Big Ideas Turn into Big Business for Destinations

The Sports ETA Symposium in Tulsa session “Sports Tourism Success from Ideation to Execution” explored how destinations and facility operators are turning big ideas into successful, shovel-ready projects.

The panel led by Matt Avila and Ryan Sheridan from Hunden Partners discussed bringing sports facility developments to life, what it takes to remain competitive in an evolving landscape and how partnerships play a role in securing high-impact events.

The panel included Carlos Deliz, sports tourism director of Discover Puerto Rico; Matt Trnian, director of Grand Park Sports Campus; and Melissa Thompson, vice president of bids and external affairs at Indiana Sports Corp.

Deliz discussed how Puerto Rico has transformed from a vacation destination to a hub of sports tourism.

“Sports tourism has always been a strong performer in Puerto Rico, but we didn’t have an entity that was guiding the way,” Deliz said. “We sat down with key stakeholders and asked them what was working, what wasn’t and what we could improve. Participation in trade shows and hosting FAM trips and site visits allowed us to welcome event organizers and to see what possibilities were available to us. Being one of the younger DMOs out there, we’re proud of the change of perception we have with sports planners now.”

Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana, has become the most visited youth sports facility in the country since its opening in 2014. What was once a 60-acre park blossomed into a 400-acre facility with 60 fields.

“We had to get creative with how we could fill the calendar and drive the tourism that’s expected,” Trnian said. “The leap of faith that our mayor had to create this facility; we had to make sure to fill it. We needed to have people come to visit us and experience it and that’s what makes us a premier destination.

“There’s a drive within us to want to keep improving the facility, and we never want to be stagnant. When we reinvest back into the facility we want the teams and families that come to think that we have the premier destination in the country.”

The Indiana Sports Corp, the nation’s first sports commission, has driven Indianapolis to be one of the most successful events destinations in the country. The city has utilized all of its space to host events including the CFP championship, Final Four, NFL Combine and most recently the 2024 USA Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.

However, Indianapolis was out of space to build a smaller venue to fit the events that didn’t need an NFL stadium. So Indiana Sports Corp partnered with the city of Noblesville on the upcoming Arena at Innovation Mile, set to open in the summer of 2025. The arena will serve as the home venue for the Noblesville Boom, the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

“We want to be an ecosystem for sports business,” Thompson said. “Indianapolis has a reputation for really big events, but what’s been missing is the medium-sized venues to host NAIA events and other amateur championships. Now, we have Noblesville arena and 3,500 seats to host basketball, gymnastics and other sports. We’re starting to find that range to what we can do.”