February: Publisher’s Update
We’re always touting the power of association meetings and sports-related travel and last week I had the opportunity to experience that strength first-hand. As a presenter at the annual meeting of Running USA, I was pleasantly surprised to not only find an association meeting where the attendance was not off at all from last year but also to discover that many of the race directors in attendance are actually planning to either expand their current events or launch new events in the coming year. Attending the meeting was much like entering a parallel dimension where economic gloom and doom was not the order of the day.
While no sector of the economy has escaped the effects of the current economic downturn, we are grateful that the state-and-regional association meetings market and the sports-related travel market are—relative to other group travel markets—weathering this economic storm. Destinations, hotels and other travel providers looking for sources of group business during this challenging time should consider anew these two markets. For more information, please call us toll-free at (877) 577-3700 or feel free to leave your comments below.
Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company
3 Comments so far
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Tim – The North American Sand Soccer Championships coming up in June are experiencing record levels of registrations and hotel reservations. Hope it continues. We expect to host as our Guest Celebrity Ethan Zohn, TV’s “Survivor: Africa” winner, former pro soccer player, and now a co-founder of “Grassroot Soccer,” associated with AIDS/HIV issues in Africa.
Dick Whalen
North American Sand Soccer Championships
http://www.sandsoccer.com
I got your publisher’s update, and I like your positive outlook! I look forward to seeing you at ACME in Washington, D.C. Thanks for your support!
JEFF HOLCOMB, CMP
GREATER MADISON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
http://WWW.VISITMADISON.COM
We’ve experienced exactly what you’re talking about here in Virginia Beach. The Shamrock Sportsfest, a new running event, was staged for the first time on Valentine’s Day. More than 2,100 people from 21 different states registered with only 2-1/2 months of advance promo. The Shamrock, a separate running event organized by the same promoter, has over 20,700 people pre-registered so far for their 2009 event. This exceeds by 2,000 their best year ever and registrations are still coming in.
Buddy Wheeler, Sports Marketing Coordinator
Virginia Beach Convention and Visitor Bureau
http://www.vbfun.com