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Featured Article | |
The PNC Bank SPORTYS - Central Florida Sports Awards & Hall of Fame
The PNC Bank SPORTYS @ Full Sail University will be the can't miss sports event of the year! Central Florida's version of the ESPYs, the PNC Bank SPORTYS will honor the top area high school, amateur, collegiate and professional athletes, coaches, deserving local residents and businesses throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties. Dwight Howard, Ryan Lochte, Austin Rivers, Jeff Godfrey, George O'Leary and Marvin Bracy top the list of SPORTY nominees.
During the show, the Class of 2011, including Doc Rivers, Chuck Rohe and Ricky Watters, will be inducted into the Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame. The Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame is the continuation of a great regional sports tradition, where over 80 Central Floridians have been honored for their distinguished accomplishments within professional and amateur sports since 1981.
An exciting, elegant evening of awards and entertainment, the PNC Bank SPORTYS @ Full Sail University will take place on Saturday, September 24th at 7 pm. Only a limited number of tickets are available to the public, so get yours today. Tickets are $70 per person or $575 for a corporate 10-pack. For more information and to purchase your tickets
click HERE.
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| | A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM | |
Orlando's Champion!
Congratulations to the Orlando City Lions for bringing home to Orlando the USL PRO National Championship. In front of an exuberant crowd of more than 11,000 fans at the Florida Citrus Bowl, the Lions played Harrisburg City to a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime. Orlando clinched the championship in penalty kicks, capping off the victory in electrifying fashion. With most of the team coming back next season, the Lions will be the preseason favorite to repeat as champions. Click HERE for more information on the Orlando City Lions and to purchase your season tickets for next year.
More champions will be recognized at the PNC Bank SPORTYS @ Full Sail University on September 24. The PNC Bank SPORTYS will honor the top area athletes, coaches, deserving local residents and businesses throughout Central Florida. Also during the show, we will induct the newest members into the Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame. More than a few Orange County sports stars including Dwight Howard, Jeff Godfrey, Austin Rivers and Marvin Bracy are nominated for awards. Doc Rivers, Chuck Rohe and Ricky Watters will be the Hall of Fame inductees. For more information and to purchase your tickets check out the featured article section on the left. See you there!
It has been a busy month on the business development front, with lots of great opportunities on the horizon for both the City of Orlando and Orange County. Read more about our recent activity below.
Thank you for your continued support, as we continue to market Orlando and Orange County as the "Ultimate Sports Destination". |
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
| ECONOMIC IMPACT |
Month of July, 2011
Hotel Room Nights: 3,402
Tax Recovery: $29,384.37
Economic Impact: $2,369,926.50
Number of Participants: 1,118
Number of Spectators: 18,182
Number of Events: 2
Year to Date (through July, 2011)
Hotel Room Nights: 10,885
Tax Recovery: $107,290.94
Economic Impact: $6,493,776.00
Number of Participants: 2,645
Number of Spectators: 32,311
Number of Events: 6 |
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IN THE PIPELINE | |
The Sports Commission, in conjunction with Visit Orlando, recently submitted a proposal to USA Fencing with regards to hosting their 2012 World Cup. This event would take place in June of 2012 and would feature fencers from 32 different countries. The event has previously been staged in New York City, but USA Fencing is looking at moving the event to another destination.
The Convention Center would serve as the host venue, with hotels adjacent to the Center (and down International Drive) serving as the proposed host hotels. Approximately 1,000+ room nights would be generated in the host community. We were recently notified that we were a finalist, along with Las Vegas, San Francisco and Chicago, so keep your fingers crossed as an answer should come from USA Fencing by the end of this month. Stay tuned!
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| WINS & LOSSES
(As of August, 2011) |
Formal Bids Submitted: 8
Total Bids Won: 4
Total Bids Lost: 1
The Sports Commission, in partnership with Visit Orlando, recently submitted a proposal to potentially host the 2014/2015 National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Annual Event Symposium. This annual conference brings sports commissions, convention & visitors bureaus and event organizers from across the United States together for educational and networking purposes. The conference is expected to generate approximately 2,000 room nights for the region, but more importantly provides the Sports Commission a platform to showcase our region's venues such as the Amway Center and Orange County Convention Center to potential event decision makers. The Coronado Springs Resort at Disney would serve as the host hotel. Approximately 80+ event organizers are typically in attendance at the conference, such as the NCAA, USA Gymnastics, USA Figure Skating, USA Fencing, USA Taekwondo and USA Volleyball, just to name a few. A decision expected to be announced in the spring of 2012, so stay tuned!
Next, the Sports Commission is proud to announce that we are working in conjunction with the University of Central Florida to bring the 2013 or 2014 Conference USA Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament to Orlando. The event is proposed to be staged at the UCF Arena in early March, and would attract 12 men's and 12 women's teams from across the United States to our community for multiple days of competitive action. Initial estimates have the tournament generating somewhere between 3k - 5k room nights for the host community. Moreover, the tournament is broadcasted nationally on CBS College Sports Network. A final presentation will be made in late September, so we hope to be able to announce the tournament is coming to Central Florida soon thereafter.
Staying on basketball, the Sports Commission and Visit Orlando recently researched a proposal from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regarding their 2013 & 2014 Men's and Women's Conference Basketball Championships. The MEAC Basketball Tournament is held annually in early March, and brings collegiate basketball teams from across the east coast together for the opportunity to crown a men's & women's conference basketball champions. Bethune Cookman, Florida A & M, Delaware State and Hampton are few of the schools that are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The proposed venue to host the tournament was the Amway Center. After our diligence, it was determined that we could not bid the event based on the MEAC's hosting parameters. The biggest factor was the financial commitment required by the host community to stage the event.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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| COMMUNITY PROFILE |
Fall signals the start of the high school football season. Culminating here in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl, the FHSAA Football Finals have historically featured several Central Florida high schools fighting for the state championship.
At this early point of the season, more than a few Orange County high schools are favorites to advance to the finals this December. Both Dr. Phillips and Winter Park are ranked in the top-ten in the state 8-A division, while Lake Highland Prep and Jones High School are ranked highly in the 4-A division. Stay tuned as the season progresses and even more Orange County teams make a push into the playoffs.
The FHSAA Football Finals will be held at the Citrus Bowl on December 9, 10, 16 & 17. Check out www.roadtoorlando.org for more information.
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