SportsTravel

What SportsTravel does

SportsTravel is a B2B trade media brand and event operator serving the sports-event and sports-tourism industry. Founded in 1997 and operated under Northstar Travel Media LLC, the company publishes a magazine (print and digital), a weekly e-newsletter, and the SportsTravel Podcast, alongside the Sideline Chat video series and webinar programs. Its core audience is composed of event organizers (national governing bodies, leagues, tournament operators), destination marketing organizations, industry suppliers (venues, hotels, transportation, technology), professional and collegiate teams, and travel professionals arranging sports-related travel. Differentiated coverage focuses on hosting of major events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and championship tournaments.

The company monetizes through four streams: recurring magazine/newsletter subscriptions, transaction-based event registrations and exhibitor fees across its owned events (TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe, EsportsTravel Summit, SportsTravel Leadership Forum, SportsTravel Road Trip, and the SportsTravel Island Series), advertising and sponsored content (partner spotlights, downloadable guides, webinars, videos), and a professional-services revenue line tied to its annual SportsTravel Awards program. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing platform supporting a website, podcast distribution, and digital edition access; no proprietary technology stack, AI features, mobile applications, or APIs are disclosed.

SportsTravel's go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: it operates reverse-trade-show marketplaces that bring destinations and suppliers together with sports-event organizers, complemented by association partnerships (Sports ETA, Destinations International, USOPC SportsLink) and recurring destination sponsorships (e.g., Discover Puerto Rico, Visit Frisco, Visit Fairfax). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; newsletter subscriptions are accessible via a DragonForms portal. The brand is privately held, headquartered with its parent in Rutherford, New Jersey, and operates with 1-10 directly attributed employees.

Name

SportsTravel

Legal name

Northstar Travel Media LLC

Website

https://sportstravelmagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SportsTravel is a B2B trade media brand and event operator, established in 1997 under Northstar Travel Media LLC, serving event organizers, destinations, suppliers, teams, and travel professionals in the sports-event and sports-tourism industry through a magazine, newsletter, podcast, awards program, and a portfolio of conferences including TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe, and EsportsTravel Summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media and Events for Sports Tourism

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Recreation Magazines (MPAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Sports event management
• Sports tourism media
• Destination marketing
• Trade publication
• Industry conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine/Publication: SportsTravel magazine serves as the primary content product, providing news, analysis, and insights on sports-related travel and event management to industry professionals.
2. Events: The company organizes and hosts multiple industry events including TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe, EsportsTravel Summit, SportsTravel Leadership Forum, and SportsTravel Road Trip. These events serve as revenue generators through registrations and sponsorhsips.
3. Advertising and Sponsored Content: Sponsored content, partner spotlights, downloadable guides, webinars, videos, and media kit offerings generate advertising revenue from destinations, venues, and sports organizations looking to reach the industry audience.
4. SportsTravel Awards: The company runs an awards program recognizing excellence in sports events including categories for amateur, collegiate, professional events, venues, and host cities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SportsTravel is a B2B trade publication and event company serving the sports-related travel and event management industry. It operates the SportsTravel Magazine (print and digital), the SportsTravel Podcast, a weekly E-Newsletter, and a portfolio of owned industry events including the TEAMS Conference & Expo, TEAMS Europe, EsportsTravel Summit, SportsTravel Leadership Forum, SportsTravel Road Trip, and SportsTravel Island Series. Supplementary offerings include the SportsTravel Bid Bowl RFP platform and the SportsTravel Awards recognition program.

Product overview

SportsTravel is a B2B media publication and event organizer serving the sports-related travel and event management industry since 1997. The company operates a multi-platform portfolio consisting of the SportsTravel Magazine (print and digital publication), the SportsTravel Podcast (interviews with industry leaders), and multiple live events including TEAMS Conference & Expo, EsportsTravel Summit, TEAMS Europe, SportsTravel Leadership Forum, and SportsTravel Road Trip. Additional offerings include the SportsTravel Bid Bowl (a RFP platform for hosting opportunities), SportsTravel Awards (recognition program), and a weekly E-Newsletter. The publication serves event organizers, destinations, industry suppliers, teams, and travel professionals with expert insights and industry coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TEAMS Conference & Expo: Annual conference and expo for the sports-event industry organized by SportsTravel.
• EsportsTravel Summit
• TEAMS Europe
• SportsTravel Leadership Forum
• SportsTravel Road Trip
• SportsTravel Island Series
• SportsTravel Podcast
• SportsTravel Bid Bowl
• SportsTravel Awards

Products and services

• SportsTravel Magazine Primary print and digital trade publication providing news, analysis, features, and insights on sports-related travel and event management. Serves event organizers, destinations, industry suppliers, teams, and travel professionals.
• SportsTravel Podcast

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Discover Puerto RicomajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsored the SportsTravel Island Series event in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which brought 19 sports-event organizers to the island for site visits and programming.
• Discover PeoriaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Local sponsor for the EsportsTravel Summit, providing hospitality and experiences for attendees including Reds vs. Brewers game.
• Visit FairfaxminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor of the reverse marketplace at the EsportsTravel Summit 2026.
• meetnky (Northern Kentucky Convention Bureau)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Host destination for the EsportsTravel Summit 2026 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.
• Velocity EsportsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Host venue and partner for opening events at the EsportsTravel Summit 2026.
• La Concha ResortminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Host hotel for the SportsTravel Island Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Visit FriscominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with MLS club FC Dallas for Soccer Celebration for World Cup base camp activities for Sweden.
• Sports ETAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner organization. Sports ETA is a key industry association serving the sports events and tourism sector.
• Destinations InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner representing destination marketing organizations and convention bureaus worldwide.
• Northstar Travel MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company of SportsTravel. Northstar Travel Media operates multiple travel industry brands including Meetings & Conventions, Incentive, Association Meetings International, and others serving corporate and association meeting professionals.
• TEAMS Conference & ExpocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportsTravel's flagship annual conference and expo bringing together sports-event organizers, destinations, and suppliers. The event includes marketplace, education sessions, and awards ceremony.
• TEAMS EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean edition of the TEAMS conference series, held in partnership with European industry stakeholders.
• EsportsTravel SummitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummit focused on esports events and travel, featuring marketplace, education, and networking for esports event organizers, destinations, and suppliers.
• SportsTravel Leadership ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive-level forum for industry leaders in sports-event management.
• SportsTravel Road TripminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraveling event format bringing industry tours and content to various destinations.
• USOPC SportsLinkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee SportsLink program, connecting sports organizations with event hosting opportunities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SportsPro Media: Global sports business media outlet covering sports media rights, sponsorship, tech, and event hosting. Direct peer in serving sports industry decision-makers with news, analysis, and proprietary events such as the SportsPro SportsOTT Summit.
• Sports Business Journal: The leading B2B trade publication covering the business of sports, including leagues, teams, venues, sponsorships, and sports events. Closely comparable to SportsTravel's audience of event organizers, destinations, and suppliers, though broader in scope beyond sports-event travel.
• Sports Destination Management: Trade publication dedicated to sports tourism and event hosting, covering destinations, venues, and suppliers serving planners of amateur, collegiate, and professional sports events. Highly comparable niche to SportsTravel.
• Successful Meetings: Established meetings-industry trade publication and event operator (including the Successful Meetings Showcase). Closely comparable B2B media + hosted-buyer event business model targeting event organizers.
• Smart Meetings: B2B media brand serving meeting and event professionals with content, awards, and hosted-buyer events. Comparable trade-media-plus-experiences monetization to SportsTravel.
• Conference & Incentive Travel: Long-running UK-based B2B publication covering the meetings, incentive, conference, and events industry with a similar content-plus-events business model to SportsTravel.

Broad incumbents

• Northstar Meetings Group: The umbrella brand under which SportsTravel operates alongside other Northstar travel-meeting media brands. Effectively the parent division that bundles SportsTravel with sister publications and shared industry events.
• Association Meetings International: Another Northstar Travel Media sister brand focused on association meeting professionals. Operates the same B2B trade-media-plus-events model, overlapping audience segments with SportsTravel's organizer base.
• Meetings & Conventions: Sister publication under Northstar Travel Media serving corporate and association meeting planners. Comparable B2B meetings-industry media model, but with a broader scope beyond sports-event travel.

Emerging players

• Sportel: International sports media and events business operating Sportel Monaco and Sportel Miami conferences focused on sports broadcasting, OTT, and sports-tech dealmaking. Adjacent to SportsTravel's industry event portfolio but tilted toward broadcast/tech rather than sports-event hosting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SportsTravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/SportsTravelMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportstravel-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportstravel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SportsTravel