Week 2: HEADS IN BEDS

Q: What is our ultimate goal?

Q: Why do Sports Commissions exist?


The answer is simple;
A: We work to get "heads in beds".


The chain of command within a sports commission is quite fascinating. Although it would seem that the national event promoters are our bosses because they are the ones we work for, they are not the ones who pay us. We provide our services to these event promoters for free. Instead, we actually receive our entire working budget from three different funding streams; individual municipalities within Pierce County, the Tourism Promotion Area Commission, and an allotment of hoteliers taxes. We are motivated to bring in national amateur sporting events so that we may please the local hoteliers and governments who entrust us with their funding.

"Heads in Beds" is the expression sports commissions commonly like to use when describing their ultimate mission. The goal is to get people to stay in hotels and spend money. Hosting large sporting events brings outside money into our county which then generates economic stimulation for our community. Example: If we host the USA karate regional semi-finals we can draw in up to 1,500 people from out-of-town. These 1,500 people will spend money on hotels, food, souvenirs, merchandise, tourist attractions, car rentals, gas, etc. etc. This is all "new money" to Pierce County's economy that would not have otherwise been spent here if it wasn't for the commission's efforts in trying to bring USA Karate to Tacoma. By hosting large amateur sporting events we have the ability to bring in large amounts of money to our local economy which intern gives it the stimulation and support it needs to thrive and survive.

Our work is noble and respected because we are utilizing national sporting events to positively impact our local community. By "bidding" on events and convincing national sporting organizations that Tacoma is a fun conveniently located destination, we can indirectly increase sales at local restaurants, museums, and other Pierce County businesses. The goal is to put "heads in beds" but the reasoning behind the goal is to support our local communities through increased outside spending.