Local tourism leaders hope a newly rebranded sports commission hits it out of the park and helps drive home the region’s efforts to make the Quad Cities a significant sports tourism destination in the Midwest.
Visit Quad Cities, the region’s official destination management and marketing organization (DMMO), announced Tuesday, March 7, that the three-decades-old Quad Cities Sports Commission has been reorganized and reimagined as Sports QC Powered By Visit Quad Cities.
“Sports tourism is vital to our future positioning as a dynamic region on the move,” Dave Herrell, Visit QC’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “We have not slowed down our sales and marketing efforts of this important vertical even through the pandemic, but it is time to reinvigorate and put some increased intentionality with this direction. We are in a competitive race against other communities in the Midwest and the entire country.”
“The only way to be relevant is a meaningful private/public partnership to create more opportunities and value for the Quad Cities,” Mr. Herrell said. “Sports QC will need increased investment, collaboration, and teamwork to grow and drive economic development, visibility, community programming, and improve quality of life.”
Initially formed in 1995, the Quad Cities Sports Commission was created to attract, host, and support the region’s amateur and professional sports events. It was the first official sports commission in Illinois.
Sports QC Powered By Visit Quad Cities will continue leading the region’s sports tourism and overall strategy for sports. Sports QC remains a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and division of Visit Quad Cities operating as the official sports commission by attracting, hosting, creating, and facilitating sporting events, tourism, and opportunities for the region.
According to Visit QC, sporting events drive the QC’s visitor economy, increase brand image, and improve quality of life. It estimates sporting events generate an annual local economic impact of nearly $60 million.
In 2019, Visit Quad Cities engaged Huddle Up Group to assess the region’s current sports tourism market and provide a Sports Tourism Strategic Plan to strengthen the region’s competitive identity.
Following the new “playbook” of recommendations, Visit Quad Cities organized a task force of community members to establish an enriched sports tourism support system. Its work developed a new mission, vision, brand, governance structure, priorities, and website that included:
- Sports QC Mission: Sports QC Powered By Visit Quad Cities serves to inspire, build, promote, and share the Quad Cities story to benefit our region. It accomplishes this by creating quality of life experiences, economic prosperity, and visibility for the community through sports events and tourism.
- Sports QC Vision: To become a premier sports tourism destination.
Priorities:
- Create a positive experience for clients, rights holders, event owners, and stakeholders.
- Bid, recruit, host, and create events that deliver a meaningful impact for our destination.
- Drive regional economic prosperity and enhance the quality of life and place.
- Build the QC’s brand as a memorable and inspired host destination.
- Instill a sense of community and civic pride for all Quad Citizens.
- Through sports, establish a long-term legacy for the Quad Cities sports landscape.
The reinvigorated sports tourism direction also has enlisted a new team of sports QC advisors – a talented and passionate team of corporate leaders in the Quad Cities regional destination. Their role is to provide leadership and support the mission, purpose, and priorities of Sports QC Powered By Visit Quad Cities.
“I look forward to working with the Sports QC Advisory Group,” said Todd Hajduk, general manager/director of golf at TPC Deere Run, chair of the advisory group and Visit QC board director. “The Visit Quad Cities staff have done significant work behind the scenes to get us to this point. The Advisory Group will be the foundation for a strong focus on sports tourism, leading to increased economic development and paying dividends to the entire community.”
In addition to Mr. Hajduk, other members include: Sara Cross, First Tee of the Quad Cities; Eric Griffith, City of Moline Parks & Recreation; Ryan Hintze, Iron Tee Golf | Corn Belt Capital; Mike Holmes, St. Ambrose University; Andrew Lehman, John Deere Classic; Scott Mullen, Vibrant Arena at The MARK; Jeff Reiter, City of Bettendorf; Emily Skahill, Frontier Hospitality; Laura Wittnebel, TBK Bank Quad Cities Marathon; and Mike Zapolski, Augustana College.
“The sports tourism sector is hyper-competitive with over 500 destinations vying to host all types of sporting events,” said Joan Kranovich, Visit QC’s vice president, business growth and director of Sports QC.
“Sports QC Powered by Visit Quad Cities will continually promote the Quad Cities to event rights holders,” she added. ”We will be the team working daily to identify and host new sporting events that will be great for quality of life and our destination’s future. We will also continue to build upon the solid relationships we have at the national level, as well as statewide partners at Team Iowa and Sports Illinois, to further leverage our sports goals and objectives.”
In addition to the rebranding, Sports QC also is unveiling a new website at SportsQuadCities.com. Visit Quad Cities partnered with TAG, a Quad Cities design and marketing agency, to build the site, which boasts a bold design and introduces the Sports QC brand.
Sports QC has welcomed a variety of amateur, professional, regional, state, and national events that drive value and positive benefits for our community.
Sports QC also is encouraging Quad Citizens to submit suggestions for sporting events they attend or participate in outside the Quad Cities that could be hosted in our region. To suggest an event idea, visit the Get Involved section on SportsQuadCities.com and click on the Bring It Here link.
Upcoming scheduled sporting events include:
- March 9-12: MVC Women’s Basketball Championships
- March 10-12: March Madness Baseball Tournament and Midnight Madness Baseball Tournaments
- March 11-12: 2023 Queen of Quad City Junior Volleyball Tournament
- March 17-19: Shamrock Slugfest Baseball Tournament and Midnight Madness Baseball Tournament
- March 17-19: Softball High School Jamboree
- March 24-26: Swing Into Spring Baseball Tournament and Midnight Madness Baseball Tournaments
- April 23-25: MVC Men’s Golf Championships
- April 27-29: Soccer Showcase Tournament of Champions
- May 5-7: DR7 Flag Football Tournament
- May 5-7: USA Gymnastics Trampoline & Tumbling Region 4 Championships
- May 19-21: U.S. Junior Nationals, 21st Annual MidAmerica Basketball Challenge
- May 23-26: NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship
- May 26-28: Professional Disc Golf Association A-Tier The Rumble
- May 27-29: 2023 Spring Soccer Championship Series Iowa State Cup & Presidents Cup
- May 29: Kwik Star Criterium
- June 7-11: 2023 International Snowmobile Congress
- June 9-11: Soccer Showcase Tournament
- June 17: Quad City Triathlon
- June 23-25: Soccer Showcase Tournament
- July 5-9: John Deere Classic
- July 16-20: Luther College Wrestling Camp
- July 29: Quad-City Times Bix 7
- July 29: RAGBRAI
