Profile of David Gilbert and the successes of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

From the Cleveland Jewish News, a profile of the acting chair of Cleveland Special Events Corporation, host of Gay Games 9:

Dan Gilbert [owner of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers] gets a lot of credit for his plans to revitalize downtown Cleveland, as well he should. But there is another Gilbert - David who is directly responsible for generating around $370 million in area economic activity. This Gilbert is the founder, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.

On Feb. 2, another sellout crowd of more than 1,200 packed the Renaissance Hotel for the 12th annual Sports Awards Dinner, hosted by ESPN's Erin Andrews. The banquet honored Austin Carr, "Mr. Cavalier," among others. Wilbert's outstanding work with the sports commission has led him full circle. Last year he became president and CEO of Positively Cleveland, formerly known as the Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau, where he previously worked.

Representatives of sports commissions around the country were on hand to see how it is done. What they saw was pretty impressive.

Last year, the local sports commission hosted 11 national events, resulting in an estimated economic impact of $22 million. The $370 million figure comes from attracting, managing and/or creating more than 120 events. This year the sports commission is prepared to host 12 national events, including the Ohio Senior Olympics, which is a qualifying competition for the 2013 National Senior Games, which will also take place here. Also coming to town will be the American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division I National Championships and the 112th U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championships. In addition, the Continental Cup International Youth Sports Festival will be on the Cleveland sports calendar this year.

Keep reading HERE.

David Gilbert talks about sports events to be hosted by Cleveland in 2012

David Gilbert, acting chair of CSEC, the host organization for Gay Games 9, speaks of what's ahead for Cleveland this year in terms of hosting sports events.

Gay Games 9 host announces enlarged board of directors

A message from Cleveland Special Events Corporation, host of Gay Games 9 in 2014:

Meet our newly expanded GG9 board! These are the folks who are ready to make GG9 the best Games ever:

Sherry Bowman, Dirk Breiding, Dan Brennan, Joe Cimperman, Michelle DeLozier, Sue Doerfer, Jennifer Downey, Scott Finerman, David Gilbert, Hollie Ksiezyk, David Lieberth, Char Ligo, Valarie McCall, Christopher Panek, Stephen Sokany, Nathan Tolliver, Michelle Tomallo, Michael Varvaro, Ted Wammes and Keli Zehnder.

Acting chair of Gay Games 9 host organization speaks on attracting sport events to Cleveland

From Smart Business, a report on David Gilbert; acting chair of Cleveland Special Events Corporation, the host organization for Gay Games 9 in 2014:


In late August, Smart Business sponsored the third installment of its Power Players luncheon series, which featured David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.

In the almost 12 years that the commission has been around, it has been responsible for bringing in 104 events to town, with an economic impact of more than $310 million.

“Most of them are the U.S. Jump Rope World Team Trials, the U.S. Taekwondo Junior Championship — not sexy events, but the common denominator in every one of those is they bring people to town,” he says.

And that’s the key. Bringing people to town means more people spending money in the region. The commission strives to bring as many events as it can to town, but to also run them better than the rest of the competition.

“Really, it’s no different than any other business,” Gilbert says. “How do you try to find out what a customer’s needs are and do what you can to make your business better.

“Where we’ve set the mark in the community is the ability to service these events better than anybody else in the country.”

Out of about 250 sports commissions across the country, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is one of the largest with 14 full-time employees and has become one of the top three or four sports commissions as a result of its service excellence.

This level of excellence has allowed it to secure two major events for the region — the 2013 National Senior Games and the 2014 Gay Games, which combined should bring more than 30,000 people to the region. Additionally, the organization has hosted several major Olympic qualifying events and expects to see more of these major events in the future.

“It’s very much about building a reputation,” he says. “More often than not, now our leads come directly. Instead of us going out and begging people – it certainly still happens — regularly — but we get calls saying, ‘Hey you hosted [this] and did a great job, would you consider hosting [that]?’ That’s helped a great deal. It’s developing relationships with individual organizations.”

30 June 2011 / Continental Cups Opening Ceremony tomorrow

• WHAT: Continental Cup International Youth Sports Festival presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Health is pleased to host the Opening Ceremony and Cultural Festival that will kick off the 6th Annual Continental Cup tournament.
• WHERE: John Carroll University – Quad (20700 North Park Boulevard, University Heights, Ohio 44118)
• DATE: Thursday, June 30th
• TIME: Gates open to the public at 6:00pm; Show start at 7:00pm
• DETAILS: Join us as we kick off the 2011 Continental Cup International Youth Sports Festival with the free Opening Ceremony and Cultural Festival on Thursday, June 30th at 6:00pm. This year’s Opening Ceremony will include a parade of athletes, live music from international artists, inflatables, interactive exhibits, a passport program to win prizes and so much more. You can also take a stroll down the “Foods of the World” where restaurants will offer delectable dishes for purchase representing ethnicities from all around the globe! Invite your friends and family to this free night of entertainment and activities! Visit www.continental-cup.com for more details. *Guests are invited to bring blankets and chairs as seating will be limited. Admission is free and gates open to the public at 6:00pm.

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This summer, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission will host the sixth annual Continental Cup International Youth Sports Festival presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Health where athletic competition meets cultural exchange, entertainment, attractions, shopping and more! It will take place June 30 – July 3 and will include three sports: AC Milan Continental Cup (soccer), Cleveland Indians Charities Continental Cup (baseball) and Cleveland Cavaliers Continental Cup (basketball). An estimated 3,600 athletes from 20 different countries are expected to participate this summer at various locations across Northeast Ohio, infusing over $4 million into the local region.

Tournament games are free and open to the public.

• AC Milan Continental Cup tournament play will take place at Lost Nation Sports Park in Willoughby, Krueger Park in Mentor and Blossom Fields in Brecksville. 
• Cleveland Indians Charities Continental Cup tournament play will take place at Euclid Memorial Park in Euclid and Richmond Heights Community Park in Richmond Heights with the final U14 championship game to be played at Progressive Field. 
• Cleveland Cavaliers Continental Cup games will be played at the Multiplex Event Center in Warrensville Heights.

For more information on the Continental Cup, please visit www.continental-cup.com.

Video / Gay Games 9 at Cleveland Pride

Special thanks to Vision Video for this video showing a part of the Gay Games 9 group in the Cleveland Pride parade, and the presentation of the award for Participation to Gay Games 2014.

Gay Games 9 host takes top prize at Cleveland Pride

The FGG extends its congratulations to our host organization for Gay Games 9: Cleveland Special Events Corporation won the prize for participation at the 2011 Cleveland Pride, with the most participants in the parade and at the festival.

A great sign for local support and involvement in Gay Games 9 as we look ahead to 2014.
More from Gay Games 9 at 2011 Cleveland Pride soon!