ORLANDO, FL (November 1, 2017) – At the World’s Best Events Awards Gala in Orlando, Florida, last night Hill Carrow, CEO of Sports & Properties, Inc., won big – again! This time the award was the Best New Sports Event, for Hill’s creation and production of the USA Masters Games.

 

The World’s Best Event Awards have been presented annually by SportsTravel Magazine at the TEAMS Conference, considered the largest trade show in the sports tourism industry, for 15 years. The awards are considered the Oscars of the sports tourism industry.

 

The USA Masters Games were launched in 2016 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Games were held over an 11-day period, from July 21 to July 31, 2016, and featured 24 sports, ranging from Badminton to Weightlifting, for adult athletes ages 21 and over. Sports were contested in more than 400 events held at 28 venues. The Games featured Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a Health & Fitness Expo, social events, and live entertainment. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex served as the hub of the Games, hosting 12 sports, the Games Village, the Expo, and Opening & Closing Ceremonies.

 

“This is an amazing award,” said Hill Carrow, CEO of the Games. “To be recognized among the top events and event producers in the world is an incredible honor and underscores the quality of the event we were able to deliver. It was a team effort that made the inaugural USA Masters Games a big success, which no doubt made this award possible.”

 

More than 2,540 athletes, ages 21 to 91, competed in the Games. Participants came from 43 states and 10 foreign countries including Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela. Athletes set 11 World Records, 15 American Records, 6 Zone Records, and 47 State Records during the Games.

 

The USA Masters Games were conceived and produced by Hill Carrow and his staff at Sports & Properties, Inc. (SPI), of Cary, NC. The Local Organizing Committee was headed by Carrow. This marks the third World’s Best Event Award in three years for Carrow. In addition to this year’s Best New Event Award, Carrow won both the Best Multi-Sport/Multi-Discipline Event and Event of the Year for the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Event of the Year is the highest of all the World’s Best Event Awards. To win that award Carrow had to beat out the College Football Playoff, Women’s World Cup Soccer, and the Super Bowl.

 

About the USA Masters Games: The USA Masters Games is the National Sports Festival for Adult Athletes, ages 21 and over. The Games feature 24 sports, Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Games Village, social activities and entertainment. The inaugural USA Masters Games took place in Greensboro, NC, from Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 31, 2016. This year’s USA Masters Games were held Thursday to Sunday, June 22-25, and Thursday to Sunday, July 13-16, 2017 in San Diego, California.  For more information on the USA Masters Games, visit usamastersgames.com.

 

About Sports & Properties, Inc: Sports & Properties Inc. is a sports marketing and development firm based in Cary, NC. SPI focuses on four areas in the sports industry: sports tourism, facility analysis and planning, major sponsorships such as naming rights, and major event management. SPI clients include Capitol Broadcasting Company, the Asheville-Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, the Cobb-Marietta Convention & Exhibit Hall Authority, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, the Seminole County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World, among others. For more information on Sports & Properties, Inc, visit www.sportsproperties.com.