Aiming to become more competitive in the sport tourism industry, the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation will seek to identify additional funding and self-generate revenue funds over the long-term that can be utilized to compete for sporting events.
As detailed in Business Report’s latest Executive Spotlight feature from its new issue, the goal goes hand-in-hand with the foundation’s long-term goals of building the Sports Foundation Brand executing its strategic funding plan.
“The sports tourism industry is a $9-billion-a-year business and has become increasingly competitive at all levels, from the largest cities to the smallest jurisdictions,” says Eric Engemann, the Sports Foundation’s current vice president.
Engemann will become president and CEO of the foundation after its current chief, Jerry Stovall—the former LSU coach—steps down next year. Stovall has been been in charge of the Sports Foundation since 1994.
Engemann joined the foundation in 2007 as coordinator of indoor sports. He helped grow the organization’s impact on the Capital Region economy to around $32 million.
And with big names as sponsors and partners, BRASF is working to capture a bigger share of the sporting market.
“Sports tourism is becoming such a competitive industry among other cities and states that we’re doing everything we can to generate more funds through our own events as well as identify other sources of funding in order be competitive in this environment,” Engemann says.
In addition to its long-term goals, the foundation has short-term goals it intends to carry out.
Engemann says there are a number of events the foundation wants to execute well in 2016-2017 and intends to secure bids for 2018 and 2019 to add to its existing annual event inventory.
“These nonrecurring events generate millions of dollars in economic impact and bring thousands of visitors to our area,” he says.
Read the full Executive Spotlight feature. Here’s a sample of what you will find:
What have been some of the unexpected challenges in your role as vice president?
One of our biggest challenges is finding quality help in the form of interns or student workers who are passionate and willing to put in the work necessary to help us succeed in our events. We’ve been extremely fortunate and have had lots of great people come through and work with us, but finding those individuals is a significant challenge.
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