PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla., March 29, 2019 – Visit Panama City Beach is looking ahead to summer 2019 with great anticipation, with plans to open its world-class Panama City Beach Sports Complex managed by Sports Facilities Management (SFM). On March 28, SFM’s General Manager of the Panama City Beach Sports Complex J.D. Wood, spoke on a panel at The Sportology Conference in Fort Worth, TX, sharing information on best practices in sports tourism, teams, holders, facilities and cities. The conference, which takes place March 27-29, is an opportunity for sports industry leaders and stakeholders to gather for analysis and insight for leveraging new technology to capitalize on the full potential of sporting events.

            “Sharing knowledge grows careers and moves industries forward,” said Wood. “It was an honor to be a part of The Sportology Conference this week, both to learn and share my thoughts related to the ever-evolving connection between sports and technology.”

With technology advancing at such a rapid pace within the amateur sports market, The Sportology Conference allows industry leaders to gather to challenge their current practices and offer forward-thinking ideas to uncover the potential of this growing and changing industry. Software currently powers only 15% of the sports management experience of youth athletic events. By 2022, this number is expected to balloon to 83%.  The youth and adult sports travel industry currently exceeds $15 billion annually, expected to rise to $41.2 billion by 2023. For more information about The Sportology Conference, visit www.sportologyconference.com.

Panama City Beach’s brand-new $37 million Sports Complex will offer visitors on ‘play-cation’ a place to enjoy multiple sports and activities including soccer, lacrosse, rugby, football, flag football, baseball and softball. The facility will feature 13 rectangular fields including nine with artificial surfaces and two championship fields with seating up to 1,500 spectators. Destined to be the center of soccer in the southeast, Panama City Beach will host over 700 soccer teams for more than 15 tournaments beginning in August. Details of the opening including special festivities for Bay County residents will be announced closer to August.

More information on Panama City Beach’s new Sports Complex can be found at www.playpanamacitybeach.com. A link of renderings can be found here.

 

About Panama City Beach

Panama City Beach is situated on 27 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordering clear, emerald-green waters where the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrew Bay converge.  With 320 days of sunshine annually and attractions such as St. Andrews State Park and Pier Park, the region has long been favored by travelers seeking an affordable beach vacation with year-round offerings for families, couples, groups and adventure-seekers.  These include championship golf courses, spas, sporting events, award-winning dining and diverse recreational activities. In addition, Panama City Beach’s Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport offers non-stop flights on Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. For more information, call 850-233-5070 or visit the official website of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com.  Live HD video of the world-famous beach is now available at http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/webcam/. Stay connected with Panama City Beach on Twitter (@Visit_PCB), Instagram (@Visit_PCB) and Facebook (@Visit_PCB).

 

Panama City Beach Sports Complex:

The Panama City Beach Sports Complex is located within the Breakfast Point development and is the premier destination for travel sports tourism in the Florida panhandle. The facility features 13 rectangular fields including nine with artificial surfaces and two championship fields with seating up to 1,500 spectators. The flexible design allows for soccer, lacrosse, rugby, football and flag football, as well as baseball and softball to be played. The Panama City Sports Complex is a facility managed by Sports Facilities Management, LLC. For more information, visit: www.playpanamacitybeach.com

 

Media Contacts:

Gina Stouffer / Charlotte Park                     Michael Booini / Chris O’Brien

Lou Hammond Group                                  Panama City Beach Sports Complex/Visit Panama City Beach

843-408-4360 / 843-371-1362                    850-588-4902 / 850-233-5070

ginas@louhammond.com                        mbooini@sportadvisory.com

charlottep@louhammond.com                cobrien@visitpanamacitybeach.com