Sports Organizations
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USA Track & Field has appointed David Gadis as chief revenue officer and Jill Geer as chief marketing officer. Gadis will be responsible for oversight of sales management, new business development and product development. He previously served for six years as executive vice-president at Veolia North America. Geer will oversee marketing and advertising initiatives. She most recently served as USA Track & Field’s chief public affairs officer.

Steve Phelps will serve as executive vice-president and chief global sales and marketing officer at NASCAR. Phelps will oversee global marketing, partnership and series marketing, business development, integrated marketing communications, license and consumer products and digital media.

John Pearce has been named youth director of U.S. Sailing. Pearce most recently worked at George Washington University as the first head coach of the sailing program, which was elevated from club to varsity status during his tenure. Pearce has been a coach for U.S. Sailing at several U.S. Sailing National Championships over the past 10 years. 

The United States Equestrian Federation has announced that Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington will serve as the national governing body’s national headquarters. The 40-year lease on three acres includes the option for USEF to extend the deal for an additional 40 years. Construction on the two-story, 35,000-square-foot headquarters building is expected to begin in late 2017.

Moore Sports International, a sports marketing and event management company, has submitted a bid for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, marking the first time the United States has submitted a bid for the event. The Rugby League International Federation is expected to announce the host nation for the 2021 tournament in November.

Major League Baseball and the Miami Marlins have unveiled the official logo of the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard. Miami will host the All-Star Game for the first time when the event is held at Marlins Park on July 11.

The International Olympic Committee has voted to add five new sports to the program for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games: baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing. The new sports are expected to add 18 events and 474 athletes. Tokyo 2020 plans to rely heavily on existing and temporary venues.

Hosts & Suppliers

Sean Keliiholokai has been named executive director of Visit Dana Point (California), a new destination marketing organization. Keliiholokai previously served as director of sales and marketing for the Greater Ontario (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Joshua Travers has been appointed executive director of the Oxnard (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Travers previously worked for the Bureau of Land Management, most recently as the Southern Nevada program lead in Las Vegas.

Jorge Perez has been named general manager of the Puerto Rico Convention Center, which is now being managed by AEG Facilities. Perez served as the convention center’s director of finance for the last six years.

AEG Facilities has announced the launch of AEG Facilities Global Solutions to provide management and planning services to sports and entertainment facilities worldwide. Jay Cooper has been promoted to senior vice-president and will lead the new division. Cooper has more than 34 years of experience in venue management.

Las Vegas–based Universal Color Graphics has been acquired by SBR Technologies/Vision Graphics, a full-service visual communications company in Salt Lake City. UCG will undergo a rebranding and be included under the Vision Graphics brand.

Sites & Venues

Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, has announced an extension with IndyCar through 2018. The track recently hosted the ABC Supply 500 weekend in August.

The 2017 USA Canoe/Kayak Sprint National Championships will be held in Lake County, Florida, for the first time. The event will be staged on Lake Minneola at Waterfront Park.

Buffalo, New York, will host the 2017 Gaelic Games Association Continental Youth Championships. This is the first time Buffalo has hosted the weekend tournament of Gaelic football and hurling competitions. The event will take place at the West Seneca Soccer Complex, July 26–31.

The 2017 World Baseball Classic has announced that Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles will host the semi-finals and finals of the international baseball competition March 20–22. Other rounds of the tournament will be held at Petco Park in San Diego, Marlins Park in Miami, Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, and the newly opened Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

USA Gymnastics has agreed to purchase the USA National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas. The official Olympic training site will be renamed the USA Gymnastics Athlete Development Center at the Karolyi Ranch.

Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina, has announced that it is working with the U.S. Equestrian Federation to bid on the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games. The venue includes 1,200 permanent stalls, 12 competition arenas, a lighted international arena that seats 6,000 (expandable to 12,000), a large covered arena that seats 5,000 and a cross-country course.

A new Web.com Tour event, the Pinnacle Bank Championship, will be held at The Club at Indian Creek in Omaha, Nebraska, July 17–23, 2017. The five-year sponsorship agreement between the PGA Tour and Pinnacle Bank will run through 2021.

Sponsors & Licensing

The National Football League and social media platform Snapchat have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began during the 2015 season. The NFL will become the first sports league to have a presence on the “Discover” platform, designed to provide fans around the globe with unique NFL content.

Cooper Tire will serve as the official tire of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Mid-Ohio School, which provides professional driving and riding instruction to drivers and motorcyclists. Cooper Tire will be used on the Mid-Ohio School’s fleet of Honda and Accura vehicles, and the tire supplier will also have a presence throughout the grounds.

USA Hockey and K&K Insurance have announced a new partnership. K&K will serve as a diamond level partner of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration and a partner of the USA Hockey President’s Awards Dinner.

USA Luge and Minus 33, a merino wool clothing company, have entered a four-year partnership that will run through 2020. Based in Ashland, New Hampshire, Minus 33 will supply USA Luge and its staff with merino wool socks. Minus 33 will also have a presence on the national team’s website and in its Lake Placid training facility.

SeatGeek and Major League Soccer have announced a multiyear partnership that will focus on the development of a new ticketing system. As the official ticketing partner of MLS, SeatGeek will collaborate with the league to make the new ticketing platform available to all clubs. 

Grand Prix Entertainment and USA Rugby have announced an extension of their U.S. exclusive sanction and license agreement for the Olympic Summer Games through 2024. Grand Prix has the exclusive right to globally broadcast USA Rugby–sanctioned professional rugby sevens matches, leagues and tournaments.

Tough Mudder and CBS Sports have announced a two-year television deal focused on the broadcast of the World’s Toughest Mudder, a 24-hour race. CBS Sports will air a program on Christmas Day in 2016 and 2017. CBS Sports Digital will also feature live coverage and in-demand offerings.

American Airlines has renewed its sponsorship as the official airline of the Carolina Panthers, a partnership that began in 2006. The American Airlines logo will continue to appear at Bank of America Stadium, and the partnership will include several community events.

In Memoriam…

Seena Hamilton, a champion of junior tennis and founder of the Easter Bowl, recently passed away at the age of 92. Hamilton started the Easter Bowl in 1968 at the Midtown Tennis Club in New York City. For the past 15 years, the event has been held in the California desert, most recently at the Indian Well Tennis Garden. Known as the “Super Bowl of Junior Tennis,” the Easter Bowl has earned a reputation as the nation’s premier junior tennis tournament, having hosted legends including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport when they were youngsters as well as current top 100 players.

This current issue of SportsTravel can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine, is published by Los Angeles-based Schneider Publishing Company, which also publishes Association News. Founded in 1997, SportsTravel was the first magazine to identify and serve the sports-related travel and event industry. Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers. TEAMS ’16 will be held September 26–29, 2016, in Atlantic City. In addition, Schneider Publishing organizes the Meetings Quest trade-show series for corporate and association meeting planners. The travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million hotel room nights annually. For more information, visit SchneiderPublishing.com or call toll-free 877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if dialing from outside the United States.
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Media Contact:
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310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.