Improving communities through sport

5 Unique Non-Sports Events You Can Host at Your Facility

Car Show

Guest post written by Cameron Connelly, Content & Research Coordinator, The Sports Facilities Companies. 

Soup bowls might be designed to hold bisques and broths but that shouldn’t stop you from filling them with your favorite cereal. The same goes for sports facilities. If your facility is designed to host large sports tournaments then it likely has a large, open, indoor space and plenty of parking. Well, a large, open, indoor space with plenty of parking is exactly what is required for many activities and events. So if you are looking to fill your facility’s schedule with events that draw crowds that might not typically come to your facility, then give some of these ideas a try.

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Concerts

Some sports facilities already have a designated stage area or a temporary stage that gets used for graduations. If that is the case, then you just need to set up some equipment, contact local bands, and you are on your way to hosting a concert. It is a great way to get people from your community together to enjoy a night of entertainment while supporting local talent. Rocky Mount Event Center hosts many concerts that feature artists ranging from local talent to national stars, sometimes even a mix of both. If you find that there are a lot of bands in your area, you can also host a Battle of the Bands to showcase more talent and add some competitive flair to your concert.

Food Festivals/Competitions

Food festivals and competitions are perfect for people who have a difficult time deciding what they want to eat. At a food festival, guests can roam around your facility and sample a taste of nearly every food group known to man while learning about some of the restaurants and chefs in the area. A competition is pretty much the same, but with more specific categories, judges, and awards at the end. Our own Cedar Point Sports Center hosted a Best of the Bay cooking competition last year that featured 21 local vendors cooking for glory in 10 different categories.

Art Shows and Craft Fairs

No matter where you are located, there is likely a large number of local artists that are interested in showing their work and seeing other people’s work. Providing them with a place to do so can bring large crowds of people to your facility that might not have heard about it previously. The main difference between an art show and a craft show is the kind of mediums used. Art shows are typically only paintings, drawings, and sculptures whereas craft shows can include those things, but they also offer jewelry, textiles, food, and a lot of other creations. Bringing together the artists of your community to share their passion is a great way to showcase your facility.

Car Shows

Remember when I said that your facility has plenty of parking? That is really all you need to host a car show. Car shows are a great way to advertise your facility to a new crowd and this crowd loves to see “what’s under the hood”. The Hoover Met Complex hosts the “Hot Rod Power Tour” at their facility which features thousands of classic cars, custom trucks, hot rods, street rods, muscle cars, and other high-performance vehicles.

Casino Night

Kids aren’t the only ones that can get in on the fun at your facility. You can host a casino night at your facility to allow residents, 21 and over, to socialize and gamble for a good cause. The night can be a fundraiser for a local charity which means that the losers aren’t losers, they are just more charitable. If there are any gaps in your facility’s schedule, then consider using some of these ideas. They can serve as a few ways to reach a wider audience or to further impress your current audience. If your community doesn’t currently have a sports facility that can handle these events, we can help. Here at The Sports Facilities Companies, we advise communities through each stage of the sports facility development process. If you are interested in our help or would like to know more, give us a call at (727) 474-3845 or contact us.

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