At the age of 27 Roland Rivera was an aspiring baseball coach about half way to a master’s degree. His plan was to pursue a teaching and coaching career. However, that summer a telephone call came from a friend that would change Rivera’s career path forever. David King was just starting Triple Crown Sports (TCS) and he had a place for a student intern at $5 per hour.
“David and I originally came together for slow-pitch softball and I got immersed,” Rivera stated. He jokingly adds, “After 28 years in sports tourism I’m still about half way to that master’s degree.”
Sports Planning Guide had an opportunity to speak with Rivera to get some insight into his new venture, Rivera Sport Consulting (RSC).
Why is now the right time for your start-up company, Rivera Sport Consulting?
With the unknowns that a start-up may face, Rivera admits it’s a little nervy. However, he’s up to the challenge. “I’ve been a tournament director for a long time. Finding creative solutions to unique problems is what it’s all about,” Rivera stated. “I really like the architecture side of building events, including city council/economic development boards, lodging and facilities.” Rivera believes there’s a real need in the areas where his expertise is strongest. It’s evident that Rivera believes the time is right to put his extensive experiences to work.
While at TCS you were a stay-to-play specialist creating significant revenue for the company. With more destinations operating housing bureaus, where does Rivera Sport Consulting fit?
Like the meetings & conventions and tour & travel segments, the lodging component is critically important to the success of any sports tourism event. Rivera points out that that it doesn’t have to be an either-or when it comes to lodging via event holders or third-party operations. There are certainly good third-party housing operations.
“My wheelhouse is bringing the lodging component of event holders in-house; it brought us closer to our customers when we did this at Triple Crown Sports,” Rivera commented. The fact there is a middleman often gets in the way of giving hardcore data back to the community and its partners. “Granted, a lot of rights holders and event organizers are a little afraid of the process,” he added. “However, if they reach out they’ll see positive results along the lines of volume, predictability and dependability,” Rivera added.
For your business will the RFP/site selection services be an important component?
“Drafting a Request for Proposal is something I whole heartedly believe we can help some rights holders/event planners do for a new event,” Rivera stated. On the other hand, local CVBs and sports commissions will find tremendous value in Rivera’s ability to assist in responding to an RFP for an event in their area. He’ll assist the destination in recognizing red flags and work through the world of the rights holders.
One very important service RSCS provides is assisting in site selection for new events. From examining competition layouts to helping with event schematic diagrams, Rivera’s team provides valuable input and direction. Taking it to the next level, a community considering new sports venues needs to bring in Rivera’s expertise for multi-use design and concepts.
How can Rivera Sport Consulting help destinations secure the right events?
There’s no doubt that sports tourism has the potential to be a large part of a community’s footprint. There’s an opportunity for a significant economic impact through sports tourism. However, event and tournament choices can be a challenge that’s unpredictable. The RSC commitment is to secure events that fill rooms and have the strongest chance to produce desired results.
Backing up that commitment is the RSC team’s more than three decades of experience working with facilities, teams and participants, families and community leaders. Coupled with countless conferences and educational seminars attended through their careers, RSC will ensure CVBs/sports commissions make the correct event choices.
Will the new company do any speaking engagements?
Granted, there are numerous sports tourism speaker options for national, state, regional and even local conferences. However, if you’re looking for a knowledgeable speaker that excels at storytelling, Roland Rivera is a good choice. This much sought-after speaker weaves real-life experiences with business success and a few unsuccessful ones. His personality along with his event experiences promise an engaging session filled with fun and learning.
Where do you see sports tourism going in the next five years?
“There are certainly cycles in particular sports, but sports tourism as a whole is on an upward plane,” Rivera stated. One of the positives Rivera notes is the industry trend of moving in a more collaborative, good-for-the-whole mode in planning sporting events. “People are being in step with each other, understanding their individual assets and providing better communications,” Rivera added.
With positive trends, sports tourism will continue to grow. Taking advantage of the trends, new destinations are developing and marketing their sports tourism assets. However, Rivera offers one caution: “Sometimes communities investing in new facilities are not peeling back the onion to make certain they have a viable programming plan for the right type of events.”
In speaking with Roland Rivera you’ll immediately be drawn to his enthusiasm for the venture he’s beginning. His knowledge drawn from three decades of experience is unsurpassed and will definitely secure his success. However, if there’s any doubt in your mind about what RSC brings to the table, we suggest a visit to riverasportconsulting.com. Under a page simply titled “Results,” you can see what the industry thinks of Roland Rivera.
Beginning with his existing client and former employer at Triple Crown Sports, national and state association leadership, CVB and sports commission CEOs and tournament organizers have all come forward with praise for Roland Rivera. They speak of his experience, expertise, integrity and contributions to the industry. That’s a winning success combination for any new business.
By Dave Bodle
