Elgin space might be come ‘area of interest sport’ occasion vacation spot, tourism bureau officers say – Chicago Tribune

Spikeball, also called roundnet, may not be a well-known sport but it’s one that’s growing in popularity, according the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

And when a Spikeball tournament is played in Elgin next weekend, tourism officials will be paying close attention as they work to position the city as the perfect location for “niche sport” events.

“(Spikeball’s) one of those college sports that turned into a professional league. It’s a really cool sport to watch in person,” Ryan Cortez, sales manager for the bureau, told the Elgin City Council at a recent meeting. “We’re very excited to be welcoming them for the first time to the Elgin area.”

The tournament will be played from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at the Elgin Sports Complex.

Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as Explore Elgin Area, has been working to attract niche sports as a means of promoting tourism and economic development in the city and surrounding communities.

Last year, the North American Caribbean women’s handball tournament was held in Elgin and the American Cornhole League played one of its tournaments in West Dundee, Cortez said.

Weddings remain their top priority but there are other avenues they want to explore as well, bureau President/CEO Kristilee Murphy said at the meeting. “We know (weddings) will continue to be the bread and butter for the area as we continue to do tournaments.”

Said Cortez: “It’s broadening our scope of what we can host here in Elgin.”

They’ve already had some success looking at nontraditional marketing opportunities, he said, like the motorcycle trade show the brought to Goebbert’s Farm in Pingree Grove.

“A pumpkin farm hosting a motorcycle trade show. It’s a lot of thinking outside of the box about how that can happen,” he said.

The tourism bureau was established in 1984. It markets and promotes nine communities in the Fox River Valley, including West Dundee, Bartlett, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Hampshire, Sleepy Hollow, South Elgin and Pingree Grove. Only Elgin and West Dundee, which have hotels, provide funding to the agency.

It’s one of 37 certified convention and tourism bureaus in the state, and received $720,000 in hotel-motel tax revenue funding last year.

Elgin has a three-year agreement for marketing services at a cost of $250,000 a year with 3% cost of living increases. The city council gave preliminary approval to renewing the agreement in June, and will finalize the deal later this month.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the bureau didn’t have to lay off any staff and continued to make significant increases in tourism, Murphy said. They also won two awards — best website and best branding campaign for its wedding venue promotion Ring Around Elgin — at the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Travel and Tourism.

Murphy said one of its goals to promote sports facilities throughout their region and help Elgin as it develops a strategic plan for its parks and the Elgin Sports Complex. Reaching out to niche sporting groups is one aspect of that effort, she said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.