Salt Lake City Sports Summit – Case Study
Scaling Events with Confidence: How Salt Lake City and EventConnect Are Powering the Next Era of Sports Tourism
Salt Lake City’s Sports Summit has become a vital gathering point for sports industry professionals across North America. It unites tournament organizers, hospitality leaders, venues, and CVBs around one goal: growing successful events through powerful partnerships.
EventConnect was proud to participate in the Sports Summit, where our team connected with some of the region’s most impactful leaders in sports and tourism. The value of relationships and the systems needed to scale them were at the heart of every conversation.
With a proven platform used by some of the industry’s premier tournament organizers, EventConnect doesn’t just offer tools—we bring the data, experience, and partner network that unlock new market opportunities and help growing event organizers take the next step.
Whether you’re looking to streamline operations, expand into new cities, or strengthen your hotel partnerships, EventConnect is the partner built for scale.
👉 Book a demo and discover how we can support your growth.
Sports Tourism as a Business—and a Force for Good
For aspiring event organizers, few industries offer the kind of opportunity that sports tourism does. As Matt Libber, Executive Director of the Maryland SoccerPlex and Vice Chair of Sports ETA, explains, sports tourism represents over $52 billion in annual direct economic impact in the U.S.—and it’s growing.
But more than just an economic engine, this industry builds communities, fosters health and wellness, and offers unmatched resilience in economic downturns. Matt said, “Mom and Dad will never tell their kid they can’t play.” Sports remain essential—and that makes events essential, too.
For those looking to enter the space, scale their events, or make a more profound impact, this is more than a passion project. It’s a meaningful business. With EventConnect as your partner, you gain the technology to streamline logistics and increase revenue and the relationships and industry insight to grow with confidence.
👉 Book a demo today to see how EventConnect can help you scale with purpose
Collaboration That Powers Great Events
In a rapidly growing market like Utah—home to a booming hockey scene, global attention from the Olympics, and a surge in sports tourism—success hinges on effective partnerships. In this video, Zoram Dean of Sport Salt Lake highlights how the strength of collaboration between venues, hotels, and event organizers fuels the region’s growth.
EventConnect’s role? We make those collaborations easier, faster, and more impactful. From bringing rights holders and CVBs to the same table to ensuring hotel partnerships are seamless and data-driven, our platform is designed to give everyone the tools to succeed.
When everyone’s aligned—when everyone is supported—exceptional events follow.
📍 Book a demo and learn how we help you build the relationships that make your business.
Building Event-Ready Cities Through Shared Commitment
Salt Lake City continues to rise as a premier sports destination, known for significant events like the Olympics, NBA All-Star Weekend, and national tournaments. But behind the spotlight, consistent youth sports travel is vital in keeping hotels busy, venues active, and city infrastructure thriving.
Austin Burdette of Hilton Salt Lake City Center shares that a shared commitment powers the city’s growth—between hotels, venues, CVBs, and event organizers—to make events successful from check-in to check-out. EventConnect helps unify this effort by streamlining housing, maximizing room utilization, and strengthening relationships between key partners.
The result? A city that’s not just hosting events—but ready for what’s next.
📍 Ready to grow your events in markets like Salt Lake City? Book a demo and access our insights, network, and tools.
Scaling With the Right Foundation: Weekend Hockey + EventConnect
At the Salt Lake City Sports Summit, we met Lucas Zitmanis of Weekend Hockey—one of EventConnect’s longest-standing partners. Since Lucas joined the family business 5 years ago, he has grown Weekend Hockey from a handful of adult events to more than 75 youth and adult tournaments across North America.
As his business scaled, so did the complexity. EventConnect provided the infrastructure—streamlined hotel bookings, centralized schedules and scoring, exceptional customer support, and real-time reporting—that allowed Lucas to focus on what matters most: building new partnerships, entering new cities, and delivering great event experiences.
This kind of long-term, trust-based collaboration defines our mission at EventConnect. We’re proud to be the platform event organizers grow with—not out of.
📍 Looking to grow into new markets with a reliable partner? Book a demo and discover how EventConnect can support your expansion.