Winning a tournament for your destination starts with finding an organizer whose event your city can actually host. TEAMS Conference + Expo brings those conversations together. This guide explains the 2026 event, who you can meet and what its appointment format means for your exhibit.
What TEAMS brings to sports tourism sales
TEAMS stands for Travel, Events and Management in Sports. Presented by SportsTravel within Northstar Meetings Group, the conference connects sports-event organizers with destinations and the businesses that help host their events. Sports commissions and convention bureaus are part of that audience, alongside event suppliers and hospitality representatives. Official event overview
For your destination, the useful conversation is about whether a specific tournament can work in your city. A rights holder—the organization controlling an event—may need a host with suitable competition space and accommodation. Your job is to find where those needs match what your destination can deliver.
That makes TEAMS a plausible choice when you have venues ready to discuss and someone who can coordinate a bid. It is a weaker fit if your only objective is selling sports merchandise to retail buyers. The published audience supports sports-event business development; it does not establish a retail buying market.
The 2026 event in Birmingham
TEAMS '26 is scheduled for October 26–29, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama, with the Greater Birmingham CVB as host. The program identifies the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, or BJCC, as the location for events unless another venue is specified. Program times are Central Time. Event dates and host · Current program
Keep the conference dates separate from your exhibit schedule. The program includes education, offsite activities and expo appointments; it is not four uninterrupted days of exhibition access. Check the current setup and teardown entries before assigning staff travel. An employee attending an education session cannot also prepare the booth.
Appointments determine how you use the booth
The exhibitor page advertises the opportunity to schedule up to 40 appointments with governing-body representatives and event rights holders. These are scheduled conversations in your booth. Treat 40 as a scheduling ceiling, not a promise of that many confirmed meetings or suitable prospects. Exhibitor information
The website also lists past exhibitors. That list shows the event's history, not who has registered for 2026. Ask the show team what current participant information is available.
Choose prospects by the events your destination can accommodate. For example, a youth tournament spread across several fields needs a different discussion from a championship using one indoor venue. That distinction should influence the venue information you bring and the people you request to meet.
The program also includes an Event Organizer Marketplace, a reverse trade show where organizers stay at designated tables. Exhibitors can use brief conversations there to discuss open appointment slots or other meeting times. Treat it as a chance to identify a useful follow-up, rather than trying to deliver your entire destination presentation while others wait. Marketplace description
Let an organizer test the hosting idea at your exhibit
Build the presentation around a map connecting your competition venues and proposed hotel areas. Beside it, keep sport-specific venue details that you can discuss at a table. An attractive destination photo can draw attention, but it cannot answer whether teams can get between their rooms and the competition site.
A useful demonstration might walk through one possible tournament day: where participants arrive, where they compete and how they travel between locations. Label this as an example. Distinguish confirmed venue information from dates or room blocks that still need checking with local partners.
Prioritize enough working surface for a laptop and a venue plan. If two staff members will meet one organizer, check that everyone can see the same material without standing in the aisle. These are design recommendations for TEAMS' appointment format, not organizer-issued booth specifications.
Before approving a custom display, get the current exhibitor instructions and your contracted booth dimensions. Confirm the permitted height, supplied furnishings and approval process directly with the show team. The public pages reviewed do not settle those details, so a previous year's booth photograph is not sufficient permission to reproduce a structure.
For a powered presentation, the BJCC's published service conditions prohibit using permanent building outlets unless management permits it. Plan the screen location and ask for the appropriate service instead of assuming the nearest outlet is available. BJCC exhibitor service conditions
Register through the route that matches your role
The registration page distinguishes event organizers from suppliers wishing to exhibit or sponsor. As a destination selling hosting opportunities, confirm your category and package with the TEAMS business development representative. Ask what registration and appointment access your package includes before adding colleagues to the trip. Request a quote for your own participation; a state tourism partnership offer found online may cover a different arrangement. Registration information
For planning as of September 7, 2026, the website lists September 14 for exhibitor registration, booth signs and directory listings. The appointment portal is scheduled to open September 30; October 2 is the listed hotel and Shepard discount deadline. Recheck these dates with the current exhibitor instructions when you book. Published deadlines
FAQ
Does SportsLink mean our destination can secure an Olympic event?
No. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic SportsLink provides networking and education involving national governing bodies and potential host destinations. Its sessions are open to TEAMS attendees. Participation does not award an event or replace the relevant organization's host selection process. SportsLink information
Can we assume a connected hotel still has rooms?
No. The Sheraton Birmingham and Westin Birmingham connect to the BJCC, but a physical connection says nothing about room availability. Use the event's official housing link to check your travel dates. The organizer identifies EventSphere as its sole official housing partner. Hotel and travel information
Is TEAMS Europe the same booking?
No. TEAMS Europe has its own event website and participation routes, although it belongs to the same Northstar sports-event portfolio. Use the U.S. TEAMS Conference + Expo contacts for the Birmingham event. Do not transfer European tabletop packages or dates to your U.S. exhibit plans. TEAMS Europe official website
Decide which hosting conversations you are ready to have
Before committing to an exhibit, identify the events your destination could credibly pursue and who can answer venue questions at the booth. Take those event types to the TEAMS representative to discuss participation. If your venue information is still speculative, resolve it with local partners before spending on a larger display.
