Visit Quad Cities honored for disc golf championship

Group wins Sports ETA's Event Partnership

Visit Quad Cities came home with the gold as it won Sports ETA’s Event Partnership of the Year honors for its work on the Professional Disc Golf Association’s Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championship event. 

Visit QC, which won in the population under 500,000 category, was among 10 awardees recognized Wednesday, May 10, by the national sports association. The award was accepted by Visit QC vice president and Sports QC Director Joan Kranovich at the Sports ETA Symposium being held this week in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Commenting on the nomination, the award selection committee wrote: “For this event, Visit Quad Cities partnered with a local disc golf supply business that handled the unique sports logistics, which included recruiting volunteers and giving up space in their personal cars and homes to make the event happen.

“Visit Quad Cities also provided an event experience, including food truck offerings that catered to multiple dietary restrictions, American Sign Language interpreters, and partnerships with the local parks department and waste commission to provide adequate water and recycling needs for participants. It was a true partnership all the way around.”

Nearly 300 professional and amateur players from 37 U.S. states competed in the Quad Cities for the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championships from Sept. 8-11, 2022.

In a news release announcing the partnership award, Visit QC President and CEO Dave Herrell said his organization is “thrilled to be recognized by our industry colleagues at Sports ETA. This is the first time in our organization’s history we have been honored by Sports ETA, which is the sports events and tourism industry leader.” 

He added: “We are grateful to receive this recognition and thank Sports ETA for all they do for the industry. At the end of the day, this business is built on relationships and partnerships, and we are excited to share this with our friends and partners at the PDGA.”

Ms. Kranovich, who recently was tapped to lead the newly branded Sports QC, echoed her boss, adding “Visit Quad Cities’ values are driven by people, partnerships, and personality and this award captures how we prioritize partnerships.” 

Sports QC relies heavily on important local relationships to support our sports tourism efforts and our ability to partner with organizations like Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply to exceed the expectations of national governing bodies in hosting world-class sports events,” she said in the release. “We share this recognition with Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply, the Quad Cities disc golf community, and our Sports QC Advisory Group.”

Sports QC Powered By Visit Quad Cities is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and division of Visit Quad Cities. Operating as the region’s official sports commission, it attracts, hosts, creates, and facilitates sporting events, tourism, and opportunities for the Quad Cities region. Learn more at SportsQuadCities.com.

Sports ETA, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, serves as a resource for sports commissions, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and sports event owners. It is committed to the success of more than 600 member organizations and 2,400 sports event professionals. For more information, visit SportsETA.org.

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