Mark Calitri | Leadership, Performance & Destination Marketing

Nine state championships. Thousands of visitors. More than $1 million in economic impact. That's what the Kentucky 2A Championships brought to Owensboro last year. And they're coming back. During the 2026-27 school year, Owensboro will host nine Kentucky 2A state championships , bringing athletes, coaches and families from 55 schools across Kentucky. Last year's championships brought an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 visitors and generated $1,004,589 in economic impact . That's real money being spent in Owensboro hotels, restaurants, stores, gas stations and local businesses. The championships will take place across the community at Owensboro Country Club, Brescia University, Owensboro High School, the Owensboro Sportscenter, Jack C. Fisher Park and Apollo High School. Owensboro Health continues as a major partner, while Maui's Indoor Theme Park gives visiting families another reason to get out and experience Owensboro. There's another win here too. Thousands of Kent...

 The delays at the Bluegrass Fieldhouse in Owensboro, Kentucky have cost us business. There’s no way around that. The Messenger-Inquirer recently reported that five major sports weekends have been lost because of the delays, with Owensboro hotels losing an estimated 10% to 20% occupancy on those weekends. But think about what that tells us. As President & CEO of Visit Owensboro , I’ve watched the sports pipeline build firsthand. If we’re losing that much business without the Bluegrass Fieldhouse open, what happens when we have seven full-size courts filled with athletes and families? That’s the opportunity in front of Owensboro. We’ve moved our Owensboro sports tourism focus to 2027, and the pipeline is strong. The Bluegrass Fieldhouse will allow us to compete for tournaments and sporting events we simply couldn’t host before. Those athletes bring parents, coaches and families who stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores and spend money throughout the c...

  What Does 4,256 Really Tell You About Pete Rose? On August 14, 1986, Pete Rose collected the 4,256th and final hit of his Major League career. But what does 4,256 really tell you? It tells you Pete could hit a baseball. But that’s not the lesson. You don’t get to 4,256 on talent alone. You get there with hustle. Effort. Showing up. Rolling up your sleeves and doing the work when nobody is handing you anything. Pete played the game hard. He competed. He kept getting back in the box. That matters far beyond baseball. A lot of people have talent. A lot of people have good ideas. A lot of people talk about what they’re going to do. But at some point, the talking has to stop. You have to put in the effort. That’s one of the lessons I keep coming back to with Pete Rose. He didn’t build the greatest hit total in baseball history with one big swing. He built it one at-bat at a time. Get on base. Win the next at-bat. Keep going. That mindset is a big part of The Winning Leadership Playbo...

  What Can the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Teach Us About Marketing? In 2021, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile came to Owensboro, Kentucky, for a trade show at the Owensboro Convention Center. Of course, I got a picture with it. But think about this. Why did I take the picture? Why do people stop when they see the Wienermobile? Why are we still talking about a giant hot dog on wheels more than 80 years after Oscar Mayer first put one on the road? Because people notice it. That's the first job of marketing. Get noticed. You can have a great product, a great event or a great community. But if nobody notices, how are you going to drive business? In destination marketing, we're competing every day for visitors, conventions, sporting events and attention. So here's the question I keep coming back to: Are we giving people something worth talking about? Not another ad that looks like everybody else's. Something they'll remember. Something they'll share. Something that makes t...

  By Mark Calitri, President & CEO, Visit Owensboro When people see another national championship or major tournament announced in Owensboro, they see the result. They don't always see the strategy behind it. As President & CEO of Visit Owensboro, I've believed from day one that Owensboro could become one of America's premier sports destinations. That belief became our strategy. We didn't set out to land one big event. We set out to build a destination that event organizers trust and want to return to year after year. At Visit Owensboro, my team and I understand that every successful tournament becomes our best sales pitch for the next championship. That's why we focus on execution, relationships and delivering an experience that exceeds expectations. No destination is built alone. The City of Owensboro, Daviess County, Owensboro Parks & Recreation, the OVG360 team at the Owensboro Convention Center, our hotel partners, local sports organizations and cou...

 Owensboro, Kentucky, is growing as a tourism, sports, convention, and entertainment destination. In 2025, visitors spent a record $262.9 million in Owensboro and Daviess County . Tourism supported 2,034 jobs and generated $20 million in state and local tax revenue . Those results came from a clear strategy. Visit Owensboro has focused on increasing conventions, building sports tourism, supporting major events, and giving people more reasons to visit. Owensboro now hosts more conventions, national tournaments, festivals, concerts, and special events. Hotel performance has reached record levels, and new developments are creating even more opportunities. The Bluegrass Fieldhouse will expand indoor sports tourism. The Ben Hawes pickleball complex will bring new tournaments. Owensboro Racing & Gaming, Maui’s Indoor Theme Park, the riverfront, local attractions, and major community events continue to strengthen the visitor experience. Tourism is economic development. Visitors stay ...

Some of the best business lessons come from the strangest places. One of the best I've ever heard is this: Eat your own dog food. It sounds ridiculous until you understand what it means. Don't expect others to do something you're not willing to do yourself. If you expect your team to be prepared, be the most prepared person in the room. If you expect your team to work hard, they ought to see you working even harder. If you expect everyone to be on time, don't let them beat you to the office. If you expect people to own their mistakes, own yours first. People pay far more attention to what you do than what you say. That's how respect is earned. That's how winning cultures are built. Performance starts with the example you set every day. That's what "eat your own dog food" means. I'm curious. What's one standard you refuse to compromise? Watch Mark Calitri explain how preparation, effort and setting the right example can improve team performa...