All or Nothing

One of our most popular presentations is called “Best (and Worst) Practices in Sports Tourism.” The “worst” part of the program is the one that gets people to raise their antennas. You should see the looks on the audience’s faces when the worst practice slide goes up on the screen. One time an attendee shouted out, “My organization does ALL of those things!” Laughter quickly filled the room.

Those that know us, know that we like lists. Heck, our latest book is made up entirely of lists. This best and worst presentation got me thinking of a top 10 list of dos and don’ts. Here is our first blush of things we should always do, or never do…..

• Always take the high road. Never “negative recruit.”

• Always create. Never tear down.

• Always surround yourself with intelligent people. Never be the smartest one in the room.

• Always focus on your tombstone resume. Never focus on your status resume.

• Always be investing in others. Never be the “taker” in the group.

These last five are from our best and worst sports tourism presentation…..

• Always have defined success measures. Never be wishy washy about your goals.

• Always have a scorecard to evaluate opportunities. Never wing it.

• Always have contact information on your website. Never use a fill-in-the blank type of form.

• Always focus on the event owner’s needs. Never lead with a “heads in beds” mentality.

• Always be evaluating your business development strategy. Never continue trying the same things when they aren’t working.

We would love to hear what you would add to your best and worst (or always/never) list.