The Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Greenville, NC) and Play Greenville, NC Sports are pleased to announce Kelly Clare has recently joined the team as Sales & Services Manager for the sports market. As the Sales & Services Manager for Sports, Clare will be working to identify, solicit, secure, and retain sports events for Play Greenville, NC Sports by self-generating leads, and participating in local, regional, and national travel, conferences, marketplaces, and conventions.
“I am excited to join the Play Greenville, NC Sports team and be part of the continued growth and development of sports tourism in Greenville-Pitt County,” said Kelly Clare. “Having worked closely with our local sports facilities and community partners, I have seen firsthand the tremendous potential our destination has to offer. I look forward to bringing my experience in facility operations, event management, and relationship building to this new role, helping attract new sporting events, strengthen partnerships, and contribute to the continued success of sports tourism in our community.”
Clare earned her Bachelor of Science in Human performance with a concentration in Exercise and Recreation Leadership from The University of Tampa, as well as a Masters of Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Promotion, Recreation & Sport Management from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Most recently, Clare was the Assistant Director of Facilities with Campus Recreation & Wellness at East Carolina University, where she gained experience managing facility operations, operational assessment, staff development, front of house services, and programs across two indoor Recreation Facilities at over 150,000 sq.ft. and two Outdoor Sport Complexes over 150 acres, as well as collaborations with stakeholders and partners and other activities.
As Greenville-Pitt County continues to invest in sports tourism infrastructure through strategic partnerships, renovations and expansions at the North Recreational Complex, and plans for a future diamond sports complex, adding a professional with Clare’s unique combination of education, experience, and local facility knowledge positions Visit Greenville, NC and Play Greenville, NC Sports to capitalize on this momentum, attract new events, and further strengthen our destination’s reputation as a premier sports tourism destination.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kelly to our team at such an exciting time for sports tourism in Greenville-Pitt County,” said Rachel Whitten, President & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC. “As our destination continues to build tremendous momentum in the sports market, Kelly brings an extraordinary combination of education, professional experience, and firsthand knowledge of our local sports facilities. Her background in facility operations, event management, and stakeholder collaboration gives her a unique perspective on both what it takes to attract sporting events and what it takes to successfully host them. We could not be more excited about the expertise, relationships, and fresh perspective she brings to our team as we build on that momentum and pursue new opportunities for our destination.”
Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Greenville, NC & Play Greenville, NC Sports)
is the official destination marketing organization for Greenville-Pitt County. Our goal is to foster an environment of superior travel and tourism experiences in the leisure, meetings, and sports market segments, while generating positive economic impact for our destination and local tourism-related businesses. Play Greenville, NC Sports is an ancillary brand within our organization, whose staff are focused on bringing sports events to Greenville-Pitt County, furthering the development of our sports tourism infrastructure, and amplifying Greenville-Pitt County as a sports tourism destination.
