Sports Organizations
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USA Canoe/Kayak has formed a new partnership with the American Canoe Association that will make ACA Executive Director Wade Blackwood the new CEO of USA Canoe/Kayak. ACA was the national governing body for Olympic paddlesports from 1924 until the early 1990s, when the organization split and USA Canoe/Kayak was formed for the elite level of the sport.

David Ingemie, president of Snow- Sports Industries America since 1981, will step down following the 2016 SIA Snow Show. Ingemie joined the organization in 1976 as marketing director before becoming president. He will remain at SIA as immediate past president and will lead an archival project that will preserve the organization’s 60-plus years of history.

Chad Seigler has been named vicepresident of business development at NASCAR, a promotion from his previous post as vice-president of team marketing services. Seigler will play a critical role in securing the new NASCAR Sprint Cup entitlement sponsor, as well as other official and entitlement partnerships. Prior to starting at NASCAR in 2007, he was manager of industry relations at Sprint Nextel.

Dale Neuburger has been selected to serve as president of Union Americana De Natacion (UANA), the international organization that coordinates aquatic activities throughout the Americas. Neuburger, who will assume the post following the Pan American Games in Toronto in July, is currently serving his fourth consecutive term as FINA vice-president of the Americas.

Boston 2024 has appointed Richard Davey as CEO as the group campaigns to secure hosting rights for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Davey served as the Massachusetts secretary of transportation from 2011 to 2014. [See interview on page 72.] In addition, Joseph Rull has been named chief administrative officer of Boston 2024. Rull most recently served as chief of operations for Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston.

The International Paralympic Committee has extended its partnership with the American College of Sports Medicine for another five and a half years. Under the terms of the agreement, the two organizations have identified a number of collaborative areas to improve the dissemination of knowledge in health, safety, research and performance of athletes with impairments.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has adopted a new logo, which will be introduced with a new belt design for the AIBA Pro Boxing inaugural title matches and will gradually be integrated into all branded areas of the competition.

The United States Golf Association has announced the launch of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship, which will debut in 2018. The championship format will mirror that of the U.S. Open and eligibility will be limited to professional and amateur female players, aged 50 and older.

Hosts & Suppliers

Cory Jobe has been named director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, which has offices in Springfield and Chicago. Jobe previously served as the deputy chief of staff for the state comptroller.

David Downing has been named executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater (Florida). He had been the CVB’s interim executive director since August 2014 and, prior to that, served as its deputy director.

Sheri Grossman has been promoted to executive director and CEO of the Bismarck-Mandan (North Dakota) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Grossman started working at the CVB in 1997 and has served as COO since 2003.

Jeff Seifried has been named president and CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. He previously was manager of regional development for the Springfield (Missouri) Area Chamber of Commerce. Seifried is expected to start his new role in early March.

Kevin Faciane has been appointed a partner and vice-president of business development at GoVision, a full-service provider of broadcast and production support for events. Faciane previously spent 15 years with the Mead Johnson Nutrition division of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, has acquired 360 Architecture, a firm specializing in the design of sports, recreation, wellness, entertainment and mixed-use facilities. Projects in which 360 has played a significant role include MetLife Stadium and Basra Sports City.

Sites & Venues

The American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs, the affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, will relocate to Ontario, California, to begin play in the 2015–2016 season. They will take the name Ontario Reign, while the ECHL team that currently uses that name will move to New Hampshire and be known as the Manchester Monarchs.

Clif Bar CrossVegas in Las Vegas has been selected to host the first race of the 2015–2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series, marking the first time that a World Cup event will be held outside Europe. The following year, Montreal will host a World Cup event.

The Air Race 1 World Cup has announced that its first event will be held at the Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport in Tunisia on June 7. The series will continue at the Lleida-Alguaire Airport in Spain on June 28, and then complete its season at the Reno Stead Airport in Nevada on September 20.

The World Cup of Softball X will be held at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, California. Hosted by Southern California ASA/USA Softball, the World Cup will be played June 29–July 5.

The NHL has announced that the World Cup of Hockey will return in 2016 after a 12-year hiatus. The eight team tournament will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto starting on September 17, 2016. The NHL also announced the schedule for the 2015–2016 outdoor games. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, will host the Bridgestone 2016 NHL Winter Classic on January 1. The first Coors Light Stadium Series game will be held at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and the second at Coors Field in Denver.

BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston will host the 2015 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game on June 13. The MLL Championship Game will be held at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia, on August 8. 

The 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on July 29. Denver last hosted the event in 2007.

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will host WWE’s Wrestlemania 32 on April 3, 2016. The stadium is home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

Sponsors & Licensing

Masimo, Lavazza and Barracuda Networks have signed sponsorship agreements with the BNP Paribas Open, which will be held March 9–22 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. Barracuda Networks provides cloud-connected security and storage solutions. Masimo, a global medical technology company, will have an exhibitor booth on site. Lavazza, an Italian coffee producer, will provide coffee at food and beverage locations.

Dick’s Sporting Goods will serve as the official sporting goods retail sponsor to the United States Olympic Committee and Team USA. The partnership, the first of its kind for Dick’s, will include an in-store employment program and equipment donations to U.S. Olympic training centers.

The San Francisco Giants and Virgin America have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership. Bay Area–based Virgin will continue to be the official airline of the Giants through the end of 2018.

NASCAR, NASCAR Team Properties and Fanatics have announced a 10-year agreement for the sport’s on-track merchandise business. Fanatics will be the primary retailer of NASCAR, team and driver merchandise at all 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends.

The PGA Tour and Charles Schwab have announced a 20-year extension of their marketing partnership, making it the longest marketing agreement the PGA Tour has ever joined.

Kaiser Permanente and the NBA have entered a multiyear partnership that will make Kaiser Permanente the official healthcare partner of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association, NBA Development League and USA Basketball. The collaboration marks the first time the NBA has had a healthcare partner and Kaiser Permanente’s first national partnership with a professional sports league.

PGA of America has entered a threeyear agreement with Arizona Manufacturing & Embroidery that makes the designer and manufacturer of personalized golf accessories a supporting partner of Golf Retirement Plus, a retirement program for PGA professionals.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has partnered with Nike through 2016. In addition to providing footwear, apparel and select equipment and accessories to coaches who attend NSCAA courses, Nike will have a presence at major NSCAA events.

In Memoriam

Mario Vázquez Raña, longtime International Olympic Committee member and former president of the Association of National Olympic Committees, has passed away at age 82. Vázquez Raña was a member of the IOC from 1991 to 2012 and held positions that included executive board member and president of the organizing committee for the 114th IOC session in Mexico City. He also served for 10 years as chairman of Olympic Solidarity. In 1975, Vazquez Raña was named chairman of the Pan American Sports Organization, a position he held until his death.

And Finally…

Harlequin and the Professional Bull Riders have teamed up for a book publishing partnership that is expected to debut in May. The publisher will release four Harlequin Pro Bull Riders novels containing distinctive PBR content. Described as “heartwarming contemporary tales of everyday women finding love and becoming part of a family or community,” the books will “showcase the charm of small-town America and the ruggedness of Western locales.” Copies will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in the United States.

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, which will be held November 9–12 in Las Vegas. 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:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.