UFC a knockout for Toronto tourism

Days before Canadian superstar Georges St-Pierre won his bout at UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre last April, a unanimous decision was already in among Toronto business owners like Carlos Gavilanes about the true victor of the bloody cage match: the cash register.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship went the distance for Toronto tourism and for local businesses, which took in an estimated $40 million from the most successful fight night in UFC history.

“We were completely sold out. It was our busiest night so far,” said Gavilanes of his new sports grill location at King St. W. and Duncan St., which opened on Super Bowl Sunday last February.

His staff got an early jump on the much-hyped welterweight matchup between St-Pierre and Jake Shields by pre-selling tickets at $20 a pop to watch it on the bar’s 100 flat screen TVs. They sold out all 450 seats, even though the sporting event was being held live just two blocks away.

The April 30 mixed martial arts show doubled the largest gate and attendance records (55,724) in UFC history. It also set a single-day event gate record for the domed stadium at $11.5 million.

“We could have sold 100,000 tickets (if we had the capacity), let alone the 55,000 we did sell,” says Silvio D’Addario, vice-president of events for Rogers Centre.

“It provided a huge opportunity for Toronto to showcase itself to the rest of the world,” he adds in an interview.

The spectacle did indeed put Toronto on the map for international tourists, with tickets sold on every continent except Antarctica, notes Tom Wright, director of the UFC’s Canadian operations.

“There’s no question this was not only a local event but a global event,” he says.

Even though there were concerns about the violent nature of the show, there’s no denying the popularity of the controversial event to Canadian cities, says Wright. Montreal has already hosted four UFC events and set the second-highest attendance record last December after Toronto. Two others have been held in Vancouver.

“It helps the breadth of offerings the city has to attract people,” says Alan Middleton, a marketing professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

“This was a one-off with a big presence. It begins to put Toronto into the tourist’s ‘mind map’,” he says.

So far Toronto has been good at drawing in families but not so when it comes to younger tourists, says Middleton, adding that this event was important in that it brought in mostly an under-30 audience.

“They are the future of tourism,” he says.

Overall, Moneris Solutions, Canada’s largest credit and debit card processor, issued a report last month showing a substantial increase in dollars spent in the city on Saturday, April 30, the day of the highly-anticipated Toronto event.

Restaurants enjoyed a 19.2 per cent jump in dollars spent compared week-over-week. Similarly, bars and pubs experienced a 15.7 per cent increase — confirming that in addition to the 55,724 fans at the Rogers Centre, many more watched the popular event outside their home.

The Moneris report also showed a sizable rise in retail spending from people who made their way to the downtown core. Apparel and sporting goods stores saw a 41.3 per cent and a 33 per cent jump in sales respectively.

And many people travelled to Toronto to experience the UFC in person, as evidenced by the 20.3 per cent rise in dollars spent at hotels, says the report.

“Toronto’s hotel occupancy rates were in the high 90s — which doesn’t usually happen in April,” notes Wright.

UFC Canada is finalizing an economic impact report on Toronto’s UFC bonanza that is expected out in August, he says, adding the $40 million estimate of the financial boon to Toronto is only a conservative estimate.

Another UFC bout will be held in either Toronto or Montreal in December.

D’Addario says after UFC 129’s huge success, Rogers Centre is looking at other big, one-time sporting events like a high profile boxing match down the road.

“It puts out a signal that we are open to being considered for major sporting, music and convention events,” says Middleton.

Normally at Shoeless Joe’s, Gavilanes doesn’t charge customers to watch UFC telecasts. But he wanted to prevent problems at the door the night of the event by selling out in advance since the downtown core was so busy, he explains.

Ringing up UFC impact

$11.5 — UFC earned a single-day event gate record for Rogers at $11.5 million

19.2 — Per cent jump in dollars spent at local restaurants week-over-week

15.7 — Per cent jump in dollars spent at area bars week over week

Source: Toronto Star

X Games adds three international events

ESPN will hold a bidding process to select the three new locations, with results expected to be announced in April 2012. New events might be added based on locales selected.

By Baxter Holmes

The X Games, the world's largest action sports competition, took a step toward increasing its global footprint Tuesday when ESPN officials announced it will double to six annual events beginning in 2013, with the new three events being held outside the U.S.

The franchise, now in its 17th year, currently holds events in Los Angeles during the summer and in Aspen, Colo., and Tignes, France, during the winter. But under the new plan, four total events will be international.

"It's absolutely great. I'm super pumped," said Travis Pastrana, a motocross and rally racing driver who has appeared in 11 X Games and won 17 medals — 11 of which are gold.

ESPN will hold a formal competitive bidding process to select the three new locations, which will be signed to three-year agreements and work with ESPN to stage the events. The bids are expected to be announced in April 2012, officials said.

Several criteria, such as location and a cooperating organization, are in consideration and ESPN has created a website – http://www.bidxgames.com – for cities to submit entries. Bids are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 1.

"Everybody's got a fair shot at this," said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN senior vice president of programming and Global X Games. "That's why we're going through the formal bid process."

It's yet to be decided which of the new events will be winter or summer events. Officials said it is possible new action sports events could be added if the location allows for it; for example, a surfing event could be a possibility for an X Games held in Australia.

But each event is set to be comparable in size to ones held in L.A. and Aspen.

"Nothing will shrink," said Ron Semiao, ESPN vice president of content strategy and the X Games founder. "In fact, you may see some things enhanced."

A total of 130 hours of live television coverage of the six events will be broadcast on ESPN networks in the U.S. and internationally. There will also be online coverage, including a year-round action sports website.

In terms of the timing of the announcement, Guglielmino said, "This was the right time with the growth of the sports, their significance as well as us being prepared internally."

X Games began in 1995 in Rhode Island, but has grown, with 14 countries having hosted competitions in recent years.

X Games 17 is scheduled to be held July 28-31 in Los Angeles.

Source: LA Times

The world’s premier sports tourism expo comes to Thailand

WSDE Sport Tourism Expo is the only global exhibition and business forum dedicated to showcasing the booming $600 billion a year Sports Tourism market - the most rapidly growing sector in travel and tourism.
It has been announced that this ground breaking event will this year take place in Bangkok, Thailand - Asia’s Sports Tourism Gateway - from 27 – 29 September 2011.

WSDE will be proudly co-hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), and the Sports Authority of Thailand and will take place at the internationally renowned Bangkok Convention Centre.

As well as a significant international representation, WSDE will demonstrate to the world that Thailand is perfectly positioned to take full advantage of what is regarded as the most important growth sector in global travel and tourism.

With Participation Vacations the biggest trend in current travel (holidays with an activity attached – i.e. golf, tennis, adventure), Sports Tourism continues to flourish and is set to contribute an astonishing 14% of overall travel and tourism receipts by the end of the year.

WSDE will provide the optimum, cost effective platform for exhibitors to meet and carry out face-to-face business with international buyers with direct purchasing power.

National, Regional or City Tourist Boards with a Sports Tourism portfolio, hotels and resorts offering sporting facilities, tour operators, agents, and major travel and transportation providers are urged to participate in this must attend industry gathering.

The buyers are top-level decision makers who have the purchasing power and authority to meet and place business directly with exhibitors. A one-to-one appointment schedule means no time is wasted, business is generated, and time is maximised.

WSDE is a vital, unmissable and cost effective event for those companies wishing to be part of the travel and tourism industry’s future.

Source: Press Release and Travel Daily News.com

NBA signs deal with Thomson Sport ahead of debut UK game

Travel company Thomson Sport has heightened its interest in US sport by signing a major sponsorship deal with the NBA ahead of its first-ever UK game at London's O2 in March.

Thomson is bidding to ramp up its commercial relationships with US sports. The NBA deal comes just months after it signed a similar contract with the NFL.

The TUI Travel-owned sport specialist travel agency will offer travel packages to future NBA professional games played in Europe.

Thomson Sport, as official presenting partner and official European fan travel partner of NBA games, will receive prominent brand exposure around game held at The O2.

It will also be granted brand exposure at the NBA's website, NBA.com, where it will present a new editorial feature highlighting its travel services.

The NBA, like the NFL, is targeting new markets to enhance its appeal outside its core US business.

Thomson Sport is supporting NBA Basketball Week, a week-long series of basketball events, which will take place across the UK from 25 February to 5 March.

The deal is "multiyear" but the specific length has not been disclosed.

The match at London's O2 is between the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors in the first week of March.

Claire Brand, director, rights activation, TUI Travel Sport division, said: "We are delighted that one of our sport businesses, Thomson Sport, has been named the NBA's Official European Fan Travel Partner and look forward to making basketball more accessible to its large European fan base."

Source: Marketing UK

Super Bowl Consumer Spending to Hit $10 Billion

Consumers Will Purchase Plenty of Food and Beverages -- but Also TVs and Team Apparel

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Americans are planning to take a break from their spendthrift ways, at least for Super Bowl Sunday.

Best Buy is aggressively promoting high-definition TVs for the big game. According to a new survey out from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, conducted by BIGresearch, total consumer Super Bowl spending is expected to reach $10.1 billion, the highest in the survey's eight-year history. More people also plan to celebrate the event by throwing a party, attending a party or watching at a bar or restaurant.

Likewise, consumer sentiment toward advertisers also appears to be improving. In the depths of the recession more consumers said advertisers should bypass pricey Super Bowl spots and pass the savings onto them. This year 17% expressed that sentiment, down from 21% in 2009 and 19% in 2010. Fox, which is broadcasting the game on Feb. 6, is reportedly seeking between $2.8 million and $3 million for 30 seconds of commercial time in this year's game.

"The consumer is feeling more optimistic," said Mike Gatti, executive director at RAMA. "Spending is starting to come back, and it's on these little splurgy things. It's not crazy. But people are saying we're going to crack open the wallet and do something."

Of the 83% saying they will purchase Super Bowl-related items, including food, beverages, TVs, furniture, team apparel and decorations, the average person will spend $71.51, up from $64 a year ago and in line with 2007 spending. Mr. Gatti said he expects to see a lot of promotion around the Super Bowl, with retailers looking to the event as the first opportunity to stimulate sales post holiday.

While the majority of people plan to purchase food or beverages, plenty are still looking to bigger-ticket items, like TVs. The number of consumers saying they'll purchase a TV jumped 25% this year to 4.5 million people.

That's good news for electronics retailers, which saw tepid TV sales over the holidays. Best Buy, for example, reported that for the month of December, consumer electronics sales fell 8% at stores open a least a year, primarily because of a low double-digit decline in TVs. Best Buy and Sears are already aggressively promoting high-definition TVs for the big game.

"Our customers tell us that this is an ideal time of year to upgrade or invest in new big-screen televisions, so we wanted to give them a great excuse to come into Best Buy by offering deals on some of the best and largest TVs we carry," said Mike Mohan, senior VP-home theater at Best Buy.

With the New York Jets' and Chicago Bears' Super Bowl dreams dashed, some sporting goods execs have speculated that apparel and accessory sales could be lackluster. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers represent smaller markets. But, Mr. Gatti pointed out, both are storied teams. "Maybe sales would have been a little higher, based on the teams, but Green Bay and Pittsburgh are both pretty strong, popular teams," he said.

What consumers plan to purchase for Super Bowl Sunday

69.5% - Food/Beverages
7.3% - Team apparel or accessories 
6% - Decorations 
4.50% - Television 
2% - Furniture 

Source: Advertising Age

Rio 2016 Launches New Olympic Brand, Logo

At Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro Friday, an estimated 2.5 million New Years Eve revellers who were in attendance for the annual fireworks display were also treated to the much-anticipated unveiling of the new Olympic logo designed for the Rio 2016 Games. After a video presentation, the logo was projected onto a big screen on the sand of the beach.

The logo was chosen from a short-list of eight agencies - in all, 139 design firms participated from Brazil. They were tasked with designing "a brand capable of translating Brazilian people passion for sport and the enormous power of transformation of the Olympic Games will have in Rio de Janeiro and in the whole country," according to the bid committee.

The New Rio 2016 Website describes the logo as "...the passionate carioca soul that extends an embrace and shares its friendship, in a collective and warm gesture, which expresses our impassioned way of celebrating. Passion and transformation of a city and an entire country, fuelled by the renovation of the Olympic spirit, to project Brazil and Rio de Janeiro to the world. Passion and transformation of our planet and its people, by promoting a more interdependent, conscious and sustainable culture, as an inspiration to the present and a legacy for the future."

The new brand will be used in all aspects of the Games and Games preparations for the next six years appearing on communications, merchandise, signage, sponsors' promotions and more. In the coming months the organizing committee will release further branding to complement the logo and will later create a Games' mascot.

Source: GameBids.com

Sports Tourism success not guaranteed, experts tell WTM

World Travel Market’s second Sports Tourism Conference has heard differing opinions about the value of hosting major sporting events.

A warning came from Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman, European Tour Operators’ Association, who said that it would be hard for London 2012 to meet its tourism objectives because of the difficulty of predicting the figures accurately.

“There are many good reasons for hosting the Olympics, but tourism isn’t one of them,” he said, referring to figures which showed the extent to which host nations had got their predictions wrong. Beijing for example, expected 400,000 foreign visitors for 2008; the reality was 18,500.

London has predicted that 380,000 international visitors will turn up in 2012. Currently there are only 122,000 hotel beds in and around London.

Jenkins’ dissenting voice conflicted with some of the other panellists. Rashid Singh, Chief Marketing Officer for South Africa Tourism, said that the tourism legacy of FIFA World Cup 2010 was the hotels, improved infrastructure and more visitors, while the sporting legacy was the improved access to quality facilities for local people. She said that some of the stadiums were now being used for rugby.

But the main beneficiaries of the legacy were South Africans themselves, she said.

Taleb Rifa, Secretary General, United Nations World Tourism Organization, also objected to Jenkin’s comment that “if you need to build an infrastructure around a one-off event you don’t need that infrastructure”. Rifa countered this by saying quite often major sporting events ensured that an infrastructure which should be there already is built.

Rifa was also keen to point out that the “21st century will be the century of sport and travel” and that the two industries would work together in the future. However, the panel’s only private sector representative warned that the globalised sports industry was often at odds with the travel industry. Marc Bennett, who runs the European sports division for TUI Travel, pointed out that the rights holders for events held the power in terms of ticketing, pricing and distribution.

Instead, he hinted that TUI – Europe’s biggest tour operator – was looking more closely at monetising participation in sport. “I see it [travelling to take part in sport] as a wholesome, profitable area not soured by hotels and rights holders.”

With the major events dominating the stage, it was left to Richard Shipway, sports tourism lecturer at Bournemouth University, to fly the flag for doing rather than watching. He noted that while the sports tourism industry appeared dominated by Olympics and World Cups, the bulk of the business is people taking part. He reminded the 100-strong audience that playing golf, as an example, was worth $25bn a year globally.

Chris Foy, who heads up VisitBritain’s 2012 unit, was confident that despite the challenges, the Games would succeed on all levels. “We want London 2012 to be a future benchmark for other host countries,” he said.

Jenkins remained unconvinced. “Look at Wimbledon, the most famous and widely broadcast tennis competition this is. What, can I ask, has this done for Wimbledon as a tourist destination and what has it done for British tennis?”

Source: travelio.net