Field Notes

My friends…it is time. It is time we all start looking forward. The coronavirus has certainly thrown us a curveball. The pandemic has forced many of us to furlough and even lay off employees, rework and reduce budgets, to think what is truly important to our various organizations, and dial in what used to be a broad approach to events.

Though it is welcoming to see so many destinations and rights holders begin hosting events again, we are far from fully turning the corner. We must shift our thinking. Hopefully, everyone has used this downtime to adjust strategic plans, keeping in mind both internal and external factors that may come into play. Additionally, and maybe most important, how have you thought about becoming a better industry partner? As promising as it is to see events coming back across the country, it does not change the fact that we have a significant dilemma on the horizon before us. This is a topic I refer to as The Crossroads. What is The Crossroads? Destinations are cutting budgets and therefore awarding fewer dollars in support to rights holders. Rights holders need help to survive through the pandemic, as many are holding on by a shoestring. Furthermore, events are smaller due to set guidelines; thus, fewer people are traveling. But event costs are higher as rights holders must prepare for COVID-19 measures. So, what is the solution?

This is the conversation we, as an industry, must be laserfocused on. Now more than ever, destinations and rights holders must become creative together, find and meet in the middle, and take the right risks as a team.

Are you having these conversations with your colleagues? Our promise to our readership is to shift our thinking, so look out for changes to our outreach, dialogue, and social media focus. In the coming weeks, the mindset shift will be reflected in retitling the Sports Tourism Industry COVID-19 Resource Group - PUSH Sports Facebook page to US Sports Tourism Experts. We’ll use this group to move the conversation forward, starting with the topic of The Crossroads. Let’s work together to PUSH our industry forward!