CEOS FROM 40 NATIONAL SPORTS GOVERNING BODIES MEET IN GRAND RAPIDS AUG. 28-30,INTRODUCING U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PROSPECTS TO WEST MICHIGAN FOR FUTURE EVENTS

West Michigan Sports Commission Announces Other Bid Wins, Including Spartan Race,

PDGA 2024 Amateur World Championships and PGA Annual Meeting

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 24, 2023 – Sometimes the impact of a national conference isn’t measured by the quantity of attendees or the revenue generated, but by who is in the room. That’s the case with the ACES 2023 Conference held Aug. 28 - 30, 2023 at the Amway Grand Plaza.

Known as ACES, the Association of Chief Executives for Sport is a “who’s who” of CEOs and executive directors of non-profit sports governing bodies, including chief executives of most of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committees (USOPC). A first time in West Michigan and only the second time in the state (Detroit hosted it in 2015), the ACES Conference will attract 114 attendees – many from over 40 USOPC sport governing bodies, for three days in West Michigan. The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) announced this and three other event bid wins today.

“The ACES Conference represents an important opportunity to expose greater Grand Rapids and West Michigan to key decision makers at national sports governing bodies,” said Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) who bid on, won and is hosting this event. “Having over 40 CEOs from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees is tremendous, as they get to see our community firsthand – from arriving at our airport, to staying at our hotels, to enjoying the walkable downtown and restaurants. It enhances our chances to win future bids if they can see what we offer.”

At the conference, the sports governing body CEO members, destinations and corporate sponsors meet to discuss best practices and develop deeper personal and business relationships to help them collaborate more effectively throughout the sports events and tourism ecosystem.

“The Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES) is very excited to host our 2023 Annual Conference in Grand Rapids,” said ACES CEO Rick Mack. “With its rich history of hosting sports events for many of our members, its highly appealing downtown area, great accommodations and overall affordability, Grand Rapids is the ideal host city for us. Plus, the collaboration and support from our partners at the West Michigan Sports Commission has been nothing short of fabulous.”

The WMSC will have an opportunity to meet with U.S. organizing bodies who are already familiar with the region from hosting previous national events in West Michigan, as well as those new to West Michigan – including USA Judo, USA Fencing, USA Pickleball, USA Team Handball and USA Figure Skating.

Some of the U.S. organizing bodies that the WMSC is hoping to have greater conversations with include:

●        USA Table Tennis – The WMSC has hosted the USA Table Tennis US Open three times and has the potential to bid on multiple events with the governing body in 2024.

●        USRowing – The WMSC has hosted the USRowing Masters National Championships twice at Riverside Park, a viable destination for this event again in a future year and other USRowing events. The WMSC is exploring how to continue improving Riverside Park and the Grand River as a premier rowing venue, especially since West Michigan is one of only a few destinations that USRowing can turn to for hosting larger national rowing events.

●        Move United – An affiliate of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Move United hosts the Hartford Nationals – the largest and longest-standing national championship for athletes with a physical, visual, and/or intellectual disability. The WMSC is interested in bidding on future conference years, which are awarded in two-year blocks (the next openings are 2025-2026 and 2027-2028).

Other New Business Wins

In addition to winning the bid to host the ACES 2023 Conference, the WMSC also is announcing three other bid wins to host events in 2023 and 2024.

●        Spartan Race, Oct. 21-22, 2023 - A first for West Michigan, the Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances held across the country. The Michigan Spartan Event Weekend held at Millenium Park consists of a Sprint 5K with 20 obstacles, a Super 10K with 25 obstacles, and a Kids Race (1-3K) with obstacles. The event is slated to draw 5,000 participants and fill more than 1,500 hotel room nights, generating over $1.5 million in estimated economic impact.

●        Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) 2024 Amateur World Championships, Aug. 6-10, 2024 - With the region accustomed to hosting major disc golf events (the most recent being the PDGA Masters Disc Golf World Championships in 2017), this event will attract 430-plus competitors and fill 600 hotel room nights, generating approximately $850,000. Hosted in conjunction with Grand Rapids-based disc golf pro shop Disc Baron as part of the Local Organizing Committee, the tournament will be played at the host course of Brewer Park in Byron Center plus Johnson Park in Walker, Grand Isle Park Rotary Disc Golf Course in Belmont and Fallasburg Park in Lowell.

“Disc Baron is thrilled to work with the West Michigan Sports Commission to bring the 2024 PDGA Amateur World Championships to Grand Rapids,” said Tournament Director Jacob Stahl, who owns Disc Baron and is a registered PDGA member. “Michigan is a hot bed for disc golf, and Grand Rapids is one of the gems the state has to offer.  We will be highlighting the best disc golf courses that Grand Rapids provides when the world's best amateur disc golfers come to Grand Rapids to compete for a week to be named a world champion. It is an honor for the PDGA to instill its confidence in us to host this momentous event.”

Kent County and Michigan have long been destinations for professional disc golf, with more than 30 courses in Kent County and 350 in the state. Michigan is the third state in the country in number of PDGA members (4,633, only behind Texas and California) and annual disc golf events (282, after Texas and North Carolina). (Source: 2021 PDGA Year End Demographics)

●        108th Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Annual Meeting, Nov. 4-8, 2024 - Hosted at the Amway Grand Plaza, this prestigious annual meeting by the Professional Golfers' Association will attract 600 attendees who will book 2,000 room nights, generating approximately $1.2 million in estimated economic impact. This five-day event comes to West Michigan for the first time and will include the PGA Board of Directors meeting, PGA of America National Awards Celebration and PGA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

“While the bulk of the events we host are participatory sporting events, we also attract numerous sport conferences and meetings such as the ACES Conference and PGA Annual Meeting,” said Guswiler. “It is exciting to be the host city for industry organizations having important topical conversations about their sport.”

 About the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC)

The non-profit West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) identifies, secures and hosts youth and amateur sporting events to positively impact the economy and quality of life in the region. Since its inception in 2007, the WMSC has booked 1,095 events attracting more than 1.9 million athletes and visitors, generating more than $557 million in direct visitor spending. Visit westmisports.com or on social media at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.