For the staff and interns of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the 15th Annual Sports Awards and a website redesign consumed the first three weeks of 2015.
For the staff and interns of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the 15th Annual Sports Awards and a website redesign consumed the first three weeks of 2015. Preparations for the Sports Commission’s biggest fundraiser of the year were no small task and carried into the final hours before the event. The website was also being transformed simultaneously, bringing news segments and press releases to the forefront, changing the color scheme and making the site more visually appealing by showcasing vibrant photos.
In preparation for Sports Awards, the Sports Commission team put in countless hours, reams of paper, blood—primarily as a result of paper cuts, sweat and maybe an occasional tear, but it was all worth it in the end. The greatest night in Cleveland sports was exhilarating to say the least and it was rewarding to see every small detail come to life.
The event, held at the Renaissance Hotel Cleveland, boasted more than 1,200 guests, from all across Northeast Ohio as well as states outside of the Midwest, including: Sports Commission board members, corporate executives and sports celebrities.
The host, Ohio State and Tennessee Titan great Eddie George, kicked off the evening with an original opening monologue that received boisterous applause and laughter. Throughout the night, as awards were given and auction bidding ensued, a couple of moments stole the spotlight.
One in particular was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Hamilton; the other a surprise appearance from one of the players from the Ohio State football National Championship team. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tom Hamilton, the “Voice of the Tribe” for the past 25 years. Those who knew him best were featured in a short video that was both captivating and inspiring. Colleagues described his broadcasts in ways that made the listener feel invited into the action. You can catch the video here.
Soon after, Eddie George took to the stage with Indians’ switch-hitter Nick Swisher. They briefly chatted before introducing Cardale Jones of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ Championship football team. The crowd responded with a standing ovation for the third string quarterback who led his team to a title, after playing in only two other games this season. The best part about his participation was that he had been a High School Athlete of the Year nominee at a past Sports Awards.
It was an incredible night spent honoring sports greats, present and past. We look forward to next year and hope you’ll join us.
For a behind-the-scenes look at all of the action be sure to check out our Sports Awards Recap video and other highlights from the night on our youtube channel and facebook photo galleries.
While online take the chance to visit our new and improved website. The Sports Commission and Thunder::Tech announced the re-launch of the organization’s website Thursday night. The six-month process with Thunder::Tech included the use of several beta sites, style board consulting and website audits. The new user-friendly site provides easy access to information about upcoming Sports Commission events, volunteer opportunities and news. Recent changes in the site’s layout allow visitors to see what’s going on in their community and register for events. We’d like to send out a huge ‘Thank You!’ to Thunder::Tech for providing us with a new site, which will be a useful tool in attracting events and visitors to the Greater Cleveland area.