Guest blog by Rick Hatcher

Sports events mean big numbers for host cities, including non-professional events. For some events, the numbers really add up.

I recently attended the Big South National Volleyball Qualifier in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. Billed as the nation’s largest indoor volleyball event held over one weekend, this event was action-packed for three full days and nights. For the host city, the good news was that the action spilled beyond the stadium floor.

The Big South National Qualifier is in its 20^th year and is one of nine national volleyball tournaments that serve as a qualifier for the USA Junior Olympic Girl’s Volleyball Championships. Traditionally, this event has teams from more than 30 states participating in both the Open and Club Division. The Atlanta event drew more than 800 teams, which translated to 9,000 girls and coaches. Add about 300 collegiate volleyball coaches who came to watch the players (ages 10-18), plus parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc., and the total exceeded an estimated 38,000.

Many of these players, coaches and family members stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants, shopped in stores and took in the local attractions. The economic impact of this single event was estimated to be more than $19 million dollars for the city of Atlanta and surrounding areas.

Today, more and more convention and visitors bureaus and sports commissions appreciate the value of hosting girls’ sporting events and the positive effect on the local economy. The probability of mom, dad and other family members traveling with the player is even greater when the event is a national qualifier for an even larger event.

As a former executive director of two sports commissions, I welcome the changes I have seen as cities, recognizing the value of their niche in the sports tourism industry, have added value and restructured their marketing plans to position themselves as the best host site for sporting events. Being able to provide quality hotels and restaurants close to the venue is only part of the equation. They have also worked on creating the “experience” for families, promoting tourist attractions for the participants and family members. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Rick Hatcher is sports marketplace coordinator for Connect. He has more than 20 years of experience in the sports travel industry and collegiate coaching arena. He most recently was president and CEO of the Lexington Area Sports Authority in Lexington, Ky. Before that, he was executive director of the Tallahassee Sports Council, and senior director of sales and marketing of the Tallahassee Area CVB in Tallahassee, Fla. He also served on the board of directors of the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) for four years, the executive committee for three years and then as chairman of the NASC for one year. He has been on numerous committees for the NASC, is a standing member of the NASC Leadership Council and a graduate of the Certified Sports Events Executive (CSEE) program.

Hatcher was a college baseball coach at the University of Tennessee, Georgia Tech and the University of South Carolina.