Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation

What Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation does

Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation operates as the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau (dba Visit Wausau), a non-profit destination marketing organization serving the greater Wausau area in Marathon County, Wisconsin. The organization covers six municipalities (Athens, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Schofield, Weston, and Wausau) and markets the region as "Wisconsin's Basecamp" for outdoor recreation and sports tourism. Its core function is attracting visitors, conventions, and sports events to the region through destination marketing, event coordination, and grant administration.

The organization operates a wholly-owned subsidiary division called the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority, which organizes the Badger State Games multi-sport athletic event and administers the Sports Authority Opportunity Fund, a grant program that provides funding to qualifying sports events generating economic impact. The technology infrastructure is built on the Simpleview CMS platform powering visitwausau.com, supplemented by email newsletters, Instagram organic social, paid placements through Destination Travel Network (DTN), and physical visitor racks distributed across Greater Wausau hotels and shops. The organization produces Emmy-winning and Telly Award-winning video content for destination marketing.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) government grant funding including the Sports Authority Opportunity Fund and Wisconsin Department of Tourism JEM grants; (2) tiered partnership programs (Bronze, Silver, Gold) with annual billing for local tourism businesses seeking enhanced visibility; and (3) paid advertising through the DTN network. The organization is led by Executive Director Tim White and governed by a board with representation from each of the six municipalities, lodging industry representatives, and at-large business members. With 6 employees, the organization is lean and operationally focused on destination promotion rather than scale-dependent business model execution.

Name

Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation

Legal name

Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau

Website

https://sportsinwisconsin.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation operates as the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Wausau), a non-profit destination marketing organization promoting tourism, sports events, and outdoor recreation across six municipalities in Marathon County, Wisconsin, serving event organizers, visitors, and local tourism businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Marketing & Convention Services

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens) (MPAKACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention visitors bureau
• Sports event hosting
• Tourism promotion services
• Event funding grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Wausau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Sports Authority Opportunity Fund offers funding support for events that generate economic impact and community engagement. Board meets January, March, May, September, November to consider grants.
2. Partnership Programs: Bronze, Silver, and Gold partnership tiers with tiered benefits including advertising in Visitor Guide, integrated web and mobile advertising, creative video and photo services, and data packages.
3. DTN Advertising: Paid content placements through Destination Travel Network partner, offering premium page sponsorships, run-of-site placements, and spotlights for businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation operates as the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau (dba Visit Wausau), promoting the greater Wausau area in Marathon County as a tourism destination. The Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority, a division of Visit Wausau, attracts and supports sports events and tournaments through venue partnerships, the Sports Authority Opportunity Fund grants, and event hosting coordination. The organization also produces the Badger State Games multi-sport athletic competition and runs tiered partnership and advertising programs for local tourism businesses.

Product overview

Visit Wausau operates as the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau, a tourism promotion organization that markets the Greater Wausau area (including Athens, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Schofield, Weston, and Wausau) as a destination. The organization provides visitor information services, event promotion, sports event hosting coordination through the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority division, and marketing partnership programs for local businesses. Their primary offerings include visitor guides, event calendars, outdoor recreation promotion (branded as Wisconsin's Basecamp), and the Sports Authority Opportunity Fund for event grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Badger State Games: Multi-sport athletic event organized by the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority
• Sports Authority Opportunity Fund

Products and services

• Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority Event Hosting
• Sports Authority Opportunity Fund
• Badger State Games
• Visit Wausau Partnership Program
• DTN Advertising Placements
• Meetings & Conventions Support
• Wisconsin's Basecamp Outdoor Recreation Promotion

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marathon County ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey venue partner providing premier sports facilities including indoor field house, bowling center, and curling facility for events organized by the Sports Authority.
• Greater Wausau Prosperity Partnership (GWPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-recipient of $39,550 JEM grant for Ride Wisconsin Gravel campaign promoting 900+ miles of interconnected gravel routes across five counties.
• Destination Travel Network (DTN)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for paid content placements including premium page sponsorships, run-of-site placements, and seasonal advertising opportunities.
• Municipalities (Athens, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Schofield, Weston, Wausau)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix municipalities covered by Visit Wausau for tourism promotion, events, and conventions. Board includes representatives from each municipality.
• Board of DirectorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership board includes municipal representatives, lodging representatives, and at-large representatives from local businesses and organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Simpleview: Leading CRM and CMS platform provider for destination marketing organizations, used by Visit Wausau and most US CVBs. Adjacent as an enabling technology vendor and ecosystem participant.

Broad incumbents

• Wisconsin Department of Tourism: State-level tourism authority that awards JEM grants to Wausau and competing destinations. Comparable as the broader incumbent that sets the funding and branding framework within which this CVB operates.

Direct peers

• Indianapolis Sports Corp: Established sports authority that recruits and supports major sporting events in Indianapolis. Comparable as a higher-scale reference point for the same sports-authority/commission mandate.
• Visit Milwaukee: Wisconsin's largest CVB, operating with the same convention & visitors bureau model targeting sports events, meetings, and leisure travel. Comparable in operating model, partnership program, and grant-style funding support for event organizers.
• Greater Cleveland Sports Commission: Sports commission affiliated with a regional DMO that attracts amateur and youth sports events to a defined metro area. Comparable in operating model, grant funding mechanism, and partnership with municipal venues.
• Visit Eau Claire Wisconsin: Wisconsin CVB for Eau Claire and surrounding area, performing the same destination marketing and event-acquisition function in a similar mid-sized Wisconsin market. Comparable in geographic remit and visitor economy strategy.
• Tulsa Sports Commission: Regional sports commission that bids for, funds, and supports sports events and tournaments. Comparable in mid-market scale, public-private funding mix, and event-acquisition role.
• Visit Madison: Convention & Visitors Bureau for Madison, Wisconsin, operating with a similar DMO model promoting events, meetings, and tourism in a Wisconsin city. Directly comparable in mandate, funding structure, and partnership-tier monetization.
• Colorado Springs Sports Authority: Sports authority division inside a Colorado Springs DMO ecosystem, focused on attracting and supporting sports events and tournaments. Directly comparable to the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Sports Authority division in mandate, funding tools, and venue partnership model.
• Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau: Wisconsin CVB serving Greater Green Bay with a similar event-hosting, partnership-tier, and tourism promotion mandate. Directly comparable in scale, funding mix, and target market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/visitwausau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-sports-development-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation