SportsTravel Magazine

The Canadian Hockey League and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program will look to capitalize on the sport’s cross-border rivalry by having its top draft-eligible prospects face off in an annual two-game series starting in November. The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League face the?USA Hockey?National Under-18 Team.

"It can be a challenge sometimes, because you might think that you may not have the bandwidth to look at different opportunities, big or small. But we have a mindset of not only going after the larger events, but getting the smaller ones as well. Getting them more frequently is the goal.” Kayla Adams, national sports sales manager for VisitGreenvilleSC, has hit the ground running in her first year on the job.

Frontwave Arena in Sports San Diego opened officially on September 16 with its first event, the Gold Over America Tour starring Simone Biles. Frontwave Arena will serve as home for the 16-time champion San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League and the newly announced NBA G League San Diego Clippers.

One of our featured presenters at our upcoming TEAMS Conference & Expo next week in Anaheim is U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. We recently had the chance to sit down with Freeman in advance of our discussion on stage about the power of the sports market for our latest SportsTravel Podcast. If you are in the overall travel industry or at all associatied with sports-related travel, this is a must listen. The next decade in the United States will feature some of the largest sports events in the world, from the World Cup to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But there are policies at the federal level that need addressing if destinations hope to capitalize on that experience, first and foremost the wait times that exist for many overseas visitors to obtain a visa. In this conversation we tackle that and many more issues including: ? The health of the travel industry ??How sports fit in to the larger market ? Why it may be too late for some fans to visit for the World Cup unless policies change ? Advice on how best to advocate for your work at the local level ? How sports can help empower advocacy for travel "There's a variety of direct benefits that we'll get from these various events," Freeman says in our discussion. "There's also the indirect benefit. The indirect benefit is that it's a galvanizing opportunity to bring aspects of government together. To find ways to remove frictions in the travel process, to prioritize the need for improving the traveler experience, for addressing some antiquated policies. These are the things. The World Cup, the Olympics, the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics. All of these are a reason for leaders to come together and get stuff done." To listen, click here: https://lnkd.in/gkSsjwhe or subscribe to our podcast on all major platforms. And a special thanks to Visit Myrtle Beach or sponsoring this episode.

The anticipation for the TEAMS Conference is building -- we can't wait to see everybody there.

Seven candidates will compete in the election for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee – IOC at the 143rd IOC Session held from March 18–21, 2025, in Greece. The seven applicants officially announced their candidacies by the deadline of midnight on September 15. The group includes two former Olympic champions, a prince and the son of a former president. The global leaders of cycling, gymnastics and skiing also are in the mix.

The Prefontaine Classic has announced its dates for the 2025 edition, as the event returns to?Hayward Field?at the University of Oregon on July 5, 2025, for the 50th edition of the meet.

Angela Suggs, the president and chief executive officer of the Florida Sports Foundation, will be presented this week to trustees at Florida A&M University to be the school’s new vice president and athletics director as reported by Florida A&M fan site Rattler Nation.

The sports tourism industry continues to rise to new levels with each passing year, as it has not only recovered from COVID, but surpassed the pre-COVID years in many aspects. However, the upswing in sports business being brought into destinations has not correlated directly to local CVBs and sports commissions expanding their dedicated sports staff. Heath Dillard and Kayla Adams, from VisitGreenvilleSC, are bringing many large events to their area, as is Joel Koester, and the Tulsa Sports Commission. Jonathan Walker, of the Rhode Island Sports Commission, is doing big business in New England, while Explore York in Pennsylvania is excelling at youth and college sports.

Read the Fall 2024 digital edition?of SportsTravel! This issue offers a look at the college football season, a recap of the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, a look ahead to the Games in Los Angeles in 2028, and more: https://lnkd.in/gJsFieUc