How Owensboro Is Building a National Sports Destination
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 countless volunteers have all helped make Owensboro a recognized sports tourism destination.
That's how you earn trust.
That's how you build a reputation.
And that's how you build a destination.
Today, Owensboro continues attracting state, regional and national sporting events because people know we'll deliver. The Bluegrass Fieldhouse, the Ben Hawes Pickleball Complex and continued investment in our community will only strengthen our ability to compete for even larger events.
For me, this has never been about hosting one tournament. It's about creating long-term opportunities for our community. More visitors. More hotel stays. More business for local restaurants and retailers. More opportunities for our young athletes to compete close to home. That's what sports tourism is supposed to do.
I'm proud of the Visit Owensboro team and grateful for every community partner who has embraced this vision. Together, we're proving that Owensboro can compete with destinations many times our size.
We're building a national sports destination one event at a time.
If you'd like to see the latest results, I encourage you to read Visit Owensboro's newest blog highlighting the incredible sports tourism momentum our community is experiencing:
