SportsEvents Magazine

JUL 2012

SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.

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Advertise Directories Natural Venues Guide Convention Centers Guide Six Flags Over Georgia, Cobb County, Ga. SPECIAL FEATURE Stay Play! Sports Events & Vacations… A Common Sense Combination BY MARCIA BRADFORD When Sands Resorts sales professionals market their six Myrtle Beach, S.C., oceanfront properties to baseball and softball teams, they emphasize their new batting nets equipped with pitching machines, as well as their Diamondback Adventure Camp, Getaway Dolphin Cruise, two water parks, indoor and out- door pools, health club, kids club, full- service spa and restaurants. According to Mark Beale, sports sales manager for the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Sands is among several hotel properties in his area working to attract sports groups by adding activities that will encourage them to stay and play after their tournaments are over. Additionally, he said, the CVB makes a point of letting sports groups know that "Myrtle Beach has a ton to offer off the field." "Besides the obvious relaxing on the beach, there are numerous entertain- ment options with live shows for the family to attend," he said. "We have lots of amusement parks, water parks and a NASCAR-themed park for the thrill seekers. We also have more than 100 golf courses in the area, several of which allow kids to play free with a paid adult. Many of our entertainment attractions will give group pricing to teams and offer organizers discounted consignment tickets for event planners to offer as a part of their package." Beale said he always advises sports event planners to leave time for the ath- letes and their families to enjoy the des- tination where they are competing. "Triple Crown Sports (which manages baseball, softball, volleyball and basket- ball tournaments) does a wonderful job of making the most of Myrtle Beach when they host their summer national event here. They schedule afternoons or entire days off for participants to enjoy all that we have to offer." From the standpoint of an event plan- ner, it's "all the better" if the location chosen for a sports event is also a vaca- tion destination, said James Parker, director of operations for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). "When a group of 12-year-old boys and their families travel to a ➤ www.sportseventsmagazine.com July 2012 23 and Kissimmee, Fla. Kissimmee, Fla., now features the Nighttime Screamin' Gator Zip line tour at Gatorland, which allows visitors to soar high above the Alligator Breeding Marsh by the light of the moon as hundreds of glowing red eyes lurk. Cobb Travel & Tourism Kissimmee CVB

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