Sports Organizations
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Katrina Adams has been reappointed to a second term as chairman, president and CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association, making her the first president in the organization’s history to be reappointed to a second consecutive term. Adams has led the organization since 2014, after serving on the USTA board of directors since 2005. She is the first African-American, first former professional tennis player and youngest person to serve as president in the organization’s 135-year history.

Pete Vlastelica has been named president and CEO of Major League Gaming, an e-sports division launched by entertainment company Activision Blizzard in Santa Monica, California. Vlastelica most recently served as executive vice-president of digital at Fox Sports. He founded the online sports network Yardbarker and sold it to Fox in 2010.

Rick Brenner has been appointed president of Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Brenner most recently served as president of DSF Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Prior to that, Brenner was COO and general manager of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team in New Jersey.

Steve Czarnecki has been named executive director of Colorado Springs Youth Sports, which operates the 18-field El Pomar Youth Sports Park. Czarnecki served for nearly four years as executive director of USA Racquetball, also headquartered in Colorado Springs.

A $70 million multiyear licensing agreement between the United States Cricket Association and Global Sports Venues LLC will bring a franchised Twenty20 professional cricket league to the United States. The deal is expected to provide annual contracts to male and female American athletes who are seeking a career in the sport.

USA Track & Field has announced a new partnership with the National Black Marathoners Association. The one-year initiative will help the NBMA develop and fund a training program that targets African-American faith-based communities, and also includes contributions to the NBMA’s college scholarship program.

Hosts & Suppliers

Al Hutchinson has been appointed president and CEO of Visit Baltimore. With more than 24 years of experience in the hospitality and destination marketing industry, Hutchinson most recently served as president and CEO of Visit Mobile (Alabama). Hutchinson also was vice-president of sales and services at the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau for more than 11 years.

Marc Anderson has been promoted to executive vice-president of Choose Chicago, where he most recently served as chief sales officer. He previously worked as assistant vice-president of sales for Choose Chicago from 2002 to 2007 (when the organization was known as the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau). He then went on to serve as regional director of marketing for the Peninsula Hotels before returning to Choose Chicago.

Tom Kiely has been appointed CEO of Visit West Hollywood (California). Kiely most recently was executive vice-president of tourism at the San Francisco Travel Association. He has served in leadership positions with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai and Universal Studios Hollywood in California.

Palm Beach Coast and the Flagler Beaches (Florida), Flagler County’s destination marketing organization, has hired two new staff members. Craig Lenniger has been appointed tourism sales and grants manager, and Darbi Ellis will serve as marketing coordinator, a new position. Lenniger previously was the national tour director and director of operations for the Extreme Volleyball Professional Tour. Ellis is a recent graduate of Flagler College and had been working as an intern for the tourism office before she was hired full-time.

Jeff Rank has been named member services manager at the National Association of Sports Commissions in Cincinnati. Rank previously worked at Total Quality Logistics and also has experience in intercollegiate athletics at the Division I level.

Sites & Venues

The 2017 NFL Draft will be staged in Philadelphia, April 27–29. The draft, which has been held in Chicago the last two years, will be scheduled for primetime for Rounds 1–3. The draft will conclude on April 29 with Rounds 4–7. 

College Connection’s Shooting Star Field Hockey Tournament Showcase will be held at DE Turf Sports Complex, which is under construction in Kent County, Delaware, and is scheduled to be completed in the spring. The field hockey event—held over the 2017 Easter weekend—is DE Turf Sports Complex’s first major tournament.

PPG and the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins have reached a 20-year naming rights agreement to rename the former Consol Energy Center as PPG Paints Arena. PPG has also become the official paint supplier of the Penguins.

In response to controversial legislation that requires transgender people to use bathrooms of their birth gender and removes other discrimination protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the Atlantic Coast Conference has relocated several of its championship events from Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2016 ACC Football Championship will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, December 3. The 2017 Baseball Championship will be held at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky, May 23–28. Additionally, the baseball championship will increase from 10 to 12 teams and feature a new pool play format.

The Palm Beach County (Florida) Sports Commission has announced the creation of the Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches, scheduled for December 28–30. The national high school invitational tournament will take place at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Olympic Heights Community High School in Boca Raton, William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Gardens Community High School.

Rising Star Sports Ranch Resort has opened in Mesquite, Nevada. The property features 210 rooms, many featuring bunk beds and adjoining rooms for parents and chaperones. In addition to meeting space, a restaurant and arcade, sports amenities include a full-size grass field for soccer, football, lacrosse and other field sports. A 30,000-square-foot field house called “The Barn” is currently under construction and will open in May 2017. The University of Utah Men’s Lacrosse Division I & Pro Exposure Camp will be held at the property in December.

Ironman has announced that it is adding a new Ironman 70.3 event in Madison, Wisconsin, which will replace the Wisconsin Milkman Triathlon. The event will take place June 11, 2017.

Vancouver, British Columbia, will host the 2017 North American Golf Innovation Symposium, which will take place March 6–7. The symposium will be the fourth hosted by the United States Golf Association and the first conducted outside of the United States.

The BMX course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky, has completed a $925,000 update. In addition to the renovation, USA BMX has signed a 10-year agreement to ensure that the Derby City Nationals will remain at Sawyer State Park through at least 2025.

Ford Center at The Star, the new world headquarters and practice facility of the Dallas Cowboys, has officially opened in Frisco, Texas. The 12,000-seat multipurpose indoor stadium can be booked for events.

Sponsors & Licensing

The Pac-12 and 76 have announced a multiyear agreement that makes the retail gas brand the presenting sponsor of the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Through the partnership, 76 will be the game’s first presenting sponsor in its six-year history.

The International Paralympic Committee and Ottobock, a manufacturer of wheelchairs, rehabilitation and medical products, have extended their worldwide partnership until the end of 2020. Ottobock has been an international partner since 2005 and has provided technical services for equipment used by Paralympians since 1988.

AEG and e-sports company ESL have announced a long-term global partnership intended to broaden the reach of e-sports. The partnership will enable ESL to stage events at AEG’s global network of venues. Additionally, the two companies are looking to develop new e-sports events and expand the ESL’s presence in the Asia Pacific region.

NASCAR and Mars Chocolate North America have renewed their partnership through 2019. Mars Chocolate will continue to serve as the official chocolate of NASCAR, a title it has held since 2000.

Greenlayer, a performance apparel company, has been named the official merchandising and sustainability partners of Running USA. Greenlayer will help convert finisher shirts and merchandise to more sustainable options and will offer preferred and discounted pricing to Running USA members.

And Finally…

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), also known as the World Air Sports Federation, has announced that it will hold its first international conference and expo on drones in 2017. A date has yet to be announced, but the event will focus on sports, innovation and safety. Founded in 1905 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, the FAI is the world governing body for air sports and for certifying world aviation and space records.

Note: The above “Press Box” information is available – with photos – in this PDF file.

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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 ’17 will be held October 30–November 2, in Orlando, Florida. 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.