The Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA), Southwest Florida Chapter welcomes Jeff Mielke, executive director of Lee County Sports Development on September 17 to discuss the business of sports tourism and how public relations professionals can capitalize on it. The chapter will also install its new slate of 2013-2014 officers. The event is sponsored by Flame Productions.
Mielke has been the executive director of the Lee County Sports Development (LCSD) since its creation in 2003 where he has increased sports tourism by over 450%. He works closely with municipal Parks & Recreation Departments, Florida Gulf Coast University, and local sports clubs to market the region as a destination for state, national and international sporting events and sports business. He was previously the vice president of operations for the Central Florida Sports Commission in Orlando and marketing manager for Osceola County Sports. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Missouri.
The lunch and program will begin at 11:30 a.m. and run to 1:00 p.m. at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907. The cost to attend is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students with advance reservations. Walk-ins are welcome for an additional $5. Reservations at https://www.fpraswfl.org.
The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners throughout Southwest Florida who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida.