Welcome Sports Organizers!

The GMVCVB partners with sports local venues, city and town officials, city and town recreation departments, hotels, restaurants, museums, and attractions to ensure successful sporting event experiences. The Greater Merrimack Valley CVB will assist the Sporting Event Rights Holder with site inspections, bid proposals, transportation options, publicity, destination literature, and local, volunteer ambassadors to greet your guests. Our region, and more specifically our office, has played a pivotal role in attracting sporting events to our area. We are proud to offer our assistance and services to your organization in order to make your Greater Merrimack Valley Sporting Event the best that it can be. The Greater Merrimack Valley CVB is pleased to provide these complimentary resources to all groups considering hosting sporting events in our region.

The Greater Merrimack Valley CVB has extensive experience securing and hosting Regional, National, and International sporting events. Look below for events that have chosen the Greater Merrimack Valley:

2002 Eastern Regional Synchronized Skating Championships: Involved over 80 teams, 7 local hotels and the City of Lowell and the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.

2003 Fed Cup: USA vs. The Czech Republic, 12, 000 spectators watched as Billie Jean King coached the Williams sisters and Team USA to victory, this event involved the entire Greater Lowell community and the and the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.

2005 National Synchronized Skating Championships: Involved over 110 teams consisting of over 2,000 skaters. This 5-day event involved 15 regional hotels, the City of Lowell, the US Figure Skating Association, local skating groups, and the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.

2006 Colonial Classic and World Jr. Qualifying Competition: Involved over 80 teams consisting of over 1,500 skaters. This 3-day event involved 12 regional hotels, the City of Lowell, the US Figure Skating Association, local skating groups, and the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.

2006 Men's World Curling Championships: Will involve teams from across the globe taking part in this 10-day international event. A New England coalition of support including the Mass Sports Commission, the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism, the City of Lowell, the Paul E. Tsongas Arena, 10 area hotels, and 6 regional curling clubs helped bring this event to the United States.

We would like to help add your event to this list of successful sporting events! Talk to us about how we can help you with your event.

A brief overview of our area:
The Merrimack Valley is easily accessible and very affordable. It is located approximately 27 miles northwest of Boston with excellent highway access from Routes 3, I-93, 1-95, I-495 and direct commuter rail service from Boston. Attendees can fly into one of three airports within a 30-mile radius of Lowell: Logan International Airport, Manchester Airport, or Hanscom Regional Airfield.

With over 230,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, our region can comfortably accommodate groups of up to 8000. The state of the art Paul E. Tsongas Arena has a seating capacity of 8,000 with 30,000 square feet of exhibit space. The Lowell Memorial Auditorium has a seating capacity of 3,000 with approximately 20,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau is ready to provide our expertise in convention and event planning.

There is an undeniable spirit in the Greater Merrimack Valley, the same spirit that gave birth to our country! Come share the experience and plan your next meeting or convention with us!

For more information or questions contact Bill Grace at sports@merrimackvalley.org or complete the online request for proposal.

Helpful Links:

The Paul E. Tsongas Arena

The Lowell Memorial Auditorium

The Lowell Lock Monsters Hockey Team

The Lowell Spinners Baseball Team

The UMass Lowell Riverhawks

New England Riptide Fast Pitch Softball

Mill City All Americans Wooden Bat League

The Massachusetts Sports & Entertainment Commission