SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/657733
www.sportseventsmagazine.com March 2016 25 t SPECIAL Report TRENDS & ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT OUR 11 TH ANNUAL ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY BY TALTY O'CONNOR SPORTSEVENTS PUBLISHER This is our 11 th year to research and report on the state of the industry for the sports event market in the United States. And for eleven straight years we've enjoyed positive results to report, even in the most trying of economic times. This year is no exception; though there are some issues at hand that have been testing the resolve of traditional sports organizations and destinations alike. Those issues revolve around participa- tion "stretch" for athletes as well as the pressure to create and book more compe- titions for event rights-holders and desti- nation marketing offcials. The industry is also faced with growing hotel room rates coupled with increasing occupancy levels and the diminishing availability of affordable hotels rooms. Yet for another year, our industry has managed to create growth in the num- ber of events it has produced, the total participation and overall spending. As a result, for the most part, if you're playing in the sports events market, you're either doing well, or you're doing really well. Our extensive research begins with comprehensive survey responses from sports event organizers as well as des- tination marketing organizations from throughout the U.S. We also conduct telephone interviews and research doz- ens of sports as a result of reports we investigate throughout the year. This year, for this report, we've gone a little deeper into market factors that infu- ence our industry because of some ► SPORTS: The Most Dependable Travel Sector & Still Rock-Solid Strong