This year's TEAMS Conference & Expo will have one of the most exciting lineups of speakers ever.
Not only will TEAMS '10 attendees get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of NASCAR from some of the top drivers, team owners and officials on the circuit, they will also hear what the new president of the NCAA envisions for the future of the organization in one of his first interviews since taking office.
The TEAMS '10 Conference & Expo, scheduled October 18-22 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, will give participants the opportunity to get an up-to-date picture of everything happening in the sports-event and sports-related travel world, both in the expo hall and in the educational sessions.
One of the highlights of the conference will be an off-site general session on Thursday, October 21, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Titled "From Moonshine to Millions: The Evolution of NASCAR," the session will include Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing; Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame; and Humpy Wheeler, the former general manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway and take the audience through a history of stock car racing, from its down-home roots to the multibillion-dollar business it is today.
In a session on Wednesday morning, the second day of the conference, "New Leadership at the NCAA: One on One With Mark Emmert," SportsTravel Publisher Timothy Schneider will conduct one of the first interviews with the new NCAA president, a discussion that is sure to touch on NCAA restructuring, new conference alignments and the ongoing calls for a football playoff.
Also on Wednesday, SportsTravel Associate Publisher Lisa Furfine will lead a discussion on "The State of the Sports-Event Industry" with a panel that will include, among others, Mike Butts, executive director of Visit Charlotte; Don Schumacher, executive director of the National Association of Sports Commissions; and Stephen Ducoff, executive director of the Association of Chief Executives for Sport.
New to TEAMS this year is a series of off-site educational sessions held at three popular Charlotte-based sports facilities: the U.S. National Whitewater Center, whose centerpiece is a multi-channel re-circulating whitewater river; Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats; and the Michael Waltrip Racing Headquarters, the 11-acre headquarters complex of Michael Waltrip Racing.
And there's more: In conjunction with TEAMS '10, the National Association of Sports Commissions will host a half-day session for their members on the use of social media in sports marketing and The Giving Back Fund will offer a half-day Fundraising Boot Camp to help sports-related organizations with their charitable fundraising.
There's also the Sixth Annual TEAMS Golf Tournament, an Opening Celebration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the annual SportsTravel Awards Luncheon and multiple opportunities to network both on and off the tradeshow floor.
If you represent a sports organization, you can still register to attend TEAMS '10 by visiting TEAMSconference.com and selecting "Register Online" or by calling Nicole Goddeyne or Kienan Slate toll-free at (877) 577-3700.
If you're a destination or supplier to the sports-event industry, you can still reserve your exhibit space by calling toll-free at (877) 577-3700 or e-mailing Lisa Furfine, associate publisher, at lisa.furfine@schneiderpublishing.com; Yvonne Garcia, senior advertising sales associate for the Eastern U.S. and Canada, at yvonne.garcia@schneiderpublishing.com; or Ilana Edell, advertising sales associate for the Western U.S. and Canada, at ilana.edell@schneiderpublishing.com.
The TEAMS '10 Conference & Expo is the world's largest annual gathering for the sports-event and sports-related travel industry. For more information or to register, visit TEAMSconference.com.
