NEWS

Visit Savannah welcomes Kristyn Smith to the team as the new Director of the Savannah Sports Council. Smith joins the organization from OneSpartanburg, Inc. in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she held a similar position in sports tourism development. Kristyn will lead the Savannah Sports Council team in researching and generating hotel bookings in sports and related markets, along with the management of the sports council’s current events: the Savannah Hockey Classic, Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon, Georgia Power Sports Awards Luncheon and the Enmarket Savannah River Bridge Run.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kristyn to lead the Savannah Sports Council team,” said Joseph Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah and the Savannah Sports Council. “Her energy and enthusiasm are unmatched, which exemplifies the success that she has had to date. We are already getting calls from sports event organizers around the country telling us now that she is here, they want to talk about coming to Savannah.”

A ten-year industry veteran, Smith has had a successful career working with the NCAA on bidding and securing national championships and other collegiate sporting events. While in Spartanburg, Kristyn hosted major sporting events, including the Carolina Panthers Training Camp, Southern Conference Championships, and USA Track & Field Junior Olympics, to name a few.

“I am especially excited to join the Savannah team and represent in this destination,” said Kristyn Smith, Savannah Sports Council director. “With a new arena, an expanding convention center, and every type of sports venue and facility imaginable, I’m looking forward to bringing new sports events and conventions to town for many years.”

Kristyn holds an undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s in Sports Administration from Ohio University. In her free time, she enjoys playing and coaching fast-pitch softball and spending time with her family and dog, Stella May.