Sports commission earns national recognition
From left: Katy Tigchelaar, Mike Guswiler, Alyssa Bey, and Conner Hicks pose with Sports ETA President and CEO John David (R)
Photo courtesy of West Michigan Sports Commission
The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) was one of only 10 awardees honored among 800 member organizations at the annual Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) Symposium in Portland, Oregon. The nonprofit took home the “Sports Commission of the Year” award for 2023 in the under 500,000 population category. This was the WMSC’s first time to receive the recognition.
“Congratulations to the team at the West Michigan Sports Commission for being named Sports Commission of the Year by Sports ETA,” said John David, president and CEO of Sports ETA. “The award honors sports commissions who are leading our sports events tourism industry in collaborative and creative ways, and the West Michigan Sports Commission embodies this spirit.”
The judges selected the WMSC for this award for exceeding business goals and increasing the number of event participants.
The WMSC hosted 121 sporting events (up 7.1%) and generated nearly $88 million in economic impact. Event participation was up by 9% percent over the previous year.
“Last year was one of the best years in our organization’s history for growing our region’s economy through sport, including generating the highest estimated economic impact for the Meijer Sports Complex and Meijer State Games of Michigan,” said Mike Guswiler, President, West Michigan Sports Commission. “It is an incredible honor to be recognized for that hard work by our national trade association for the sports industry, and a testament to the hard work of our team. We thank Sports ETA for bestowing it on the WMSC.”
Of the 10 awardees honored out of 85 submissions, the WMSC was the only sports commission from Michigan to receive an award.
The WMSC also won Event Partnership of the Year (under 500,000) in 2023 for its collaboration with the Greater Lansing Sports Authority and Visit Muskegon in hosting the 2022 Junior Gold Championships at eight bowling centers in Michigan.
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