In “Why Meetings Matter,” Craig Davis of the Pittsburgh Convention Bureau talks about making the case for funding by positioning the travel industry as the “solution to the problem” that faces the funding entities. I think sports commissions would be well-served to take that same approach.

It is something we do need to talk about and address or we’ll be looking back in 4 or 5 years and wishing we had at least tried to address it. I do believe that TEAMS is one of the best places to raise the issue and to see if we can provide some tools to communities. My guess is that there ar 30-40% of the communities that do not really understand the fragility of any business or institution much less one that depends in large part on some public funding.

Sometime in the 1990s, I conducted a session at the NASC annual meeting on “Surviving the ‘Sophomore Slump’” and addressed this issue at a different point in the evolution of commissions as there were far fewer at that time. Many commissions were facing some ongoing opposition about their relative value as public officials really didn’t understand that there was value in this process.

Thanks for your comments! As always, your insights are appreciated. It would be extremely unfortunate if sports commissions are disbanded right at the moment when the “mainstream” travel industry is finally realizing the importance and value of hosting sporting events. You can bet this will be a topic we’ll be discussing at TEAMS 2009 in New Orleans.

The roundtable you mention sounds like an important piece and I am looking forward to reading it. As I travel and talk to sports commissions, it is coming very clear to me that a number are in real danger of being disbanded/ merged out of independent existence with CVBs, or having their support cut drastically. The core problem is that many did not have a strong enough philosphical base to start with, do not manage expectations and do not communicate their value enough or regularly enough. Many do not have the confidence or the ready information to address the normal concerns that come up in their communities re: funding and value or know how to sell themselves as “not a cost center but a revenue generator.”

I believe we need to help this portion of the industry to give them the tools to allow them to stay in business. Yes, sports-related travel is a bright spot, but it will be less bright if we have less people pushing it. TEAMS would be a great place to discuss these topics.

Jack Kelly
Event Partners Inc.