Program

All attendees are required to visit the TEAMS ’22 Registration Center to pick up their credentials, which must be shown for all TEAMS sessions, transportation and social functions.

Need a place to meet up? Connect with business colleagues old and new in a relaxed setting at the TEAMS Welcome Center.

Join Dr. Jennifer Stoll from the Sports Events and Tourism Association as she provides a detailed overview of the role sports events and tourism plays in destinations, as well as simple ways to measure and communicate this impact in order to demonstrate value to local markets in terms they can understand. Whether you are a destination representative looking to gain community understanding of your work, a rights holder desiring to achieve an increased appreciation for what your event brings to a market, or an industry supplier curious about how to support this industry mindset shift, this course is for you! The course will include real-world examples and case studies to make sure participants leave armed with key actionable takeaways.

Those seeking STS accreditation will receive four credits for attending the course. This session is available as part of the Sports Tourism Learning Institute and is open for all TEAMS attendees regardless of Sports ETA member status. The cost to attend this session is $399 for Sports ETA members and $499 for non-Sports ETA members. For more information or to register, email Info@SportsETA.org.

Online registration closes on October 24, 2022. You will be able to register on-site; however, payment must be received at the time of registration.

The State Games of America is a biennial Olympic-style event featuring competition between thousands of State Games medal winners from across the nation. In this session, hear from Kevin Cummings, the State Games of America Committee chairman and National Congress of State Games vice president, who will discuss the bid process and hosting needs for future editions of the Games, and answer questions that potential host destinations may have about the event.

You may not consider gravel roads an asset when it comes to sports events, but some of the biggest events in cycling are happening on those roads in some of the most remote destinations. In this session, learn how several small- and mid-sized destinations have built enormous followings and attracted record numbers of visitors in the form of cyclists who crave the experience of riding on gravel. Hear how these events are organized, how they’ve grown and how your community can take advantage of one of its most underappreciated assets.  

If you’re new to TEAMS or are in need of a refresher, you’ll want to attend this fast-paced briefing on how to maximize the productivity and business success of your TEAMS experience. Hear from veteran attendees from both the host city and event organizer perspectives on how to make the most of your time at TEAMS.

Jason Gewirtz, vice president of the Northstar Meetings Group Sports Division, Zac Craig, president of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Rocky Harris, chief of sport and athlete services for the USOPC, will welcome everyone to the opening session of TEAMS, SportsLink and the NGB Best Practices Seminar.

The Opening Session will examine what may be the most consequential piece of sports legislation ever to the Olympic and Paralympic movement and the sports landscape. From its signing in 1972, Title IX has become the backbone for which women’s sports have climbed from decades of inequity and ignorance to the spot they have today. Particularly for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement, the past decade has seen the biggest names and biggest accomplishments come from the women’s teams. In this session, we discuss the leaps that women’s sports have made in the past 50 years but also what remains to be done in the future for true equality to be achieved.

During this fast-paced reverse trade show, meet with event organizers to fill available spots on your appointment schedule or discuss other times to meet during TEAMS. The marketplace is designed for quick check-ins so make sure you are not depriving others of their time to meet with event organizers, who will be stationed at designated tables.

Open to event organizers, exhibitors and sponsors only.

Enjoy a relaxing, unstructured hour on the TEAMS Expo Floor, getting to know key contacts in the sports-event industry whom you haven’t met and reintroducing yourself to the people you do know.

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Omni and Fairfield Inn: In front of the Oklahoma City Convention Center across the street from the Omni Oklahoma City near Mick Cornett Drive

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Sheraton, Colcord or Wyndham: In front of the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Courtyard by Marriott along E.K. Gaylord Boulevard.

Join us for the Opening Celebration of TEAMS ’22 with a true Oklahoma flavor at The Jones Assembly, Oklahoma City’s premier destination for food, spirits and music located on the west end of downtown on historic Film Row. Enjoy live music at the site where national recording artists stop and experience the signature cocktails that have made The Jones Assembly famous. 

All attendees are required to visit the TEAMS ’22 Registration Center to pick up their credentials, which must be shown for all TEAMS sessions, transportation and social functions.

Need a place to meet up? Connect with business colleagues old and new in a relaxed setting at the TEAMS Welcome Center.

Most motorsports events are confined to a specific venue suitable for the competition. But the Great Race has brought a grass-roots concept to motorsports competition that also allows multiple locations to get a piece of the economic engines involved. In this session, hear about the unique nature of the event’s competition from the event organizer and destinations that hosted stages of the race. Learn how one organization has embraced the multi-city concept to spread the benefit across multiple destinations and how those destinations have taken advantage of the spotlight in return.

Join your colleagues and fellow attendees as we announce the winners of the 2022 SportsTravel Awards in this celebration of the sports-event industry. The National Congress of State Games will also present its Athlete of the Year Awards and special lifetime achievement recognitions, and Compete Sports Diversity and the USOPC will honor recipients for their diversity efforts. 

In addition, Olympic speedskater Brittany Bowe, the 2022 Winter Games Team USA flag bearer whose selfless act of sportsmanship allowed her teammate a spot on the program in Beijing, will deliver a keynote speech about her journey to the top.

Pick-up and drop-off: In front of the Oklahoma City Convention Center across the street from the Omni Oklahoma City near Mick Cornett Drive.

Receive a welcome the SportsLink program from our emcees, curlers John Shuster and Chris Plys, and settle in for an educational afternoon at the Oklahoma City Boathouse District.

SportsLink sessions are open to all TEAMS attendees but space at the boathouse is limited and will require an RSVP, which is detailed in the event registration system.

The revitalization of the Oklahoma River is a case study in how a destination can rethink its entire sports landscape with creative thinking and community goodwill. In this session, learn how Oklahoma City became the center of rowing and canoe/kayak, the impact that investment has had on athlete and event development, and how a citywide vision can help put a destination on the Olympic and Paralympic map. Afterwards, tour some of Riversport OKC and see firsthand how a community investment in sports can be a benefit on and off the field of play.

SportsLink sessions are open to all TEAMS attendees but space at the boathouse is limited and will require an RSVP, which is detailed in the event registration system.

After our panel discussion, take a guided tour of the Oklahoma City Boathouse District, including Riversport OKC, home to the official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site for whitewater and flatwater canoe/kayak and rowing. See firsthand the venues that have put Oklahoma City on the Olympic and Paralympic map and see how the area has transformed the Oklahoma River into a playground for elite athletes and recreation enthusiasts alike.

Space on the tours is limited and attendees must register for the education session to take the tour.

Continue your networking by joining us for an outdoor happy hour block party on Mick Cornett Avenue between the Omni Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Convention Center. 

This is your opportunity to discover all that Oklahoma City has to offer! For information on food and entertainment discounts courtesy of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, click here.

Complete your night out in Oklahoma City and rejoin fellow TEAMS ’22 attendees at the TEAMS ’22 Late-Night Lounge, the extended-hours networking opportunity pioneered by the TEAMS Conference. Enjoy the world’s finest bourbon from our hosts at Team Kentucky and music at The Tap House, our setting for an informal and productive location to pursue your sports-related business objectives, conveniently located at the Omni Oklahoma City.

All attendees are required to visit the TEAMS ’22 Registration Center to pick up their credentials, which must be shown for all TEAMS sessions, transportation and social functions.

Need a place to meet up? Connect with business colleagues old and new in a relaxed setting at the TEAMS Welcome Center.

Volunteer help is the lifeline for any destination hosting a major event and for the event organizer bringing their event to a destination. Without volunteers, there may not be a sports event in the country that could go off without a hitch. But in some places around the country, what was a vast volunteer database has diminished since the pandemic. Learn how event organizers and destinations have adjusted and what incentives organizers and destinations can give to entice volunteers to come back again and again.

One way that cities can capitalize on hosting events is to host several at once. The concept of an Olympic and Paralympic sport series is one where NGBs can combine resources by hosting several of their championships in one location, adding overall prestige to the events and increasing community interest in a variety of sports. In this session, hear from NGB leaders interested in developing a series concept and how your community can partner with them on future events. And, come with your own questions and ideas from a destination perspective to help drive the concept forward.

SportsLink sessions are open to all TEAMS attendees.

The NCAA Women’s College World Series has become one of the most-watched softball tournaments in the world. And in 2022, it set an all-time attendance record at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. But that growth hasn’t come by accident. In this session, learn how USA Softball, the NCAA and Oklahoma City leaders have partnered for the long term on stadium development, event development, marketing and promotion to take an event that was already best in class to an entirely new level and hear firsthand from athletes about the experience.

SportsLink sessions are open to all TEAMS attendees.

The Closing General Session will set the stage for next year’s TEAMS. Attendees will receive a special invitation to TEAMS ‘23, October 2–5, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida. The session will also include exciting announcements regarding future host cities for TEAMS.

Following those announcements, we will settle into a discussion on the state of youth sports. Youth sports are a bigger industry than any professional sports league in the country and are valuable for destinations of all sizes. With multisport venues continuing to be built around the country, the industry shows no signs of slowing. But challenges remain, from keeping children safe at events to getting them engaged in the first place. In this session, hear from leaders in the youth sports space on the industry’s most pressing issues, opportunities for sports organizations and destinations to work together, and the future of youth sports across the landscape.

Appointments will start at 2:30 p.m.

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Omni and Fairfield Inn: In front of the Oklahoma City Convention Center across the street from the Omni Oklahoma City near Mick Cornett Drive

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Sheraton, Colcord or Wyndham: In front of the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel

Pick-up and drop-off for guests at the Courtyard by Marriott along E.K. Gaylord Boulevard.

We’ve made a fun after-dinner plan, courtesy of our future host cities of TEAMS ’23 and beyond. The Closing Party will be held at Chicken N Pickle, where you can experience the fastest-growing sport in the country – pickleball! In addition to the opportunity to try your hand at America’s new favorite sport, our program will conclude with beverages, snacks and yard games. And make sure to be on hand at 8:30 p.m. for the announcement of the winners of the Event Organizer Contest, who will take home a total of $5,000 in cash prizes!