This led to the new brand statement — “Your Sportground: Where the West Coast Plays”. Cates played a new video which brought this statement to life. It highlighted the energy that radiates from Medford, which is the epicenter for sports in the heart of the Rogue Valley. To further discuss the impacts of sports tourism
Holmes ended the Forum by describing the many assets in Medford and the Rogue Valley, especially those related to sports tourism. “The Lithia & Driveway Fields (formerly U.S. Cellular Community Park) opened in 2008 and has had $134 million in economic impact since its inception,” he said. With several new projects on the horizon, including the Rogue Credit Union Community Complex, this will only add to the Rogue Valley’s portfolio of world-class facilities, venues and resources, helping the region flourish and grow. n
Angela Wood, Director of Sales & Sports Development at Travel Medford
in the Rogue Valley, the next part of the
presentation was given by Angela Wood, Director of
Sales & Sports Development at Travel Medford. Wood introduced the “Know Your Role” brand awareness marketing campaign, which started about three years ago. It was created to help change and improve the culture and bad behavior around sports. She explained this campaign is just one of the projects that the Southern Oregon Sports Commission (SOSC) works on. “The Southern Oregon Sports Commission was founded in 2013 to advocate for sports tourism and the significant impact it brings to Southern Oregon,” she added. Wood described how youth sports has been plagued by various issues over the years. First, participation in youth sports is declining in almost every sport. Seventy-four percent of young athletes drop out of sports by age 14 because they’re not having fun anymore. Then, 80 percent of referees quit before two years of service and 84 percent of those officials think the abuse is getting worse, with more than 70 percent wanting to see change in the programs. These numbers were one of the many reasons “Know Your Role” came to be. “The essence is you can be a parent, athlete, official or coach, but you can only be one. Know your role,” Wood stated. She explained the campaign started with banners and videos to help spread the message across the community. Know Your Role has been a success locally, and now other communities are taking notice. “We’ve had people from across the country ask about Know Your Role,” Wood said. To help other communities implement Know Your Role, Wood said they created a game plan to guide people through the process. The comprehensive tool kit includes customizable banners and videos, among many other assets. “The word is spreading and there’s more inquiries all the time. It’s moving the needle and changing the culture of sports,” Wood said.
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May 2022 | The Business Review
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