SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/572890
September 2015 22 www.sportseventsmagazine.com t SPECIAL FEATURE More Centers That Love Sports! Green Is Good For Sports Events in Portland One of the greenest convention centers in the country, the Oregon Conven- tion Center in Portland, hosts about 550,000 visitors annually—many of those attending sports events. The stringent regulations put in place for producing sustainable events have not slowed the number of organizations seeking to use the facility. Most of the work has been done for event planners, such as the center's rain garden that manages storm water through a fltration system. But event planners are engaged from the beginning of the process and encouraged to consider using only products that are recyclable or compostable at the center. Planners receive a list of those products in a sustainability guide. Center ofcials ask that planners use recyclable or reusable signage; sub- mit a materials checklist so workers can provide proper disposal, and have decorators discuss plans with staf to create a plan for waste reduction. n Oregon Convention Center The USA Junior/Cadet/Team Junior Olympic Fencing Championship was held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Major Sports Events At MassMutual Center About 350,000 people pass through the MassMutual Center doors each year and about 200,000 of those are athletes or sporting event spectators, said Marissa Skibbe Dionne, director of marketing for the Springfeld, Mass., facility. Sports competitions held in the last year include the Hall of Fame National Invitation- al hosted by Basketbull, AHL hockey, Basket- ball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase, Golden Gloves Boxing, Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state basketball and hockey tournaments, Tim Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics, USA Gymnastics and New England Pop Warner events, Dionne said. n The MassMutual Center in Springfeld, Mass., hosted the Tim Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics competitions. John Driscoll The USAW Middle School National Challenge Wrestling Duals were held at the Wildwoods Convention Center in February. Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority Sports Events…Down On The Boardwalk More than 200,000 participants and spectators have attended sports events in the last year at the Wildwoods Convention Center, said Ben Rose, direc- tor of marketing and public relations for the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority in New Jersey. Some of those events included youth wrestling tournaments with more than 4,000 participants; youth mixed martial arts tournaments; the Board- walk Basketball Classic; the Futsal Regional Indoor Soccer Tournament; the USA Gymnastics (USGA) state and regional gymnastics championships; the Harlem Globetrotters World Tour; and the WWE Live. The center, which is located on the Wildwoods Boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, can accommodate groups as small as 100 or as large as 10,000. The Boardwalk ofers 38 blocks packed with shops, more than 300 restau- rants, water parks, attractions, rides, piers, a Tram Car and more. Tournaments such as the Boardwalk Basketball Classic provide participants with informa- tion about the Boardwalk, its restaurants and attractions. n