Are You “Big Game” Ready?
Transform Your City Into a Sports Destination
Hosted by the Travel and Tourism Section.
Category: Branding
From the NBA All-Star Game and the BCS College Football Championship to the NCAA Men’s Final Four and this year’s “Big Game,” New Orleans has, in the last many years, reemerged as one of the nation’s leading destinations for major sporting events. The city’s perseverance, creativity and collaborative focus are only a few of the secrets of success that is positioning New Orleans as a leading sports destination. Learn from the experts:
- How New Orleans makes itself marketable to secure major sporting events.
- How the city turns these opportunities into tourism successes.
Presenters
Jay Cicero joined the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation in 1990 as director of special projects, and director of sales for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. In February 1993, Cicero was named the first general manager of the New Orleans Zephyrs. In 1995, Cicero returned to the Sports Foundation and in 1997 was named president/CEO. He has managed a plethora of events, including the annual New Orleans Bowl, NCAA Women’s Final Four and NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournaments, SEC Basketball Tournaments, NFL “Big Games,” and most recently the NBA All-Star Game. In addition, he serves the community as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club/NFL-Youth Education Town, Tour de Lis, New Orleans Bowl and the American Italian Sports Hall of Fame.
Mark Romig is serving as president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC), leads the city’s official leisure travel promotion agency and is responsible for enhancing the tourism industry through effective marketing and promotional programs. He is an established public relations and marketing professional and is Accredited (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America. He has been involved in a variety of historic and milestone events throughout his career, including the development of the Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans, the 1984 Louisiana World’s Fair, U.S. presidential nomination attempts by both Elizabeth and Bob Dole, the successful 1999 reopening of Harrah’s New Orleans, the 2006 Sugar Bowl (only Sugar Bowl game ever to be played outside of New Orleans due to Katrina) and the wildly successful Idea Village New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. Most recently, he served as chairman of the NOLA Navy Week Host Committee, the group tapped by the mayor of the city of New Orleans to present New Orleans’ participation in the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and Star Spangled Banner.
Participants earn 1.0 APR Maintenance Credits for a webinar. For more information on Accreditation maintenance, visit http://www.prsa.org/Learning/Accreditation.
