How golf can boost the bottom line of northern Nevada

We are so fortunate to live in northern Nevada with its abundance of special events, outdoor activities and recreational offerings. As a transplant to this beautiful community, however, I learned that it is sometimes easy to become immune to the area's bounty and the fact that these events and activities aren't just here for our entertainment, but that they have a real economic impact on our region. This realization was made even more apparent as I became involved with the Reno-Tahoe Open, first as a board member and then as its executive director, taking over the role in the height of the recession. Now in the process of planning the 14th annual event, I experience firsthand how events impact our community every day and have learned why it is so important to take advantage of them as an opportunity to communicate Reno's assets to the rest of the world.

Let me start by saying that that this is not my platform to sell the Reno-Tahoe Open. This is, however, my chance to tell leaders in our community why the Reno-Tahoe Open is special, how it impacts your business and why you should care.

First, a background story. While new to my position, I attended a meeting to pitch the tournament to potential national-level sponsors. The agenda was set so that only a few moments could pass between any one tournament and a potential sponsor. I knew that I had to make a big splash in a little time. I sat with a potential sponsor who showed a lot of character and said to him, "Tell me about Reno in three words." I wanted to gauge his knowledge of the area. He was surprised by my opening, but responded with enthusiasm, "Trailer parks. Reno 911!" I stopped him there and revealed a portfolio of Montreux Golf & Country Club, the stunning home of the Reno-Tahoe Open. He stopped, in shock that the photos were really Reno. It became apparent that day that we weren't simply pitching the Reno-Tahoe Open; we were presenting the community. Not only are widespread negative attitudes about this area hurtful to us as community members, but I realized that my business could be in jeopardy because of these misconceptions. And so could yours.

Our mission since that day: to change the opinion of the Reno area, utilizing the positive asset we have the PGA Tour's Reno-Tahoe Open to tell our community's real story and create positive economic impact for us all. After all, when business leaders have a negative perception of an area, thinking employees would not be willing to move to a community or there is not a quality pool of educated talent to hire from, they do not visit or consider relocation. And so our mission began to spread the truth about the real Reno, utilizing the Reno-Tahoe Open as the vehicle.

Here are the facts. The RTO is one of just 47 events on the PGA Tour schedule. It is broadcast in 222 countries for more than 18 hours to more than 88 million households. The event showcases the beauty of our area with hours of footage highlighting pine-filled forests, snow-capped mountains and breathtaking Lake Tahoe. In short, the RTO is an international advertisement to the world about this community. And most importantly, the name "Reno-Tahoe" is all over the event.

So, we have broad reach and our name on the event. But who sees it? The PGA Tour is reputedly the world's most powerful sports brand. Imagine the promotion that an organization such as the PGA Tour invests in itself and its schedule, and then envision the Reno-Tahoe name in every single one of those listings. The fact that pgatour.com receives more than 4.4 million hits per month demonstrates the power of the brand, and we benefit from that power with the Reno-Tahoe Open. Sponsors pay millions of dollars to name a PGA Tour event. Examples include the Honda Classic and Frys.com Open. Do you know where these PGA Tour events occur? If you are a real golf fanatic, you might. Does everybody know where the Reno-Tahoe Open is? Yes. Reno-Tahoe is the only city whose name fills the title sponsor role on a PGA Tour event.

Furthermore, the typical PGA Tour fan is highly educated; 119 percent more likely to hold the "president" or "vice president" title within his or her company; 41 percent more likely than average to travel three or more times per year for leisure. In other words, these are the very people that you want to do business with and to consider Reno-Tahoe as a viable market. And we reach this audience every year during the Reno-Tahoe Open, held this year August 2-5.

But what does this mean for you and your business? The Reno-Tahoe Open, together with the Renegades, is actively working to change the perception of this community into something that businesses view as a possibility for everything. Businesses with conventions, those looking to relocate, or even those looking expand, may consider Reno-Tahoe, to the benefit of us all, if we succeed in our mission to position Reno as a place of possibility. If we work together, if we support each other, this can happen, which is where the second part of our mission comes in.

While much of our goal is to spread the real story of Reno to the rest of the world, the other part is to spread the story of the Reno-Tahoe Open as a business asset to the community, from the inside out. I do this because I believe that together, we can embrace the positive assets we have and use the Reno-Tahoe Open as a vehicle to spread the word to the rest of the world, thereby impacting our bottom lines.

So what now? How can you as a business member in our community join in the mission of spreading the real story of Reno-Tahoe to the rest of the world? I invite you to learn more by engaging with me during an upcoming board meeting or networking event to discuss how we can come together to promote this area, together. I encourage you to contact my office, and I look forward to meeting with like-minded business leaders who know what we have to offer and are willing to band together to make a difference.

Jana Smoley is executive director of the Reno-Tahoe Open. Contact her at 322-3900 or through www.renotahoeopen.com.