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Tag: Sports Tourism

  • Cantor: Long Island, the Ryder Cup and rowdy golf fans | Long Island Business News

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    In Brief:
    • President Trump’s visit added spectacle to the Ryder Cup at
    • Hotels across Long Island and NYC offered high-value tourism packages
    • Thousands of hotel room nights generated millions in local revenue
    • Rowdy fan behavior overshadowed efforts to promote Long Island hospitality

    It was to be a different 45th Ryder Cup Tournament at Bethpage Black. It had to be, as I heard the roar of Air Force One with it’s escort of two fighter jets heading to Republic Airport with the President of the United States. To be sure, a presidential visit is a big deal, and for Long Island, wanting to put its best tourism foot forward for the golf world to see, the first round of the Ryder Cup Tournament and President Trump seemed a perfect fit.

    Notwithstanding the thrilling finish that the American golfers gave us with their effort to win back the Ryder Cup, we were all left disappointed as Europe once again retained the cup in the biennial competition. However, for Long Island, the Ryder Cup tournament was more than just a golf tournament between 24 of world’s greatest American and European golfers.

    The Ryder Cup was an opportunity to showcase Long Island, and as previous Ryder Cups have shown, it was an opportunity not to be wasted. In addition to Long Island and New York golf fans, the Ryder Cup attracts both domestic and international spectators, both in person and on television. If past Ryder Cup Tournaments are an indication, those attending the Ryder Cup will extend their visit to Long Island and the New York City area.

    During the 2023 Ryder Cup Tournament in Rome, 19% of visitors said they planned an extended stay in the Italian city, with nearly two-thirds of the spectators expressing a desire to return to the city within a year. Similarly, eight percent of spectators at the 2018 Ryder Cup Tournament in Paris, planned an extended visit, with 60% of the international spectators intending to return to the ”City of Light” within the year.

    The Ryder Cup Tournament at Bethpage Black afforded Long Island the same opportunity to put its best hospitality foot forward, and while the welcome mat was out in Nassau and ‘s hotels, spectators had choices.

    Besides the golf competition, the competition for room night reservations was fierce. As the tournament approached, there were 83,288 hotel rooms to choose from with 65,000 hotel rooms in Manhattan, 3,796 rooms near JFK Airport, 3,524 near LaGuardia and 10,968 on Long Island.  Months prior to the tournament, millions of dollars of hotel revenues were already generated from 12,054 Long Island hotel room nights reserved, with 6,568 room nights in western Suffolk County and 5,496 in

    The competition for spectator tourism dollars continued, as hotels offered packages that included transportation to and from Bethpage Black, tournament tickets, hotel accommodations, and food and beverage. New York City hotels offered per-person packages from $1,350 for a daily trip, $2,120 for a single night and $4,295 for a two-night stay. Long Island hotels countered with three-night, per-person packages from $3,150 to $5,895 with a four-night stay package offered at $5,295.

    However, with all the hard work invested in showcasing Long Island’s best, the loud and rowdy golf spectators showed Long Island’s worst. Images are worth a thousand words, and the rude fans painted Long Island with a bad look, at a time when Long Island wanted to put our best look forward.

    With the U.S. Open set to be held at Shinnecock Hills in June 2026, learning golf etiquette should be on this winter’s reading list.

     

    is director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy and former Suffolk County economic development commissioner. He can be reached at [email protected].


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  • Elite Sports Tours Adds Flights to Booking Platform – Sports Fans Can Now Bundle Flights, Hotels & Game Tickets

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    With flights now live on the Elite Sports Tours platform, fans can unlock exclusive discounts by bundling flights, hotels, and tickets into one seamless sports travel package.


    TORONTO, June 26, 2025 (Newswire.com)
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    With the addition of flight booking, Elite Sports Tours makes it even easier for sports fans to plan and personalize their trips. By bundling everything together, fans save time, reduce hassle, and enjoy more flexibility when building the perfect game day getaway – all with just a few clicks. With flights now live on the Elite Sports Tours platform, fans can unlock exclusive discounts by bundling flights, hotels, and tickets into one seamless sports travel package.

    Elite Sports Tours, the one-stop shop for sports travel packages, has added flight booking to simplify the fan experience. Whether you’re heading to a football game, planning a baseball road trip, or chasing a bucket list sports event, fans can now book flights, hotels, and game tickets – all in one place.

    With this launch, Elite Sports Tours becomes the only dedicated sports travel platform offering exclusive flight discounts when bundling complete packages. The new feature is designed to save time, reduce hassle, and give fans the flexibility to build the perfect game day getaway – all with just a few clicks.

    “We built this platform to take the stress out of booking sports trips,” said Tim Macdonell, Founder of Elite Sports Tours. “Adding flights was the next step. Fans can now plan their entire experience in minutes – no more jumping between travel sites. It’s simple, seamless, and built for the way real fans travel.”

    Whether you’re booking a football weekend getaway or hitting the road for an MLB series, Elite Sports Tours offers curated experiences across all major leagues, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and college sports. Each package is designed to deliver a stress-free, fan-first experience.

    Elite Sports Tours continues to offer:

    Guaranteed tickets to the biggest games across all major leagues

    Preferred hotel access close to stadiums and arenas

    Custom group packages and corporate sports travel services

    Concierge-level support from real sports fans who travel

    This update reinforces Elite Sports Tours’ mission to be the one-stop shop for fans looking to travel smarter, save more, and experience more.

    Sports Travel Packages | NFL Travel Packages | NBA Travel Packages | MLB Travel Packages | NHL Travel Packages | Concert Travel Packages

    Contact Information

    Tim Macdonell
    Owner
    info@elitesportstours.ca
    9052334732

    Source: Elite Sports Tours Inc.

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  • Competition Travel Has Chosen the Accommodation Technology Platform HousingConnect to Enhance Travel Experiences

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    HousingConnect, developed by EventConnect, is the industry’s leading white-labeled event housing solution that provides a simple and instant hotel-blocking experience for teams at the lowest group rates, confirmed daily.


    LONDON, Ontario, April 8, 2025 (Newswire.com)
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    Competition Travel, a prominent housing company for youth sports travel in North America, has announced a technology partnership with HousingConnect, a leader in the industry. This newly formed multi-year strategic partnership takes effect immediately and will support all events starting in the fall of 2025 and continuing thereafter.

    HousingConnect, developed by EventConnect, is the industry’s leading white-labeled event housing solution that provides a simple and instant hotel-blocking experience for teams at the lowest group rates, confirmed daily. Among the vast options, its proprietary technology scrapes the internet to monitor rate integrity, displaying the savings on participants’ booking feeds and instilling confidence and greater transparency.

    “As Competition Travel continues to grow and serve its clients, we recognized the need to enhance our event lodging platform to ensure our teams receive the best travel experience and maximize savings. HousingConnect meets both of these objectives,” said Susan Tucker, President of Competition Travel. “Along with their powerful technology, we are confident that the operational and customer support provided by their team will greatly benefit our event producers and participants. Our shared goal is to offer the best properties in ideal proximity to venues, at the lowest possible group rates, utilizing their hotel rate validation feature. At the same time, we aim to create a smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone involved, which is something our industry is demanding.”

    “We are excited to start this partnership with Competition Travel, allowing us to enhance our technology and provide exceptional service and support to the cheer and dance community,” said Eric Vardon, President of EventConnect. “Since 2013, we have consistently invested in our products and team to eliminate the traditional challenges associated with group travel. We look forward to empowering Competition Travel and its event producers in delivering even more memorable experiences in their esteemed sports.”

    About Competition Travel

    Competition Travel specializes in group travel for sports teams. With over 20 years of experience in group travel, as gym owners and competitive coaches, we know what you, your athletes, and your spectators need when you travel. We pride ourselves on the personalized service we offer. With our unique full-service travel concept, we can make your travel experience committed to the competition.

    About EventConnect

    EventConnect is the first event management software in the sports tourism industry that connects thousands of rights holders, tournament directors, and accommodations in one place – eventConnect powers more than 11,000 events and 30,000 hotels in over 800 cities across North America annually. EventConnect helps sports tournament organizers reduce time spent on administrative tasks and increase capacity for delivering memorable experiences to all participants. The end-to-end platform is customized for each partner’s needs and is seamless for organizers and participants, creating efficiency while increasing value. EventConnect customers can increase room night reservations by up to 30% while saving up to 24% of hotel costs for teams and creating a 99% rate of booking satisfaction and positive experiences. Learn more at http://eventconnectsports.com.

    Contact Information

    Eric Vardon
    President
    eric.vardon@eventconnect.io
    5198515386

    Matt Trinnear
    VP Strategic Partnerships
    matt.trinnear@eventconnect.io
    519-914-4217

    Source: EventConnect

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  • 200×85 Picks EventConnect to Further Enhance Tournament Experiences

    200×85 Picks EventConnect to Further Enhance Tournament Experiences

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    LONDON, Ontario, January 30, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    200×85 Hockey (200×85), in its mission to positively impact more than 65,000 hockey athletes and 3,000 hockey teams annually through programs, today announced a housing technology partnership with industry-leading EventConnect to become 200×85’s official housing technology. After the lengthy search process, the newly established partnership will take effect immediately.

    EventConnect is the leader in connected sports management technology, providing event organizers with a free-to-use portal that includes a directory of hotels, venues, destinations and event-related suppliers to help power internal teams such as with 200×85.

    “When initially researching, we looked at several companies in this space and determined EventConnect’s platform they developed would allow us to bring a great product quickly to market without hiring a dedicated team to recreate the wheel,” said 200×85 CEO Kevin Mann. “Leveraging the EventConnect platform has allowed our professional team of six internal staff members to bring an even higher level of customer service and expertise.”

    “After a lengthy selection process against many of the leading providers in our space, we are extremely proud (insert celly here) to be chosen by 200×85,” said John D’Orsay, CEO of EventConnect. “As a hockey fan, 200×85 and their experiences are fantastic platforms for this great sport to thrive for the next generation of players. Since 2013, we have continued to invest in our product and team to realize our vision to continually advance the ease and efficiency of sports tournament management with innovative technology matched with unparalleled service and support — today is yet another significant step toward that vision. Our team and technology have already started to onboard the 200×85 team, and we look forward to a long and healthy relationship,” D’Orsay added.

    About EventConnect

    EventConnect is the only event management software in the sports tourism industry that connects thousands of rights holders, tournament directors and accommodations on one platform—working with more than 4,000 events and 25,000 hotels in over 800 cities across North America. EventConnect helps sports tournament organizers reduce time spent on administrative tasks and increase capacity for delivering memorable experiences to all participants. The end-to-end platform is customized for each partner’s needs and is seamless for organizers and participants, creating efficiency while increasing value. EventConnect customers can increase room night reservations by up to 30% while saving up to 24% of hotel costs for teams and creating a 99% rate of booking satisfaction and positive experiences. Learn more at http://eventconnectsports.com

    About 200×85:

    Since 2003, 200×85 has been delivering excellence in youth hockey experiences, positively impacting over 65,000 hockey athletes and 3,000 hockey teams annually. With a focus on tournaments, development programs, and European experiences, 200×85 is a benchmark in the youth hockey industry. Learn more at https://200×85.com

    For media inquiries, contact:

    Eric Vardon, President
    EventConnect
    eric.vardon@eventconnect.io

    Tony Golio, Director of Marketing
    200×85
    tony@200×85.com

    Source: EventConnect

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  • EventConnect Disrupts the Amateur Sports Industry With the Launch of HousingConnect

    EventConnect Disrupts the Amateur Sports Industry With the Launch of HousingConnect

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    Introducing HousingConnect, The Industries Most Advanced Housing Solution by EventConnect.


    LONDON, Ontario, September 26, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Today, EventConnect unveiled its private-labeled solution, HousingConnect, tailored to the needs of 3rd party housing companies and substantial rights holders with internal teams. HousingConnect is the most comprehensive and advanced event group housing solution, offering a simplified hotel-blocking and booking process for teams while guaranteeing the lowest group rates, verified daily. This turnkey, highly customizable and robust travel booking alternative is designed to help businesses build, grow and streamline their operations.

    EventConnect’s solid partnerships and buying power with the world’s leading travel brands allow HousingConnect to provide its clients with the most competitive market inventory available, including vacation rentals, cabins and condos. 3rd party housing companies now have access to EventConnect’s AI-powered text and voice chatbots, enabling them to rapidly expand their customer service capabilities and automated invoicing, pick-up and collections. This innovative solution presents an exciting opportunity for businesses to boost their market presence and gain a competitive edge.

    3rd party housing companies can seamlessly integrate their clients’ registration platforms through open APIs, providing a highly connected environment for teams and participants. This allows for improved speed and communication between parents and the organization, ensuring that expectations are met promptly. Leveraging this technology provides a unique opportunity for businesses to create a more efficient and streamlined registration process.

    “We are excited to offer our highly customizable product to other 3rd party housing companies that, to date, have been limited in the technology options available to meet the demands of their growing business and improve customer service,” said Eric Vardon, President at EventConnect. “Since 2013, we have continually invested in our product and team to remove the traditional pain points surrounding group travel. To be able to launch HousingConnect, our private-labeled solution to answer the need for more extensive and robust technology across our industry, is truly a disrupter in the youth and amateur sports industry,” Vardon added.

    Media Contact: Eric.Vardon@EventConnect.io President, (226) 546-2883

    About EventConnect

    EventConnect is the first event management software in the sports tourism industry that connects thousands of rights holders, tournament directors and accommodations on one platform—working with more than 4,000 events and 30,000 hotels & vacation rentals in over 800 cities across North America. EventConnect technology helps sports tournament organizers reduce time spent on administrative tasks and increase capacity for delivering memorable experiences to all participants. The end-to-end platform is customized for each partner’s needs and is seamless for organizers and participants, creating efficiency while increasing value. Learn more at http://eventconnectsports.com.

    Source: EventConnect

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  • EventConnect Sports Announces a New Partnership With Athletx

    EventConnect Sports Announces a New Partnership With Athletx

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    Leading youth sports management software provider, EventConnect announced a new long-term partnership with Athletx Sports Group, one of the most prominent organizers of youth baseball leagues and tournaments in the U.S. Recent and rapid growth had propelled Athletx to being ranked #1,214 on the Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies nationally, and #3 in the Business First Fast 50, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in the Louisville area.


    LONDON, Ontario, April 27, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Today, EventConnect, the leading youth sports management software provider, announced a new long-term partnership with Athletx Sports Group. As the exclusive tournament accommodations provider, Athletx will start by integrating EventConnect’s sports technology alongside the Athletx custom-built platform to help streamline operations while maximizing hotel and vacation rental accommodation revenues.

    “Based on our continued growth as a company, we are excited to partner with EventConnect as they will allow a more user-friendly experience for our families participating in our tournaments. This partnership benefits our families and hotel partners by providing a seamless experience for both parties. With our continual growth in the sports tournament market, we look forward to a growing partnership with EventConnect,” said Justin Siegel, Executive Director of Housing at Athletx.

    “Athletx Sports Group is focused on providing first-class experiences for our players, families and fans in the youth baseball and softball market. Partnering with EventConnect is exciting for our company as their services will continue providing excellent customer experiences. Streamlining our processes from start to finish is of the utmost importance. EventConnect aligns with Athletx’s vision, which makes this partnership so important. We are thrilled to be partners with EventConnect and look forward to working with their brilliantly executed technology platform and top-notch team.”  -Jim Haddaway, Co-Founder and CEO of Athletx

    “We are more than thrilled about this important new partnership with Athletx, and it is yet another example of our connection and dedication to the sport of Baseball,” said Eric Vardon, President of EventConnect. “Athletx is such a powerful and meaningful brand, and to say we are partners is a substantial milestone for our growing tech company. Since 2013 we have continued to invest in our product and team to realize our vision to continually advance the ease and efficiency of sports tournament management with innovative technology matched with unparalleled service and support – today is a huge step toward that vision. We can’t wait to hit the ground running with the Athletx team,” Vardon added.

    About Athletx Sports Group

    Athletx brings together multiple nationally-recognized brands under one family, including Pastime Tournaments, Youth Baseball & Softball Nationals, Youth World Series, Game Day USA, Baseball Youth/Softball Youth, Mid-America Baseball, VERSUS, New Year’s BaseballFest, TravelBall Select and Drive & Company. Recent and rapid growth has propelled Athletx to being ranked #1,214 on the Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies nationally, and #3 in the Business First Fast 50, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in the Louisville area. Athletx Sports Group and its brands collectively represent nearly 600 team-based and individual-player events across the nation, featuring over 15,000 teams, 194,000 players, 38,000 coaches and 371,000 spectators. These events have featured athletes and teams from all 50 U.S. states and internationally, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Bahamas, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. In addition to producing first-class events, Athletx boasts a strong media presence with over 720,000 social media followers across its brands’ various Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok platforms. Athletx maintains offices in Louisville, KY (corporate headquarters), Chicago, IL (Naperville) and Indianapolis, IN (Carmel). For more information, visit www.athletx.com.

    About EventConnect

    EventConnect is the only event management software in the sports tourism industry that connects thousands of rights holders, tournament directors and accommodations on one platform—working with more than 4,000 events and 20,000 hotels in over 800 cities across North America. EventConnect helps sports tournament organizers reduce time spent on administrative tasks and increase capacity for delivering memorable experiences to all participants. The end-to-end platform is customized for each partner’s needs and is seamless for organizers and participants, creating efficiency while increasing value. EventConnect customers can increase room night reservations by up to 30% while saving up to 24% of hotel costs for teams and creating a 99% rate of booking satisfaction and positive experiences. Learn more at http://eventconnectsports.com.

    Source: EventConnect Inc.

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