|
Featured Article | |
More than 50 local businesses and individuals are in The Club, and you should be too! If you joined today you would have access to Arnold Palmer Invitational grounds passes, Astros Spring Training tickets, Predators tickets and much more!
As an example of one of the networking opportunities, we will be hosting a panel discussion titled the Business of Football on Thursday, February 9th. Panelists, including executives from EA SPORTS, the Orlando Predators and
XOS Digital, will discuss the increasing impact of the football industry on our economy. Moderated by Josh Mora, Sports Marketing & Media Program Director at Full Sail University, the Business of Football will be held at 8:30 am in the Gray Robinson offices in downtown Orlando. Entry is free for sports club members and $15 for non-members. Space is limited, so click HERE to RSVP today!
New Sports Club members for the month of December include Cross Fernandez & Riley, Rise and Wawa.
Click HERE for a complete list of benefits for The Sports Club or HERE to see all our current members. If you are interested in joining contact Matt Masterson at
407-648-4900 ext. 11 or through email by clicking HERE.
| |
|
|
|
| | A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM BRENT | |
On behalf of the Central Florida Sports Commission, I would like to thank each of our partners for your continued support which made 2011 a very successful year for us in both Orange County and the City of Orlando. We are excited about what 2012 will bring, and how we can continue to market our regions assets as a premiere destination for sports related events and meetings.
December saw the best high school football players in Florida competing at the FHSAA Football Finals in eight great games here at the Citrus Bowl. Unfortunately no Central Florida teams advanced to the finals, however that should result in an increase in room nights and economic impact for the region. Initial estimates indicate that the FHSAA Football Finals will generate nearly $5 million in economic impact for our community. We look forward to the FHSAA Football Finals returning to the City of Orlando in 2012!
 The Orlando Magic are off to a hot start to the season, and we look forward to welcoming all the NBA stars to Orlando for the 2012 NBA-All Star Game. From February 23 to 26, the NBA All-Star weekend will feature non-stop action at the Orange County Convention Center and the Amway Center. For more information on NBA All-Star 2012, visit www.nba.com/allstar2012.
The New Year brings new resolutions for many of you and new opportunities to Central Florida. The Sports Commission has a busy January in store with planned travel to two industry trade shows, where we hope to provide many new event prospects for our community. Read about our recent activity below in this month's impact report.
Happy New Year! |
|
Best Regards,
Brent Nelson
Interim President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
| ECONOMIC IMPACT |
Month of November (2011)
Hotel Room Nights: 4,116
Tax Recovery: $25,121.96
Economic Impact: $977,044.50
Number of Participants: 1,673
Number of Spectators: 5,006
Number of Events: 1
Year to Date (through November, 2011)
Hotel Room Nights: 69,330
Tax Recovery: $581,680.18
Economic Impact: $33,957.495.75
Number of Participants: 23,461
Number of Spectators: 61,794
Number of Events: 10 |
|
|
IN THE PIPELINE | |
As mentioned above, the Central Florida Sports Commission is sending representation to two (2) national conventions this month. The first is the US Lacrosse Convention which will be staged in Philadelphia from Jan 13 - 15th. Billed as "the unofficial start to the lacrosse season," this event gathers the very best the sport has to offer, and provides the sport's largest educational opportunity, with over 5,000 coaches, officials, program administrators and exhibitors in attendance each year. This convention will provide the Sports Commission the opportunity to network with potential event organizers and coaches that might be interested in booking one of our various venues within the City of Orlando and Orange County.
The same week, we will be sending staff to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Kansas City. Billed as "The World's Largest Annual Gathering of Soccer Coaches," each year the NSCAA Convention draws approximately 4,000 coaches from our 30,000-plus members, and more than 9,000 attendees over five days. Like the US Lacrosse Convention, this convention will allow the Sports Commission to promote our area assets to interested parties that might want to book the Citrus Bowl or one of our other multi-purpose venues for an event or team training. |
|
|
| WINS & LOSSES
(As of December, 2011) |
Formal Bids Submitted: 9
Total Bids Won: 4
Total Bids Lost: 3
Bad news, the Sports Commission recently learned Orlando was not chosen to host the 2012 USA Fencing Summer National Championships. USA Fencing had been looking for a site to stage this event for this coming summer. The proposed venue would have been the Orange County Convention Center. Based on our diligence, over 8,000+ participants, coaches and spectators would be in attendance at this particular event. While the final site has not been released, we are under the impression that USA Fencing will be taking the event to the West Coast. Despite the news, we will continue to work with USA Fencing with the goal of hosting of one of their events in Orlando in the near future.
In other news, the Sports Commission has been in touch with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with respect to potentially hosting their Women's Gymnastics Championships at the Amway Center. Held each March, the event draws some of the very best gymnasts from within the United States to compete for conference bragging rights. Georgia, Florida, Alabama, LSU and Auburn are a few of the teams usually in attendance. The SEC is looking for a host venue for their 2013 - 2015 Championships. Proposals are due to the SEC in the next month, so stay tuned to see if we end up making a run at this prestigious event.
|
|
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
|
Monster Jam
January 28
Florida Citrus Bowl
Website
Dick Batchelor Run for the Children 5K
January 28
Universal Orlando Resort
Website
NBA All-Star Weekend
February 23-26
Orange County Convention Center & Amway Center
Website
Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic
February 24 - March 3
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Website
|
|
|
| COMMUNITY PROFILE |
Evans High School boys basketball opened their new gym last week and honored their 1975 state championship team.
The fans used to be jammed into Evans' old basketball gym. And it wasn't only because of the Trojans' success. Or because the place only seated slightly less than 1,000. Evans' home gym, dubbed the "Snake Pit,'' had no central air conditioning or heating.
Evans' new gym opened officially on Wednesday, January 4th when the Trojans hosted state-ranked Olympia, and capped off the exciting night with a 64-61 win! Because of the school construction this was the Trojans' first true home game since 2009. The new gym has a capacity of 2,100, more than double the old facility.
During halftime of Friday (January 6th) night's game against Apopka, Evans honored the '75 champions - the only boys basketball state title for Evans. Anchored by NBA star Darryl Dawkins, Evans went 32-2 on its way to the 1975 title, and that team widely is considered one of the best in Florida history.
Click HERE to read the complete article by Austin Lyon in the Orlando Sentinel.
|
|
|
|
|
