard County is within driving distance of neighboring states such as Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia. It’s a location that’s easily accessible and affordable, Teisch says.
Those perks—along with high-quality sports fields—drive events and tournaments, families, and fans to the region.
Lacrosse is one of the biggest sports in the state of Maryland, Teisch said, and the number of tournaments in the state has tripled in five years. Two of the tournaments showcase high school athletes and bring in athletes and college recruiters from across the nation.
Soccer and softball tournaments also are popular sports, and Teisch says softball fields are in use every weekend from April to October. Howard County hosted major league quadball in 2021 and 2022 and has a bid to host it again in 2024.
“I’ve had many of our partners say after a tournament there’s parents who rave about the fields. Almost all of them are being converted to turf. It’s easy for everyone because you don’t have to worry about what surface [is being played on],” he says.
Teisch says this accessibility is also a bonus for visitors and families. Traditional tourist attractions come into play when guests look for other activities between games. Non-sports options become places guests want to visit again or add to their must-see list when they return to attend another sporting event.
Howard County is rich in history and arts. The area has plenty of galleries and theaters and near the Underground Railroad. Historic locations such as Gettysburg in nearby states are convenient day trips.
Howard County is also a thriving foodie destination with five more restaurants scheduled to open in downtown Columbia, Md., in the next year.
“Maryland is known for their crab cakes, and we do have many seafood restaurants. It’s the diversity of it we’re trying to promote,” Teisch says.
The area has designated five- or six-mile stretch that’s known as Korea Town, featuring about 50-plus Korean-owned businesses.
It’s filled with restaurants up and down to give you an eclectic palate of options,” Teisch says.
Attracting visitors to Howard County ultimately relies on teamwork between the community, Visit Howard County, local government, and sporting events organizers.
Local support is vital, and Columbia is a city where “everyone is into sports,” Teisch says.
“It really comes down to partnerships we built between residents, the state, and parks and recreation. We’re all in this together and whatever we can do to help grow the popularity of Howard County. We continue to want to hear feedback of ‘It’s convenient, easy, accessible, and we want to come back here as often as we can’,” he explains
