Sports Marketing
DEBUT OF GRSA
Debuted a new name and brand—the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA)—along with a new advisory board of local sports leaders. The 21-member advisory board is made up of sports, government, tourism and hospitality officials who play key roles in the sports event industry in Greater Raleigh. GRSA also added a staff member with the hire of Michael Robson as sports coordinator. Robson was previously GRCVB's destination database coordinator.
GOALS SURPASSED
Exceeded all sales goals, finishing the fiscal year with 71 assisted bookings, accounting for more than 114,000 projected total hotel room-nights and $39.3 million in direct visitor spending for the area.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Assisted host partners in securing future NCAA championship events including the 2014 Division I Men's Basketball Championship second and third rounds (PNC Arena's third time hosting the Men's Basketball Championship), the 2014 and 2015 Division II Baseball Championships to be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, a 2014 Division I Men's Golf Regional and the 2015 Division I Women's Golf East Regional to be held at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at North Carolina State University and the 2014 Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held at the George Williams Athletic Complex at Saint Augustine's University.
WORLD-CLASS ENDURANCE EVENTS
Establishing Greater Raleigh as a world-class endurance event destination, GRSA and local partners secured multi-year agreements to host the IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh triathlon (2013-2015) and the Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon and Half Marathon (2014-2016). The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh (June 2, 2013) was the first IRONMAN race ever hosted in N.C., and the event was a smashing success by all measures with more than 2,300 athletes from 43 states and 15 countries competing. The triathlon made its mark by strengthening the area's brand as a leading national sports event destination as well as generating more than $2.5 million in director visitor spending. The inaugural Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon and Half Marathon is set for April 13, 2014.
MORE SIGNATURE BOOKINGS
GRSA and local partners worked to bring new signature events to the area including the inaugural USA Baseball-Irish Classic, a partnership between the University of Notre Dame and USA Baseball bringing six NCAA Division I baseball teams to the area for a weekend tournament; USA Ultimate's 2013 U.S. Open Championships and Convention, the world's premier international invitational ultimate (flying disc) tournament with 24 teams from around the globe competing at WRAL Soccer Center; N.C. AAU Tobacco Road Summer Showdown, featuring 100 boys and girls basketball teams at the Raleigh Convention Center; and Shaw University Softball Challenge, hosting 26 NCAA Division II softball teams from across the Southeastern U.S. for the inaugural event held at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
DEEP SOUTH CLASSIC
Aided in basketball taking center court at the Raleigh Convention Center for the first time. The Deep South Classic brought together 272 of the top girls basketball teams in the nation and put them under one roof, using 18 courts in the convention center's exhibit hall. A success by any measure, teams filled up more than 30 Wake County hotels, generating more than 8,000 total room-nights and $2.5 million in direct visitor spending. More than 400 college coaches also traveled to Raleigh for recruiting purposes.
MORE KEY EVENTS SUPPORTED
Provided hosting support for a multitude of events including 12 N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state championships, a variety of USA Baseball events, CASL visitRaleigh.com National Soccer Series, Senior Softball-USA Eastern National Championships, North American Table Tennis Championships, USA BMX Redline Cup Finals, ACC Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, ACC Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, Great American Cross Country Festival, Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship, National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet, Mid-Atlantic Power League (MAPL) Raleigh Volleyball, US Lacrosse Southeast Championships, Pop Warner Mid-South Football and Cheerleading Championships and more.
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
GRSA executive director Scott Dupree currently serves on the Greater Raleigh Sports Council's steering committee. Tori Collins, associate director, served as Immediate Past Chair of the N.C. Sports Association (NCSA) and currently serves on the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) awards committee. Jason Philbeck, sports marketing manager, is a board member of NCSA and is currently chair of NCSA's strategic planning committee.
READERS' CHOICE AWARD
Voted a 2013 Readers' Choice Award winner by SportsEvents Magazine readers. The award was determined by votes from sports events planners, tournament directors and event owners from around the country, according to the magazine. This marks the second consecutive year that GRSA has earned the "Readers' Choice" recognition.
TRADESHOWS ATTENDED
Represented Raleigh and Wake County at the following sports tradeshows: NASC, NASC Market Segment Meeting, TEAMS Conference and Expo, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) SportsLink, Connect Marketplace, U.S. Aquatic Sports, The Real AAU Convention, USA Track and Field Annual Meeting, Amateur Softball Association of America, United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) National Convention, American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Convention, US Youth Soccer and the US Lacrosse National Convention.