2020 VIRTUAL EVENT SUMMARY
The Oregon Sports Summit virtual conference kicked off on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 and featured three half-days of engaging content and networking opportunities for the attendees representing the diverse sports community from around the state of Oregon.
Each day attendees came together virtually for educational sessions and round table discussions. The event was hosted entirely on the virtual event platform Whova, that also featured a companion event app. Attendees were able to attend sessions, network, and visit exhibitors and sponsors all through the app or desktop platform.
Content
Session content focused on relevant and important issues facing sports planners today and provided them with an educational opportunity to expand their knowledge base. Some of the top sessions included “Creating a Sponsorship Deck that Actually Works!,” “Cultivating & Leveraging Vendor Relationships,” “Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Sports,” “Reopening Your Event in a Time of COVID-19,” as well as a keynote presentation focused on Adaptive Sport, and many more. Feedback on the educational content and speakers was very positive with the average overall session rating being 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Networking
Networking opportunities abounded through the event app (direct messaging, community boards, etc.) and planned sessions (round table discussions and networking facilitated on Zoom). Attendees were able to make valuable connections and discuss important issues they are facing this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who Attended?
Of the attendees who participated in the event, 92% were from the state of Oregon. The type of attendees varied from sports event planners, DMO/Sports Commissions, sports league members, city and county representatives, universities, hoteliers, venue representatives, and more. Attendees were diverse in the types of organizations and businesses they represented, but all came together with the common interest of the importance and impact of sport in our state.
Closing
Amidst the challenges that 2020 has brought all sports event planners, it was wonderful to bring together this group of attendees and provide this important educational opportunity to them. The knowledge event planners gained through this event will assist them in their future planning as the industry adapts and changes to fluid COVID-19 regulations.
Future Events
We look forward to bringing back the in-person Oregon Sports Summit event in early 2022 and hope to continue to offer educational opportunities for sports planners throughout 2021.
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