Earlier this month, several members of the SportsEvents team trekked to Kansas City, Mo., to participate in the Sports ETA Symposium.
The event had a wide reach, drawing event planners and destination teams from all four corners of the United States. The opening event, which took place in the city’s Power & Light District, really showed off the immensity of the event. This space, which regularly hosts large concerts, was nearly packed full of all the symposium-goers.
Suffice to say, yours truly was rather overwhelmed during the first night. The fact this was my first industry convention since becoming editor of SportsEvents also probably didn’t help. I wasn’t too sure what to expect.
This initial fear and trepidation soon faded as the rest of the symposium unfolded. The main structure of the four-day event involved team-on-team introduction meetings, and it was during these I experienced first-hand just how friendly and inviting the sports tourism community is.
I use the term “community” here on purpose. It did have the sense of a community: everyone knew each other, and if they didn’t know someone, they quickly made introductions to get to know the newcomers.
It epitomized something I’ve noted before in SportsEvents editorials: the “miracle” of teamwork. Many hands go towards creating a successful sports event. Event planners need to find the right venue, destination organizations need the right events to host, and so on. Indeed, these networking conventions can help bring both ingredients together in the first place. Everything has a function in the industry ecosystem.
At the same time, the fuel that makes everything run is personal relationships. Friendships, familiarity, and good rapport between individuals are the seed for the whole industry. It’s the secret ingredient behind planning an event and exclaiming, “I know just the person for this!”
On September 11 to 14, SportsEvents will once again hold its networking convention, S.P.O.R.T.S. The Relationship Conference. Again, we use the word “relationship” on purpose. The goal of S.P.O.R.T.S. is to bring those person-to-person industry connections to life with longer, more private meetings in a more intimate setting. This year, the conference will take place at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
It will be a grand old time, with plenty of networking events, fun activities, and lavish meals. This will also be my first time attending our event and I can hardly wait for the fall after hearing all the stories about previous years. If I didn’t already get a chance to meet you in the flesh at Sports ETA, I hope we can get the opportunity at S.P.O.R.T.S.
Due to the venue, there will be a cap on the number of participants, so register here quickly if you haven’t already! There are also a number of sponsorship opportunities still available, so reach if you want to partner with S.P.O.R.T.S. The Relationship Conference. Those interested can contact account manager, Brenda Burns, at bburns@sportseventsmediagroup.com or 866-572-5633 ext. 230
