Even a pandemic can’t keep fans from cheering on their team. After two years of reduced or no attendance, spectators made a comeback in 2022, as crowds not only hit pre-COVID numbers but exceeded turnouts in many markets.
Organizers are looking for a robust 2023 as well, and they’re putting in the sweat to make it happen. Sports organizers across the country are using key components to fill seats, including:
- Hosting large competitions
- Building fan-based activities around a main event
- Providing assistance with marketing and press
- Building a volunteer base.
Several markets put these best practices to the test and pulled crowds back in. Here’s an in-depth look at just a few:
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kan., saw a strong numberof athletes competing and spectators at sporting events in 2022.
Citing fan favorites like The Basketball Tournament (TBT) to all-new events like the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference’s Air Capital Hoopfest, Josh Howell, vice president of sports development at Visit Wichita, the city’s official destination organization, says it’s been a “great for sports in Wichita.”
Visit Wichita hosts or services more than 100 sporting events per year on average. Howell says they are back to pre-pandemic numbers in terms of both participation and attendance, and he expects to eclipse those numbers in 2023.
Events like the U.S. Youth Soccer’s National President’s Cup, the return of the National Wheelchair Association’s national championships, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ wrestling and soccer national championships were all “big wins” for Wichita, Howell says.
“We anticipate the passion for sports and energy around sporting events to continue throughout 2023,” he adds.
Wichita offers everything from pro sports and college events to youth competitions and amateur matches.
“Visit Wichita knows how important it is for rights holders to have fans in the stands for their events. It makes for a much better atmosphere for the athletes and spectators alike,” Howell said.
Visit Wichita works to drive attendance by forming new relationships to market events. In 2022, the destination organization introduced a new partnership with local digital billboard companies and radio stations to place ads on their channels, at no cost to the rights holder.
“We plan to continue that effort, along with a variety of other marketing strategies to boost attendance,” Howell says.
Visit Wichita has its share of top-notch facilities, including the 15,000-seat INTRUST Bank Arena, home to the Wichita Thunder Hockey team, and various college sports. Other venues include Hartman Arena, Wichita Ice Center, Riverfront Stadium, the Stryker Sports Complex, and a dozen other facilities.
Howell attributes that diversity of world-class facilities and a passion for sports to making Wichita “the heart of sports.”
“It’s an ideal place to host sporting events,” Howell says. “Sports thrive in Wichita.”
Salt Lake, Utah
Sports Salt Lake launched a new program in 2022 to enhance the level of athlete experience for tournaments occurring in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“We believe if the athletes have a great experience, this will translate into a higher level of satisfaction from the event organizers, and all attendees,” says Sports Salt Lake executive director, Clay Partain.
“One component of our Athlete Experience Program is helping ensure we do all we can to assist with getting additional spectators,” Partain says. “In many cases, we are in a position to help with ticket sales through a strategic promotional campaign.”
This could be through press releases, media outreach, paid social media campaigns, or other activities.
The Athlete Experience Program also looks at opportunities for onsite activities, and unique ways to engage with the athletes while in the destination.
When the Utah Jazz hosted the National Basketball Association :((NBA) All-Star 2023 Game, multiple activities took place in venues around the city. In addition to the 72nd NBA All-Star Game itself, there was an All-Star Celebrity Game, HBCU Classic, G League Next Gem Game, Rising Stars, All-Star Saturday Night, NBA Crossover, and the NBA Care All-Star Day of Service.
The game was broadcast on TNT, and worldwide in 215 countries/territories and in 47 languages, says Frank Zang of the Jazz communications office.
While numbers were not yet available for the 2023 All-Star Game, an assessment based on the 2022 game in Cleveland, Ohio, projected this year’s game to have at least a $250 million impact, Jazz reps told Utah Business magazine.
The Cleveland game had $141.4 million in direct spending; $248.9 million in total economic impact; nearly 121,600 attendees from 45 states and 24 countries; and 11.9 billion in total media reach.
Salt Lake City doesn’t just rely on pro sports. It hosts numerous youth and amateur events, with more coming every year. So much so that, in January 2021, Visit Salt Lake went all in and launched its Sports Salt Lake division. They’ve set their sights on making 2023 a monumental growth year.
“Salt Lake has become a hotbed in the western U.S. for sports tourism,” Partain says. “Over the past 10 years, Visit Salt Lake has exponentially grown the sports market, with current trends now resulting in more than 30 percent of the total group volume business.”
Zang said the state-of-the-art Vivint Arena where the NBA’s Utah Jazz plays, is a big draw. The Jazz experienced a streak of more than 200 consecutive home sellouts at the arena, which has a capacity of 18,206, for regular season and playoff games,
“And we have a solid base of more than 10,000 season ticket holders,” Zang said. “The downtown arena has been an anchor in the community for sports and entertainment events.”
With the dramatic increase in sporting events, Sports Salt Lake also started a sports-focused volunteer program.
“It’s a great way for fans to be part of the action while serving their community,” Partain said. “Salt Lake is home to many amazing sports events, and volunteers are an important part of making those events happen.”
Partain said Salt Lake’s history of happy and willing volunteers is one of the reasons sports event organizers are excited to bring their events to the city.
“Sports Salt Lake is building an impressive team of volunteers that have a passion for sports, an attribute of service, and a group that is the envy of the sports community,” Partain says.
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Valley Forge Sports in Pennsylvania had record-breaking years in both 2021 and 2022, surpassing even 2019 in the total number of events, room nights generated, and the number of new events.
“Each sport is different, but of the sports that carried on consistently through the pandemic, we’ve seen attendance numbers staying strong and some events growing,” says Rachel Dailey, Valley Forge Sports & Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) associate director of sports.
Most of its events come with spectators built in, as they are youth events with families traveling to competitions.
“But we do assist with marketing events that are open to general spectatorship,” Dailey says. “Our organization has a full communications team with great media relationships, and we have great co-op opportunities for billboards, digital ads, and more.”
The Revolutionary 5-mile Run in April, which benefits the Valley Forge National Historical Park, is the only annual sporting event entirely planned and put on by VFTCB.
VFTCB first introduced the virtual component of the race in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Over the last two years, runners and walkers from 24 different U.S. states and three countries participated virtually. Dailey explained this format brought “record-breaking registration” to the event. Thanks to this, she says virtual participation will remain an option moving forward.
Even though VFTCB only runs one event directly, the municipality hosts many other sports events throughout the year.
“The remainder of our events are brought into the area by rights holders and other organizations,” Dailey explains.
They are especially proud to be hosting four Team USA-sanctioned events this year, a record for the area.
Valley Forge offers more than 20 tournament-ready facilities capable of hosting events of any size, including the 250,000-square-foot Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, The Proving Grounds multi-sports complex, Competitive Edge Sports indoor courts, the Hatfield Ice Arena, and more.
