By: Emma Sandell

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Dear Faithful Readers,

I hope everyone is enjoying their week! We are amid a very exciting time of year in the world of sports, with both Soccer & Baseball seasons underway, and on the flip side, both the NHL & NBA are in the height of playoffs. I personally am most looking forward to this Thursday’s NFL Draft. If you are able to attend any of the national sports festivities, I hope you enjoy yourself! 

In this issue, we highlight our recent partnership with Busbank at the 2024 NSF, which played a crucial role in the transportation experience for attendees. Busbank gave both attendees and staff a seamless travel to our offsite events, allowing everyone to focus more on the event and less on the journey. 

Enjoy,

Isabelle Madrid

Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications

isabelle@sports-forum.com

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“Driving Success: BusBank’s Impactful Partnership with the 2024 NSF”

Description:

Major league sports, college-level teams, and sports management groups all require the support of transportation services to ensure smooth commuting. Whether between games, practices, or even the movement of fans between events, orderly transportation is essential. As the National Sports Forum in Pittsburgh approached, we knew that a reliable charter system was needed throughout the conference. We had the opportunity to host the Opening Reception at PNC Park and the Budweiser Gala at Acrisure Stadium but needed a charter service to help us safely drop off and pick up all NSF attendees at each location. NSF receptions are times for attendees to build relationships and connect with new and old friends while in settings essential to the sporting culture in Pittsburgh. Transportation between these venues and the hotel needed to be a smooth and positive experience for attendees. After careful consideration of event transportation management companies, BusBank was able to join the Forum Family at the 2024 NSF. Mary Novak, Head of Sales at BusBank, explained how their extensive experience in professional, college sports, and sports management groups made working with the NSF a perfect opportunity. This partnership proved to contribute to the internal growth of BusBank as well as creating a positive transportation experience for the NSF and attendees. 

Objectives:

The NSF’s main objective was to find a transportation company that would support the transportation of our 918 attendees present in Pittsburgh. Mary Novak explained how BusBank provides a wide array of services from driving teams to fans, multi-day to single-day events, and even providing local or on the road service. This expansive background and specialty in sports made BusBank a perfect partner for the Forum. BusBank serves as a “one-stop-shop” by handling all aspects of transportation logistics, including buses, operators, and other essentials, thus making it as convenient as possible for customers. This streamlined approach simplified transportation at the NSF by reducing the number of communication channels needed. Novak explained, “Because of our network of bus operators, we can easily find other operators or buses if something comes up. Handling things like this internally makes transportation a lot easier for the client, which is a major objective for us.” It was important for us at the NSF to have a charter system that would not only support our attendees but also make it a positive experience throughout each ride. BusBank was once again a clear choice due to their constant work to provide the best experience possible for their clients. Novak mentioned, “We have built relationships with bus operators for years, even through the pandemic, which has grown the internal commitment to BusBank.” These strong internal relationships within BusBank then translate to positive experiences from clients. Novak commented on the number of attendees who had great things to say after their rides. The overall great transportation support and experience for attendees made this partnership so beneficial for the conference as a whole. 

Partnership:

BusBank was a partner of the National Sports Forum several years ago and returned looking to further develop their transportation services in the sports and entertainment industry. When developing this partnership between BusBank and the NSF, it was important for both parties to see positive outcomes. At the National Sports Forum, we saw this partnership benefiting the conference with the positive transportation experience it would create. BusBank also saw the benefits of this partnership as it would offer a chance to grow internally through the relationships they could build, outside of the transportation. BusBank has clients across teams, colleges, and sports organizations, so being able to work closer with current and potential customers at the NSF was especially important. Mary Novak talked about how, “We [BusBank] wanted to continue to grow across the major leagues and college levels, but especially tap into the minor leagues. We want them to know that we can provide support within their local market considering the reach that we have as a company across the country and even into Canada.” This partnership with the NSF allowed BusBank to work closely with these different organizations and expand their network. It enabled them to engage with current customers as well as establish relationships with potential future clients. The benefits seen for both sides are what brought the NSF and BusBank back together with an even stronger partnership. 

Results:

This partnership between the NSF and BusBank yielded positive experiences for attendees as well as contributed to internal growth for BusBank. Post-forum survey responses overwhelmingly praised the transportation services provided by BusBank, highlighting how it enhanced their experience in Pittsburgh. Attendees were able to rely on BusBank for seamless transportation between venues, hotels, and the official bar without encountering any issues. After buses dropped attendees off at the host venues or back at the hotel, Novak explained how people were visually happy with their commute. Many attendees made the effort to go back and talk to the driver after their ride. Novak talked about how attendees even went to BusBank representatives to discuss utilizing their services after the NSF. Furthermore, this collaboration enabled BusBank to expand its network and foster connections. Reflecting on the outcomes of their involvement at the NSF, Novak stated, “We have two major organizations that we are working on developing partnerships with and eleven other contacts that have emerged since the NSF took place.” These results demonstrate the overall success achieved by both the NSF and its attendees, as well as the significant benefits reaped by BusBank from this partnership. The National Sports Forum has proved to be a conference that emphasizes these networking opportunities not only for the attendees but also for their partners. 

Looking Forward:

The NSF Salutes Our Partner

Advent Creates Experiences That Move People. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Advent is an experience creation firm that has partnered with professional sport organizations, universities, and corporations across the country. Throughout its 23-year history, Advent has created branded experiences for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, the University of Texas, the University of Oregon, UNC, Penn State, TCU, the PGA of America and many others. Advent’s brand design work is distinguished by a focus on storytelling and audience insight.