SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
N SPACES
With wide-open spaces, high ceilings, and the ability for multiple setups, convention and civic centers are good for just about any sport, from poker tournaments to roller derby and from basketball to bull riding. Add in the fact that many centers have attached hotels or are located in areas convenient to shopping, dining and lodging options, and it's a win-win situation.
Utilizing everything the Hot Springs (Ark.) Convention Center had to offer created a winning event for the Sun Belt Conference, said John McElwain, associate commissioner/ communications. "The Sun Belt Conference has 12 member institu- tions, each with a men's and women's basketball team. That makes 24 teams playing a total of 22 games in four days. To do that, Sun Belt leadership decided to use the Hot Springs Convention Center to its fullest potential, setting up a temporary court in one of the exhibit halls in addition to games being played in the center's Summit Arena. The temporary court was extremely effi- cient for us, and you could never tell that it was assembled in only a matter of hours." That flexibility makes the center a true multi-purpose venue, said Cindy DeWitt, director of sales. "When
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Summit Arena is used in conjunction with the exhibit halls, we have 103,000 square feet of clear-span space. The facility is well suited to basketball, cheerleading and dance competitions; archery competitions; wrestling; and fishing tournament weigh-ins, as well as trade show or vendor setups using the exhibit space adjacent to the arena floor. It's just a matter of opening doors to expand the area. We also have 2,000 free parking spaces all around the facility." Facilities with interconnected are-
nas, exhibit halls and meeting rooms work well for a variety of events, said Ron Snover, managing director for the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Neb. "Some of our buildings have dirt floors for horse events and some are all-concrete floors. We have portable bleacher seating for 2,500 and chairs and tables for 1,200 or more." ➤
Words Of Advice
Convention and event center opera- tors want events to go smoothly. They offer these words of advice.
Convention Center: Planners should ask how ticketing is handled, about staffing (ushers and security), whether training equipment is available and whether a press room is available. —Cindy DeWitt, Hot Springs (Ark.)
Events Center: Clients should con- sider what time of year works for their sports participants as well as for the facility. We install ice in the main arena in late September, and it isnʼt removed until early May. If a client wants to avoid minimal changeover costs associated with installing tempo- rary flooring over the ice, they would be best to consider bringing their event to the events center in June, July or August. —Sarah Miskew, Independence (Mo.)
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