Tourney Central recently was a major sponsor of the Montgomery County-Dayton (Ohio) Convention and Visitors Bureau Ambassador Awards Breakfast. This is a well established annual event recognizing community leaders who bring large events and visitors to the area. Several key figures were in attendance including past award winners, county commissioners, local media and CVB staff. The event was inspirational, filled with community pride and offered great networking opportunities. Eight individuals were recognized this year! They included conference planners to a Junior Olympic Volleyball tournament director. The audience was just as diverse; from National Park Service staff to members of the local hotel industry.
Our advice: Why weren’t you there? Why didn’t you sponsor this event? These type of events offer a great opportunity to promote your soccer event, demonstrate civic pride and show dignitaries your event adds value to the local community. We did see representatives from a couple local soccer tournaments. In our opinion, this isn’t enough. Every tournament in the area should have attended. Tournament Directors should seek out local visitors bureau staff to discuss hotel trends, sponsorship patterns and collaborate on promoting your event. Consider attending or sponsoring community events in your area that can provide similar value.