Sports Organizations
USA Canoe/Kayak has appointed Joe Jacobi chief executive officer. Jacobi, who had been interim CEO since October 2009, is a two-time Olympian in canoe racing. He retired from elite competition after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and has since continued in the sport through network broadcasting, professional speaking, coaching and serving on the USA Canoe/Kayak board of directors.
USA Water Ski has named Bob Crowley executive director. Crowley has spent 15 years in sports organization management, most recently as executive director of U.S. Speedskating. He has also been associate executive director of U.S. Figure Skating.
Andy Jugan has been named director of athletics at the University of Great Falls in Montana. Jugan was previously commissioner of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference in Michigan, served as executive director of USA Water Ski and was the first executive director of the Greater Louisville Sports Commission.
FIBA Americas, the Pan-American Basketball Confederation of the International Basketball Federation, has appointed Jim Tooley to serve as first vice-president for the 2010–14 term. Tooley has been executive director and CEO of USA Basketball since January 2001. Before that he was USA Basketball’s assistant executive director for men’s programs.
Kevin Couture has been appointed to the new position of events manager at USA Hockey. Couture has been with the organization since 2004, most recently as manager of adult hockey operations.
U.S. Youth Soccer has promoted Kim Goggans to director of marketing. Goggans has been with the organization for six years, most recently as senior marketing manager. Previously, she worked in radio and at Kidd’s Kids, a nonprofit organization established to help children with illnesses.
Hugh Robertson has been named minister for sport for the U.K., a high-profile post in the new coalition government. Robertson, a member of Parliament, has spent the past six years as shadow sports minister. His new post will combine the roles of the minister for sport with those of the former Olympics minister.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has announced its plans for the 2012 torch relay. The Olympic flame will arrive in the U.K. on May 18, 2012, and travel around the country for 70 days before arriving in London the weekend before the Games. The relay will be presented by Coca-Cola, Samsung, and Lloyds TSB, a U.K. bank.
This month, the College Football Hall of Fame will induct the 2010 divisional class, which considers players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions I and II, and the NAIA. The four players are Emerson Boozer, Maryland Eastern Shore (1962–65); Troy Brown, Marshall (1991–92); Brian Kelley, California Lutheran (1969–72); and Milt Morin, Massachusetts (1963–65). The two coaches are Willie Jeffries, Howard (1984–88), Wichita State (1979–83) and South Carolina State (1973–78 and 1989–2001), and Ted Kessinger, Bethany (1976–2003).
Hosts & Suppliers
Janet Kersey is the new president and CEO of the Daytona Beach (Florida) Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Kersey was previously the bureau’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer. She succeeds Sharon Mock, who retired in May after working at the bureau since 1987.
Monica Smith has been named president and CEO of the Macon-Bibb County (Georgia) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Smith was previously director of sales and client services for the Pasadena (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau. She succeeds Janice Marshall, who recently retired.
Bill McMillan has been appointed as senior director of sales at Visit Charlotte. McMillan was most recently director of marketing and business development for the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. Before that, he worked with the Charlotte Convention Center, SouthPark Suites Hotel and the Charlotte Hilton/University Place.
Mark Riviello has been named marketing manager at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Most recently, Riviello worked with AAA baseball’s Charlotte Knights as vice-president of marketing and development.
The Southwest Washington Convention & Visitors Bureau in
Vancouver, Washington, has introduced a new brand: Visit Vancouver USA/Discover the Original. The name and tagline are aimed at raising the city’s profile and differentiating it from Vancouver, British Columbia. The bureau also has a new business name, the Vancouver USA Regional Tourism Office, and a new website.
Ludus Sports, a company offering hotel packages for events including the Olympic Games, has appointed Ian Hamilton vice-president of its international division. Hamilton was division director for Prime Strategies, an agency in Vancouver, British Columbia, and London 2012 will be the seventh Olympic Games he has worked on.
USA Triathlon has formed a partnership with VolunteerLocal, a Web-based system that helps pair volunteers with athletic competitions and other events. VolunteerLocal will help the organization secure volunteers for three of its national championship events this year: the Collegiate National Championship in Lubbock, Texas; the Age Group, Elite and Sprint National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and the Junior Triathlon Festival in San Diego.
K&K Insurance Group has lowered the rates for its amateur sports tournaments and events program. Rates have been reduced as much as 60 percent and apply to U.S. amateur events with up to 2,500 participants or 7,500 spectators. K&K also has a new website, sportsinsurance-kk.com.
Sites & Venues
The New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will play host to a soccer match between the U.S. men’s team and Brazil on August 10, less than a month after the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The match will be shown live on ESPN2 and can be followed online with USSoccer.com’s MatchTracker and at twitter.com/ussoccer.
Salt Lake City will be the site of the 2011 U.S. junior figure skating championships December 14–18, 2010. The event will involve more than 400 athletes from across the country.
The NHL Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field in the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. It will be the fourth NHL regular-season game played outdoors in the U.S. Also, Calgary, Alberta, is expected to host the NHL Heritage Classic on February 20, 2011, pitting the Flames against the Montreal Canadiens at McMahon Stadium.
The 2011 International Blind Sports Federation world youth championships have been awarded to the city of Colorado Springs. The event is scheduled for July 13–18, 2011, and will include goalball, judo, swimming and power lifting.
Austin, Texas, will host Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix from 2012 through 2021. A new facility will be built to host the event. The U.S. last hosted a Formula One race in Indianapolis in 2007.
Indianapolis has been selected to host the NCAA Division I, II and III men’s and women’s swimming & diving championships twice each between 2012 and 2017. The events will take place at the IU Natatorium at Indiana University–Purdue University. The Division I men’s and women’s meets were held at the venue nine times from 1983 to 1999.
Aviva Stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road Stadium) has opened in Dublin, Ireland. The facility, which can seat up to 50,000 spectators, plans to host international sporting events, including rugby and soccer matches, as well as concerts and meetings. The stadium has more than 50 meeting spaces, including a conference center, that can accommodate groups of up to 800 people.
The 25-story Sheraton/Brooklyn New York has opened with 321 guest rooms. Amenities include a rooftop lounge with views of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, a fitness center, an indoor pool, a restaurant, and 4,300 square feet of meeting space.
Along the Mississippi River in Minnesota’s state capital, the Saint Paul Meeting Center has opened with 70,000 square feet of function and exhibit space, from boardrooms to grand ballrooms, including the 10,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed Great River Ballroom. The center also has 700 guest rooms, two fitness centers, two indoor swimming pools, and on-site dining, lounges and coffee bar.
The Hyatt Regency/Century Plaza in Los Angeles has renovated its Executive Conference Center and its Plaza Level. On the Plaza Level, which has 12,000 square feet of meeting space, upgrades include new carpeting, lighting, chairs and sofas; a new open floor plan for one of the two junior ballrooms; and a new business center. The Executive Conference Center consists of eight meeting rooms with new carpeting and lighting, ergonomic chairs, and wood-finished conference tables.
The Westin Galleria Houston has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. The centerpiece is a new lobby, which features new landscaping and mood lighting, reception pods for personal check-in, and a suspended metal sculpture. The hotel’s 487 guest rooms and 77,000 square feet of meeting space have also been updated.
Sponsors & Licensing
The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has reached a three-year agreement with the Southern California Tennis Association to serve as title sponsor of the ATP World Tour 250 and Olympus U.S. Open Series men’s professional tennis tournament, held each summer at UCLA. In 2009, the company was presenting sponsor of the event, which will now be called the Farmers Classic and is scheduled this year for July 26–August 1.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and Bridgestone Canada have renewed their sponsorship agreement with the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bridgestone will be the title sponsor of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, support the NHL’s media properties, including NHL.com, and support the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Presented by Bridgestone and the Bridgestone Mark Messier Youth Leadership Award.
The apparel company VF Corp. (based in Greensboro, North Carolina) has become a presenting sponsor of the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Under the agreement, the company’s Lucy and Kipling brands will play major roles in supporting the event, scheduled for January 22–23, 2011, in Greensboro.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has signed a licensing deal with Universal Music Group. The music company will exclusively release London 2012–branded music; compose, publish and record London 2012–related music; and advise the organizing committee on all aspects of music at the Games.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority’s Dakota Dunes Casino has extended its sponsorship of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour. Under the agreement, the tour will continue its stop in Saskatchewan through 2013 with the Dakota Dunes Casino Open, which was formerly the Saskatchewan Open.
Job Openings
Spurs Sports & Entertainment have several new job openings. The available titles are partnership activation coordinator; interactive web design coordinator; group sales representative; administrative assistant—franchise; and media services manager.
And Finally…
ACES, the Association of Chief Executives for Sport, held its annual conference in mid-May in Colorado Springs. Sponsors included SportsTravel, the TEAMS Conference & Expo and SMG, which manages stadiums, arenas and convention centers worldwide.
