SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/139692
▲ SPECIAL Feature Hotel Partnerships: Make Them Work For You The Professional Disc Gol f Association's events require everything from me eting rooms to hotel roo ms and banquet space in som e cases. BY SELENA CHAVIS In recent years, sports events 3v3 Live Soccer Tour have earned an elevated standing within the hotel community, putting sports event planners in a position to make the most of their negotiations and partnerships. "Since 9/11, the recent recession, and now the sequestering, the entire hotel community has depended on the sports market to help fill those periods that the corporate and association markets have left void," said Mike Hill, senior director of sports sales for Hilton Worldwide. "We have been working to train our hotels to be aware of this sensitive market, especially since it is recession proof." 14 PDGA Event planners and hotels, now more than ever, have the opportunity to develop partnerships that extend beyond individual events and last throughout an entire season, noted Brian Graham, executive director of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). And the key to success is a collaborative effort to educate the hospitality industry about the unique needs of sports events and work together to develop a mutually beneficial arrangement. Armed For Negotiation Knowledge is power at the negotiating table, according to Roland Rivera, head of new program development and spor tourism for Fort sports Col Collins, Colo.-based Trip Crown Sports. Triple To achieve an outcome tha is the best value for that a sp sporting event means hav having data to back up an explanation for why su things as reduced such rat or comped rooms rates ar in a hotel partner's are be interest. For this best re reason, Rivera pointed ou that rights holders out n need to track numbers o time to accurately over d ne economic defi im impact. To address this a area, rights holders Tour, use e either have to develop like 3v3 Live Soccer . Some rights holders, nage their room blocks solid tracking of a third party to ma the help systems in-house or June 2013 work through third-party management companies. "Unless the owner has a true handle of where all the teams are staying and how many rooms each team is using, it is almost impossible to truly determine how many room nights each team and tournament provide for the city," said Rick Hatcher, commercial development director with PSA, a Colorado-based event planning company, pointing out that stay-to-play models are becoming increasingly attractive as a way to accurately track room-night information. "In many cases, the room nights will determine if the event owner qualifies for reduced or free facility space, comp rooms and post event grants." Stay-to-play policies require groups to stay in pre-identified room blocks to participate in an event. While the model has generated some controversy in the industry, professionals agree that it is a growing trend. Often, rights holders will use thirdparty management companies to set up these models as a way to generate additional revenue for an event as well as accurately track room nights. "We use a third party for our largest events. I feel that they do this better than I can," said Mike Tew, president of 3v3 Live National Soccer Tour. Some groups, like Triple Crown Sports, use stay-to-play models but have found a way to manage the housing function inhouse. "We didn't want anyone coming between us and our customer," Rivera emphasized. "The event is our core business, and one of the most important experiences of the event is the housing." www.sportseventsmagazine.com