When William Knox makes a sales pitch, his goal is for hit balls and goals scored in Hamilton County.
The Director of Sports Development for the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau wants Hamilton County to be a major player in sporting events.
William Knox, director of sports development for Hamilton County
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Ashley Ledford, HCVB communication
director, go over their meeting schedules for the next couple of weeks.
Rob Borders/ rborders@noblesvilledailytimes.com
The HCVB is already busy planning for its role in the 2009 U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Course in Carmel, and bids are being prepared for Hamilton County to host numerous AAU events.
“We are providing visitor information, and we set up the hospitality area,” Knox said of the bureau’s role for the Senior Open. “Our job is to make each visitor aware of what Hamilton County can offer outside the golf course.”
Ashley Ledford, communications director for HCVB, said that includes producing information packets promoting stores, restaurants and hotels.
“We want people to stay in Hamilton County,” Knox said. “We want them to eat in our restaurants, stay in our hotels and shop in our stores.”
Ledford said the HCVB is also working with Senior Open organizers on “stay and play” packages for golf fans attending the tournament.
Knox is planning a trip to Cancun, Mexico in October. He will try to bring an AAU basketball tournament to Westfield. Knox said the winning bid will be the host for annual AAU tournaments.
Darrin Simpson, president of the Westfield Basketball Club, said there is already an 11-year-old AAU girls’ basketball tournament set for 2009. Simpson said he partners with the visitor’s bureau and Westfield Athletic Club in an effort to bring tournaments to Hamilton County.
“It would be a lot more work for me without this partnership,” Simpson said. “Hosting and running a basketball tournament is what I am comfortable with. Coming up with hotel rooms for the guests and organizing opening ceremonies – that is where the visitor’s bureau comes into play.”
Knox’s long-term goal is to bring the AAU Junior Olympics to Hamilton County.
“That event will attract 15,000 athletes alone,” Knox said. “It is a lofty goal right now, but in the future, I see no problem in getting that to come here.”
Knox, who replaced Brad Hart in June, is developing an initiative to continue to make Hamilton County a host for sporting events.
“We will really see where we are in four to six months, then we will set some goals,” Knox said. “We are working with several other counties on developing a statewide organization to market Indiana for sporting events.”
By Rob Borders
rborders@noblesvilledailytimes.com