SportsTravel magazine announced the winners of the 2009 SportsTravel Awards at the TEAMS 2009 Conference & Expo held October 13-17 in New Orleans. The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise and Sun Valley, Idaho, won the top prize as Sports Event of the Year. Paralympic champion Chris Waddell provided the moving keynote address as part of this year’s ceremony. In late September, Waddell became the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

The SportsTravel Award winners were nominated and voted upon by readers of the magazine. To be eligible, events had to occur between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009. Criteria for nomination and voting included:

1. Superior organization of and attendance at the event.
2. The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators.
3. The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event.

The ballot included nominees at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. Each event’s host city was also acknowledged during the awards ceremony.

The 2009 SportsTravel Award winners are:

Sports Event of the Year
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Boise and Sun Valley, ID

Best New Sports Event
2008 National Youth Baseball Championships, Memphis, TN

Best Professional Sports Event Series or Circuit
2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Detroit, MI and Pittsburgh, PA

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 ESPN Winter X Games, Aspen, CO

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
Super Bowl XLIII (Pittsburgh vs. Arizona), Tampa, FL

Best Collegiate Sports Event Series or Circuit
2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four, Detroit, MI

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 Collegiate National Finals Rodeo, Casper, WY

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game, Dallas, TX

Best Amateur Sports Event Series or Circuit
2008 Little League World Series, Williamsport, PA

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Boise and Sun Valley, ID

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2009 USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships, Eagle River, WI

Standing, Left to Right: Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine; Roger Walters, commissioner of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association; D’Ann Keller, associate director of championships for the NCAA; Chip Fisher, chairman of the board and CEO of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games; Linda Moore, senior director of business administration for ESPN; Kevin Couture, manager of adult hockey with USA Hockey; and Lisa Furfine, associate publisher of SportsTravel magazine.

Seated, Left to Right: Frank Supovitz, senior vice-president of events for the NFL; Eddie Einhorn, founder of the National Youth Baseball Championships and vice-chairman of the Chicago White Sox; and Pat Wilson, vice-president of operations for Little League Baseball.

Not Pictured: Pete Schenkel, board member of the Texas State Fair; Don Renzulli, senior vice president of events for the NHL; and Timothy Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

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The role of generational differences in a person’s propensity to join an association is a topic on which we’ve written frequently in the past few years. Now, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has produced a large-scale generational study focused on the exhibitions and events industry. Associations that organize trade shows or conferences will find many of the findings of the CEIR study of interest.

The importance of getting off to a good start with Millennials (ages 18 to 27). The CEIR study found that exhibitions and events can win or lose this enormous generation with their all-important first impressions. The core values and attitudes of Millennials were found to be a dedication to excellence along with a passion about the contributions they make to society through their careers. According to CEIR, exhibitions and events represent a very good opportunity to nourish and satisfy those passions. However, it is important for event organizers to view Millennials not as once-a-year visitors to a single event, but instead as valued customers and as members of a professional club—a community—that gets together on an ongoing basis to learn together, advance their careers together, and secure their futures together.

Understanding the members of Generation X (ages 28 to 39). Generation X was America’s first generation of latchkey kids who often came home after school to an empty house since both of their parents were working. Now in adulthood, they are oftentimes called the “Family-First Generation.” According to the CEIR study, Gen Xers do not want to become workaholics whose work hours intrude into their personal lives, especially their time with their children. In many ways, Generation X is an “island generation,” very unique in its core values from all other generations and almost certainly the toughest sell for exhibitions and events. Exhibition organizers therefore need to give customized, generation-specific attention to Generation X.

Do not overlook Boomers (ages 45 to 63). Boomers are the career-driven generation and define themselves by their work, by their “contribution.” According to the CEIR study, they possess virtually all of the core values essential for a positive predisposition toward exhibitions and events. America is a Boomer-led nation. For the next decade, America’s executive suites will be occupied by a Boomer majority who will make the decisions about budgeting for and on attending exhibitions and events.

The CEIR study concludes that it is vitally important to train your association’s personnel in generational strategy. Each generation of prospective attendees is unique and each responds differently to various sales and marketing appeals. As a result, generational considerations must be included in the upfront design and planning of your association’s trade shows and events, in marketing and advertising efforts, and in post-event follow up. For more information on incorporating generational planning for your exhibitions and events and on “The Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century,” please visit www.ceir.org.

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company

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I would like to share a few thoughts on the provocative subject that there might be too many associations.

First: by sheer numbers, there are an enormous number of nonprofit organizations.

Second: there is obviously too much duplication and wasted effort within these numbers

Third: the pressures which will likely force consolidation among associations.

Fourth: the difficulties of merging associations.

Fifth: outside help for mergers and critical evaluations.

According to the Urban Institute, there are about 75,000 (c) 6 associations and more than a million (c) 3s. The number of (c) 3s has grown by more than 50 percent in the last ten years. I realize the (c) 3 number includes an awful lot of groups we don’t normally include in the sphere of associations, i.e., charities and foundations. At least half that 1,000,000 number, however, probably fall into our definition of associations.

You have to admit that is an awful lot of tax-exempt organizations. That should raise a red flag all by itself. There are more than 35,00 different organizations of war veterans alone.

In the past, the IRS has made an occasional foray into clamping down on the tax exempt non profits. These efforts have not been all that aggressive outside of the law which created the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).

In this current climate, don’t be surprised to see more action on the part of the IRS to question the validity as well as the purpose and activities of nonprofits. The game is on to increase tax revenues.

Our current economic situation is already putting strong pressure on many associations and may well be a clarion call for associations to carefully examine the possibility of gaining more stability by considering consolidation with one or more other organizations. Survival of many associations may well depend on pursuing this course of action.

In many industries or professions there are certainly many organizations that do not need to operate independently to serve essentially the same membership. Amalgamation would serve the industry far better.

In the reality of a struggling economy there are only so many dollars companies, as well as individuals, will be willing to continue committing to join and participate in associations and their functions. It is almost impossible to find any group who have increased membership or convention attendance this year.

It is not likely these forces will change very soon. Consolidation, amalgamation or merger may be heresy to a lot of people. If you are not considering it, some of your members may be. Doing it, of course, is not easy and has many problems and pitfalls.

I have personally been involved with several attempts to merge associations. Each one was a struggle and left a lot of broken noses and hurt egos along the way. You have to be careful in considering joining forces whether in fact it is a merger or an absorption. The cultures of each group is a vital consideration. The important decision point is whether you can still accomplish your goals and serve your members.

My first introduction to an attempt to merge two groups was really absorption. Of course, in the initial proposal it was not framed that way. One group was essentially an industry social organization. The other was a more program-oriented operation which had difficulty having any social functions because of the other group.

This first attempt failed mainly because the ego of the past presidents said “I’ll be past president of a group that no longer exists”.

A few years later a second attempt finally succeeded. It happened this time because the large industry leaders who were the main support of both groups saw the wisdom of the combination and openly encouraged their people to support it. The results were a definite benefit in creating a more cohesive industry organization.

What do you think?

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