Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Bob Costas and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will headline the program at the TEAMS ‘13 Conference & Expo, which will be held Nov. 4 – 7 in Salt Lake City. Presented by SportsTravel magazine and hosted by the Utah Sports Commission and Visit Salt Lake, TEAMS ‘13 is the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers.
“It’s always best to learn from proven masters,” said Lisa Furfine, associate publisher, SportsTravel, and manager of the TEAMS Conference & Expo. “If you want to be a leader in the sports industry, TEAMS ‘13 in Salt Lake City is the place to be.”
Costas and Romney will appear as part of the TEAMS ‘13 opening general session on Nov. 5. Both are TEAMS Conference alumni, having appeared at TEAMS when it was last held in Salt Lake City in 2001. At that time, Romney was the head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He currently serves on the board of directors of Marriott International. Costas will be making his fourth live appearance at TEAMS. He has served as the anchor of NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage for a record-setting nine Olympic Games and will lead NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia.
In addition to Costas and Romney, attendees at TEAMS will hear from more than two dozen high-level sports-organization executives, including Bill Marolt, president and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association; Stephen Miller, whose family owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz; Mark Lewis, executive vice-president for championships and alliances, NCAA; Mike Plant, president, U.S. Speedskating, and executive vice-president of the Atlanta Braves; Jeff Robbins, president and CEO, Utah Sports Commission; and Jerry Solomon, noted sports agent and CEO of StarGames. Chris Thompson, president and CEO, Brand USA, will provide a keynote address on how the United States’ first nationally coordinated tourism marketing effort will use sports to market the U.S. to international visitors.
“The TEAMS Conference & Expo is committed to providing a platform for the leading thinkers and practitioners in the sports and travel industries,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher, SportsTravel magazine. “The importance of long-term relationships is one of the key themes of TEAMS ’13, and we’re pleased that many of our presenters are longtime friends of SportsTravel and TEAMS.”
