Sports Organizations
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Mary Davis has been named CEO of Special Olympics, becoming the first CEO in the organization’s nearly 50-year history from outside the United States. Davis, who had been acting CEO since October 2015, has played several key roles in Ireland’s Special Olympics movement and will split her time between Dublin, Ireland, and Special Olympics’ global headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Tommy Haas has been named tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open. A former World No. 2, Haas won 15 ATP World Tour titles in his career and earned a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games.

Joie Chitwood III has been promoted to the newly created position of chief operating officer at International Speedway Corp. Chitwood previously was executive vice-president at ISC and president of Daytona International Speedway. Chip Wile will replace Chitwood as Daytona president. Wile most recently served as president of Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Victor Montagliani, president of the Canadian Soccer Association, has been elected president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and vice-president of FIFA. Montagliani chaired the national organizing committee for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 and FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. CONCACAF also has appointed Philippe Moggio as general secretary. Moggio previously worked at the National Basketball Association as senior vice-president and managing director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Lee Hee-beom has been named president of the Pyeongchang 2018 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Previously the South Korean minister of trade, industry and energy, he replaces Cho Yang-ho, who recently resigned to focus on his business, Hanjin Shipping.

Angela Ruggiero has been appointed chief strategy officer of Los Angeles 2024, the group bidding for the Olympic Summer Games. Ruggiero, a four-time Olympian, is a member of the International Olympic Committee and a board member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Sarah Wilhelmi has been hired as director of collegiate partnerships at the U.S. Olympic Committee. She most recently worked at the West Coast Conference as associate commissioner for governance and institutional services and the senior woman administrator.

Jen Rottenberg has been named as an independent director for the USA Archery board of directors. A 20-year veteran of the sports industry, Rottenberg is the chief content officer at Schneider Publishing, which publishes SportsTravel and organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo. Rottenberg previously served as chief marketing officer of USA Water Polo and founded dsnv Marketing Group LLC.

Hosts & Suppliers

David Whitaker has been named president and CEO of Choose Chicago. He most recently was chief marketing officer at Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States. He also formerly was president and CEO of Tourism Toronto and executive vice-president and chief marketing officer of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Mark Everton has been named president and CEO of Visit Oakland (California). He previously served as the area managing director at Commune Hotels & Resorts for its Silicon Valley and San Francisco hotels. 

Bruce Gudenberg has been named executive director of the newly formed Visit National Harbor (Maryland). Gudenberg also serves as the vice-president of marketing for National Harbor.

The DuPage (Illinois) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Kris Cristofaro as sales manager for the sports, hobby, tour, travel and social markets. Cristofaro most recently served as director of sales at the Hampton Inn/Chicago–Carol Stream in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Sites & Venues

SMG has been selected as the new operator of University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. SMG replaces the stadium’s previous operator, Spectra, in a five-year agreement that is expected to provide the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority with $1.5 million in capital investment.

The 2017 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The tournament marks the first major collegiate sporting event awarded to the state since the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds in July 2015.

The International Luge Federation’s Viessmann World Cup will include a weekend series at Mount Van Hoevenberg, just outside Lake Placid, New York. The event, held in conjunction with USA Luge, will be staged December 2–3, 2016.

The 2016 Football University National Championship has named Wichita, Kansas, as a host city for the Midwest region. Wichita will host the first three rounds of the tournament, which will include 24 youth all-star teams.

The NBA and Mountain Dew have launched Dew NBA 3X, a 3-on-3 competition tour. The winning teams will earn spots in USA Basketball’s 3-on-3 tournament, which will be held next year. Dew NBA 3X features stops in six NBA markets: Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

The 2017 and 2019 United States Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew Championships will be held at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey, and Memorial Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado, respectively. Paddlers will be competing for berths in the International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships in 2018 and 2020.

Sponsors & Licensing

Chevrolet has renewed its Major League Baseball sponsorship, which dates back to 2005. Under the multiyear agreement, Chevrolet will continue to be the official vehicle of MLB as well as become the official automotive sponsor of MLB and USA Baseball’s Play Ball initiative. In addition, MasterCard has extended its long-standing MLB partnership, which dates back nearly 20 years. The expanded partnership has made MasterCard the presenting sponsor of the All-Star Game beginning with the 2016 game, which will be held July 12 at Petco Park in San Diego.

Arby’s, Credit Karma and Buffalo Wild Wings will serve as the first official marketing partners for E-League. Arby’s will serve as the official quick service restaurant, Credit Karma as the official personal finance partner and Buffalo Wild Wings as the official casual dining partner of the e-sports league.

Olympia Entertainment and Little Caesars have announced a 20-year naming rights partnership that will establish Detroit’s new downtown arena as Little Caesars Arena. Little Caesars will become the official NHL’s Detroit Red Wings website and social media presenting sponsor starting with the 2017–2018 season.

Nickelodeon will be the title sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. The race on September 18 will be named the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and Geico have extended their partnership agreement through 2018. The insurance brand will serve as the exclusive auto insurance partner for more than 21 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series events in the United States.

In a 10-year naming rights deal, downtown Orlando’s Citrus Bowl will now be called Camping World Stadium after the retailer of parts and services for recreational vehicles and camping supplies. Camping World will also be a multiyear sponsor of “Camping World Kickoff,” a series of neutral-site football games.

In Memoriam

Ray Essick, the first executive director of USA Swimming, died on May 21 at the age of 82. Essick guided the organization from 1980 until 1997. His accomplishments at USA Swimming included moving the national governing body from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs; growing the organization to 50 employees from four; and establishing the first U.S. Open meet. In 2015, Essick was inducted into the American Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The Essick family has requested that memorial donations be made to the USA Swimming Foundation. For more information, visit usaswimming.org.

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:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.