Visit Knoxville Sports Commission Wins Sports ETA Award

Visit Knoxville Sports Commission wins Sports ETA’s 2019 “Sport Tourism Organization of the Year, Population under 500,000” Award

Knoxville, TN (October 28, 2020) – The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission has been honored with Sports ETA’s 2019 “Sport Tourism Organization of the Year, Population under 500,000” Award.

This award is given to a destination member who has had the most exceptional impact on their local community through sports events and visitor spending in the 2019 calendar year.  Recipient organizations also show a commitment to Sports ETA and its mission.

“When we started the sports commission in 2016, we pointed to 2019 as being our year and we were right on target. We had some of the biggest events for a lot of large groups, including the Sports ETA Symposium and the Bassmaster Classic. It was a very solid year for us,” said Chad Culver, Senior Director of Visit Knoxville Sports Commission. “To receive this recognition from Sports ETA and our peers affirms our efforts. It’s a huge win for the entire Visit Knoxville team.” View interview with Culver HERE.

“The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission has grown tremendously over the past three years,” said Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas. “It was formed with a full understanding of how Knoxville and Knox County could further evolve into the sports destination it is today. In 2019, the events hosted by the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission generated more than $83.8 million dollars. We look forward to building on this success.”

The 28th annual Sports ETA Symposium was cancelled earlier this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The 2019 award winners will also be recognized at next year’s Symposium from April 26-29, 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama. 

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About Sports ETA
As the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, Sports ETA is the most trusted resource for sports commissions, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and sports event owners. Sports ETA is committed to the success of more than 850 member organizations and 2,400 sports event professionals. Our promise is to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event management and marketing know-how to our members, and to protect the integrity of the sports events and tourism industry. For more information, visit sportseta.org.

About the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission
The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission, established under Visit Knoxville in 2016, is responsible for bringing tournaments and sporting events to Knoxville and Knox County. The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission has had the honor of hosting top-tier events including the Sports ETA Symposium, USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, USA Swimming TYR Pro Swim Series, and the largest BASSMASTER Classic in B.A.S.S. history.  Visit Knoxville, a 501c3 organization, is the official Convention and Visitors Bureau for Knoxville and Knox County.  For more information, visit visitknoxsports.com.