Sports Organizations
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Kerry Perry has been named the president and chief executive officer of Indianapolis- based USA Gymnastics. Perry, who succeeds Steve Penny, previously served as vice-president of business development at Learfield Communications Inc. and president and owner of KP Sports.

Steve McNally has been named executive director of USA Taekwondo after serving a short term as acting director. McNally previously had been the group’s director of operations and communications officer. He replaces Keith Ferguson, who resigned in September.

The PGA of America has extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua through 2024. He has served in the role since 2012. His previous contract had been set to end in 2021.

U.S. Ski & Snowboarding has named Tom Webb to the newly created position of director of marketing and communications. Webb has more than 20 years of experience in international sports marketing, including roles with the America’s Cup sailing race and Circuit of the Americas motorsports track.

Hosts & Suppliers

Brian McCartin has been appointed president and CEO of the Tempe Tourism Office. He most recently served as executive vice-president of Travel Portland (Oregon).

Robert Wells has been named director of the Savannah (Georgia) Sports Council, a department of Visit Savannah and the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. Wells previously held positions with the Sarasota County (Florida) Sports Commission and the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades (Florida) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Tom David has been named executive vice-president and chief sales offi cer of San Francisco Travel, where he will oversee all convention-division activities. David previously served as general manager for Western regional sales at Marriott International.

Sharon Goodspeed has been appointed national sales manager of convention sales for the Northeast region at the Greater Palm Springs (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Most recently, she served as the national sales manager for Caesars Entertainment Corp.

The Detroit Sports Commission has announced the formation of the Detroit Sports Organizing Corp. (DSOC), whose mission will be to attract and produce major sporting events in the region.

IMG Academy, a multisport training and educational institution, has started construction on a 150-room boutique hotel on the north edge of its campus in Bradenton, Florida. The fi ve-story Legacy Hotel at IMG Academy will feature an elevated lobby lounge and bar, a fi tness facility and 5,060 square feet of meeting space. The property is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018.

Sites & Venues

Through a new 10-year partnership between the city of Westfield, Indiana, and the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the Grand Park Sports Campus will serve as the official host of the Colts training camp. Grand Park features 26 baseball/softball diamonds, 31 multipurpose fi elds, an indoor basketball/volleyball facility and an events center. The Colts will train there starting in the summer of 2018.

A new Sports Force Parks youthsports complex will be built within the Epic Adventures project in Kingsland, Georgia. The Georgia Gateway Central Improvement District and Epic Destinations have reached a memorandum of understanding with Sports Fields Inc. to build the complex. The fi rst phase, with an estimated cost of $24 million, will consist of up to 10 multipurpose fi elds, with an expected opening in 2019.

The 2018 NFL Draft will be held at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, April 26–28. This marks the fi rst time the event will take place in an NFL stadium.

The WNBA has announced that the San Antonio Stars will relocate to Las Vegas in 2018, with MGM Resorts International as the new owner and home games at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Knoxville, Tennessee, will host the 2019 National Association of Sports Commissions Sports Event Symposium, May 6–9. The event, which originally had been scheduled for San Diego, is the annual meeting of the NASC and attracts destinations, rights holders and industry partners.

Sponsors & Media

U.S. Soccer has announced that Hisense USA will become its official TV and appliance manufacturer.

UFC has announced that AirAsia will serve as its official airline for Asia and Australia. Under the deal, AirAsia is the mixed martial arts organization’s first official airline sponsor.

The Pac-12 has extended its partnership with New York Life insurance company, a relationship that began during the 2014–2015 season. New York Life will continue as the offi cial presenting sponsor of the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, as well as an offi cial sponsor of Pac-12 Olympic sport championship events.

The Women’s Sports Foundation has announced that Chevrolet will serve as a WSF national partner and the offi cial automotive sponsor of the organization. The partnership will include the Chevrolet GoalKeepers Project, which seeks to empower girls to pursue their athletic and professional goals.

And Finally...

Congratulations are in order for Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls, Tommy Hawk of the Chicago Blackhawks, The Nittany Lion of Penn State University and Sluggerrr of the Kansas City Royals, recent inductees into the 2018 Mascot Hall of Fame, whose brick-and-mortar home currently is under construction in Whiting, Indiana. The four mascots, selected through voting by fans and a museum committee, will be honored at the 2018 grand opening of the 25,000-square-foot, multimillion- dollar Mascot Hall of Fame.

This current issue of SportsTravel can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.
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Media Contact:
Timothy Schneider
310-954-2525
Northstar Travel Group, LLC

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