(Fox Cities, WI) – The honor was given to the Bureau’s Director of Sports Marketing Matt Ten Haken and Sports Sales Manager Adam Schanke during the NASC’s Annual Sports Events Symposium, held last week in Grand Rapids, MI.

The award is given to an active NASC member who has had the most outstanding impact on their local community through sports events, community events and/or economic impact. Award recipients were selected on the basis of exemplary performance and merit. NASC Member Awards are the highest honor an organization or individual in the sport tourism industry can receive as they are created and awarded by industry peers.

“2015 proved to be the most successful year, in terms of sports tourism, ever in the Fox Cities,” commented Ten Haken. “This award is a fitting way to recognize the tremendous effort organizations, businesses, and volunteers from throughout our 20 municipalities put into sporting events. This award is testament to the incredible passion that residents of the Fox Cities have for sports.”

The Fox Cities hosted 163 sporting events that generated 35,120 hotel room nights and a conservative estimate of $11,378,880 worth of direct visitor spending in 2015.

The NASC, governing body of the $9.45 billion sports tourism industry, is the only trade association for the industry. The NASC is committed to the success of nearly 700 member organizations and 2,000 sports event professionals by delivering quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event management and marketing know-how.

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About the Bureau
The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization that strengthens the Fox Cities by attracting visitors in the convention, sports and leisure markets through sales, marketing and destination development.

Visitor spending in the Fox Cities was more than $434 million in 2014. The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates that this direct spending created 6,000 jobs and $93.6 million in income for Fox Cities Residents.