One advantage to having proprietary software is that over time, you can accumulate mounds of data that can be used for the common good. Our Sports Tourism Index™ platform is now nearly six years old. Over 350 destinations have entered their data, which includes over 5,600 facilities, and nearly 1,200 events, making it the deepest and richest sports tourism database in the industry. While we never intended for the Index to become what it has, we realize that the importance of mining the data for the greater good of the industry is imperative.
As we have done in the past, today’s Monday’s Huddle Up will shed some light on recent findings our team has uncovered by sifting through the data. Here are three takeaways that we hope are helpful to your organization and the communities you serve…..
Dates – Of the events in our database, take a guess about when they are held? May leads the way (22%), followed by March (18%), November (13%), and April (12%). None of the other months host any more than 7%. The key takeaway? Given your weather patterns, does your destination have the venue mix to host events in these key months?
Artificial Turf – To turf or not to turf? Maybe this intel can help answer that question. While over 49% of the field sports events in our database require artificial turf surfaces, only 39% of the venues of this type have ANY artificial turf at all. When considering facility enhancements or new construction, are you taking this type of data into account when deciding what to invest in?
Event Size – Nearly half (47%) of all events on our platform have less than 750 total attendees, including athletes and spectators. This datapoint alone shows that small and mid-tier markets likely have the ability to host a myriad of events. Our industry is more about the little guy today than it was 20 years ago when the larger markets controlled the narrative.
The amount of intelligence that can be gleaned from solid data is endless. Today, more than ever before, we can lean on data to make intentional and intelligent decisions about where to place our proverbial bets most effectively.
Lean into the data. Make smart and informed decisions to set your strategy. It doesn’t have to be “Moneyball” to be effective.
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