I broke the news yesterday that Pensacola Sports CEO and president Ray Palmer will be inducted into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame, joining an elite group of just 24 honorees recognized by the nation’s premier sports tourism trade organization.
Palmer sat down for We Don’t Color on the Dog to reflect on the honor. He also discussed the recession-proof nature of sports tourism and made a pointed argument about what Pensacola needs to build next.
Sports Tourism
Palmer has watched the sports tourism industry weather economic downturns, the COVID pandemic, and every storm in between.
- “We all hate to use the word, but it’s true—it’s the recession-proof capacity of sports tourism,” he said. “When your children are playing sports, and you have an option to take your child out of town to compete, you’re not going to say no.”
That dynamic, Palmer says, turns youth athletic travel into the family vacation, and with the World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and a string of major international events on the horizon, the next decade looks even stronger.
- “For the next 10 or so years, we’ve got a plethora of major international events that are sports tourism based,” he said.
The Indoor Sports Facility Debate
Pensacola has studied the need for an indoor sports facility for years, with every new report showing a growing market. Palmer has been at the center of those conversations since the original study in 2010, and he knows what our community is missing.
- “That’s when we realized how woefully short we are as a community for our basketball teams and our volleyball teams,” he said.
But Palmer drew a clear line on where a dedicated sports facility should — and shouldn’t — go. Placing it next to the Bay Center downtown isn’t the right fit for sports tourism.
- “Sports families will go wherever the facilities are to play. They don’t need the downtown hotels and the downtown restaurants,” he explained.
Unlike convention attendees spending company money, sports families are watching their own budget. “They’re going to stay outside of generally a downtown area. And they’re going to eat at your fast foods and your pizza joints.”
- What they do need is multiple courts or fields under one roof. “The sports tourism market is looking for multiple courts or fields at one site,” Palmer said. “Many of these families are traveling with a kid playing U-10 basketball and U-14 basketball. If you have to drive all over the county, it is very disruptive.”
Build It and They Will Come
Palmer is not opposed to a conference center at the Bay Center — but he wants it built large enough to accommodate flat-court sports conversions. In the meantime, he’s clear that demand for a standalone indoor sports venue in Escambia County is real and ready.
- “If you build a venue in Escambia County, I know it will get filled,” he said. “I have watched for all 20 plus of my years, people ask about bringing their events to Escambia County into Pensacola. They want to come to our community.”
I do a deep dive into the two latest studies on the future of the Pensacola Bay Center in this week’s issue. The “Bay Center Battle: Two Studies, One Arena and the $114 Million Question” goes live at inweekly.net at 11 a.m. today.
