Sports Travel: Why Agents Should Get in the Game

For those who know the ground rules, sports travel is a lucrative niche where agents can win new clients and score points in an expanding market.

Whether they’re interested in football, baseball, NASCAR or major events like the Masters Golf Tournament or the Olympics, sports fans are everywhere. Many of them follow their teams or favorite athletes around the nation or even around the world.

Working with tour operators
Savvy agents can not only sell tickets and packages to events, but can provide an experience that clients wouldn’t be able to achieve on their own. A smart way to do this is to work with tour operators specializing in the market.

“At Formula One in Austin, we had a cart night, where some of the drivers who were driving in Formula One raced some of the kids and families in go-carts,” said Ray Leonard Jr., vice president sales and business development for San Diego, Calif.-based Ludus Tours.

“We have relationships throughout the industry to find the hard-to-get tickets and experiences you won’t traditionally have. For the Super Bowl we have direct access to the athletes, some of the legends that our clients will interact with. We’ll have happy hours, cocktail events, dinner, and mixers so that people can meet them.”

Game time
Although many clients would enjoy such high-profile experiences if they could afford them, others are satisfied with attending a specific game or race.

For Barbara Randolph of Brandywine Travel in Hickory, Tenn., it’s football games and car racing that her clients travel for. She receives a lot of requests for college and pro football games, as well as sports packages to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

But in spite of the interest in the events, Randolph still faces challenges with this type of travel. “The cost is a challenge, unless you have diehard fans,” she said. “The best way to overcome any kind of argument like that is to explain that you get what you pay for. You have to break it down for people and let them see exactly what’s included.”

Success with individuals and groups
Sports enthusiast Becky Treakle of Best Connection Travel in Annapolis, Md., has created a very successful sports travel niche for both individual clients and groups. She sells everything across the board from college football to NASCAR and horseracing. Some of her clients travel around the globe to see car-racing events.

Treakle approached a local radio station that broadcasts Naval Academy football games and other sports. She partnered with them to promote a football package to Dublin, Ireland for the Notre Dame-Navy game over Labor Day weekend.  The result was a group of over 100 people, which she personally escorted.

Treakle is now working with a client, a local bar owner who owns two pubs. He wanted to put together a group of his customers to watch Super Bowl 14, not in the stadium where it will take place but in a resort destination.

For this, she’s creating a trip to the new Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Fans will enjoy days on the beach and a chance to watch the game on a large screen TV at the resort.

Sports and weddings
Using a bit of creativity, Treakle incorporates sports into the destination wedding groups she puts together.

“What I’ve learned is that grooms love to golf, so I’ll include that and do other things sports related,” she said. “When I plan a destination wedding, I’ll include a party watching NFL football if it’s in the fall. Having a sporting activity helps grow my destination wedding business.”

Be ready for opportunities
Part of developing a successful sports niche involves staying on top of what’s happening in the sports world.

For example, college football has changes ahead that are creating travel opportunities, said Jim Zissler, senior vice president of New York-based Inside Sports & Entertainment Group.

 “They’re changing the format on the college playoff system this year and have more of a final four in college football,” he said. “That adds three more events to sell and pumps up the interest and demand for college football even more,”

Not just games
Sports travel is not just about games – many people also want to attend events that honor athletes, according to Michael Coldesina, manager of travel industry relations for Sports Travel & Tours, the official travel company for the Baseball Hall of Fame and Football Hall of Fame enshrinements.

“When you get premier players the numbers go up,” he said,

The ultimate experience
No matter what the type of event or its location,  travel to a favorite sports event is the ultimate experience, according to Jeff Wills, vice president marketing of Roadtrips, Inc. in Winnipeg, Canada.

“The rewards come anytime you can help a client check off their bucket list, live their dream,” he said. “Anytime you give someone a memory that they’re going to talk about for a long time.”