Destination outreach
The sports event and tourism industry requires healthy communication to remain successful. Indeed, hosts need the ability to reach out to potential clients.
When it comes to outreach, destinations utilize a variety of different platforms and methods. These include industry conferences, social media, site/familiarization tours, paid print and electronic advertising, and direct emails.
Of these methods, industry conferences took top spot, with 67 percent of respondents saying it was the most successful for their outreach efforts in 2022. This was followed by site/familiarization tours at 33 percent.
The surveyed destination hosts also indicated they adopted more hi-tech methods of communication and familiarization.
Half of those surveyed said they began offering virtual tours to assist planners in their planning process. To be able to provide further data to planners, 67 percent said they adopted software
in order to measure the ROI of events.
Still, the survey data suggests there is room to grow regarding communication and outreach. As one destination lamented, their “biggest challenge” in connecting with planners or rights holders was, “Keeping communication moving along when there are delays from one side or the other.
Sometimes the facilities take a long time to respond, sometimes the planners do, and this can start to really hold up the booking process.”
Let’s meet in person
One notable reversal from the 2022 report was the prevalence of hybrid online/in-person events. Last year, 100 percent of planners said they were interested in hosting a hybrid event in 2022 or 2023. None of this year’s responding planners said they held a hybrid event in 2022 or plan on organizing such a format this year. This suggests event planners are moving forward with the assumption that in-person events are once again the industry standard.
While anxieties regarding the pandemic seem to be waning, this does not mean safety is no longer a concern. In fact, responses suggest quite the opposite. Every event planner and right holder surveyed said “yes” to the question,
“Is athlete safety an important factor when choosing a location?”
Pam Minix, CEO of Lasso Safe, an independent organization, says focus on athlete safety will be a trend to watch in 2023. Minix says she and her colleagues are seeing more and more interest from stakeholders in joining her organization’s coalition for designing “a holistic and universally agreed upon [safety] standard for all youth sports organizations.”
This extends beyond just physical health and safety, she adds. A growing area of concern for her organization and its industry partners is ensuring mental health safety for athletes, as well.
“Right now, there is no standard for safe sporting practices,” says Minix. “Some sports organizations recognized their unique influence in post-pandemic mental health for youth participants. While the higher-pressure approach is worsening the statistics, those acting on behalf of their participants are improving depression and anxiety within youth athletes.”
Non-traditional sports
On an interesting note, nearly every destination listed several “emerging or non-traditional sports” they aim to attract and/or grow. These include Australian football, axe-throwing, broomball, pickleball, and quadball (i.e. quidditch), among others.
Several respondents also picked esports, another emerging trend, with one destination reporting plans to build new facilities in order to host such events.
While these represent more unique departures from more conventional sports, however, the survey data suggests traditional sports—soccer and baseball, in particular—provide most of the sports tourism for host destinations.
Moving forward
Data from this year’s sports events and tourism survey paints a picture of a strong industry. Sustainability remains a theme bot now and in the future. (Sixty percent of responding event planners/rights holders said sustainability was an “important factor” in choosing a host location.)
And co-operation between planners and CVBs remains an important ingredient in the industry’s recipe for success.
That said, there is cause for concern. The economy remains front and center, impacting decisions on travel and general costs associated with holding sporting events, in addition to labor/staffing issues
