Sports ETA and Northstar Meetings Group Expand Strategic Partnership – SportsTravel

The Sports Events & Tourism Association, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, has announced the expansion of its industry partnership with Northstar Meetings Group, the leading multi-platform brand for dedicated meeting and business planners and sports event organizers. We will serve as presenting sponsor for the State of the Industry Report from Sports ETA and other research projects.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Northstar – the publisher of Sports trips and organizers of the TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe and the EsportsTravel Summit – will continue to support Sports ETA’s State of the Industry Report, presented by Northstar Meetings Group, the most comprehensive analysis of the impact of sporting events on the economy. Additionally, Northstar will serve as a presenting sponsor for other sports ETA research as part of the agreement.

“Sports ETA and Northstar Meetings Group have a long-standing relationship and we look forward to a continued partnership to serve our members,” said John DavidPresident and CEO of Sports ETA. “Our industry-leading research, including the State of the Industry Report, provides the national benchmark for the sporting event tourism industry.”

“We know how important it is to put data in the hands of Sports ETA members and we are pleased to be able to contribute to this through our support of the State of the Industry and other research projects that the association will lead,” he said Jason GewirtzVice President of Sports at Northstar Meetings Group and Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Sports trips. “As content providers and advocates for the power of sport, we know there is no better way to support the industry than by putting important information in the hands of industry decision-makers through this research.”

The 2023 State of the Industry Report was released in 2024 and concluded that U.S. sports travelers, event organizers and venues spent a total of $52.2 billion in direct spending in 2023, an increase of over 7 percent compared to the previous year. These travelers generated $128 billion in direct, indirect and induced business revenue.

The study presented the most comprehensive and representative data quantifying the value of sports travel in the United States. The report, prepared by Tourism Economics with support from Longwoods International, built on two previous surveys covering data through 2021. The report also included survey results from Sports ETA members. It found that in 63 percent of destinations surveyed, sports travel was the primary reason for hotel stays in their communities.