Igor Bakovic Joins DuPage CVB as Sports Market Manager

Igor Bakovic has joined the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau in Illinois as sports market manager, charged with helping to carry forth the DuPage Sports Commission strategic plan working with hotels, park districts, athletic venues, business sponsors and municipal partners throughout the county.

Before the move, Bakovic was a core complex sales manager at Marriott International, representing 24 hotels in the Minneapolis, Des Moines, Iowa City, St. Louis and Kansas City markets. Prior to his time with Marriott International, Bakovic spent six years in the logistics and supply chain management industry working for Great Lakes Coca-Cola, Coyote Logistics as well as Fredonia Inc. After graduating from Ryerson University, Bakovic spent four years playing basketball professionally in Greece, Germany, Bulgaria and Austria.

“As we begin down the road to recovery from the pandemic, now is the right time to put more energy and resources into the sports market given the return on investment for our businesses and communities when participants, families and spectators spend their dollars in DuPage,” said DCVB Executive Director Beth Marchetti. “In addition to being the right time, it was also about finding the right person. Having been a professional athlete with Marriott knowledge and training — it’s a marriage of two worlds that will serve him well in building relationships and advancing collaboration.”

The DuPage Sports Commission was launched in 2019 in recognition of sports tourism’s sustained growth and need to diversify DuPage’s tourism portfolio. It represents sports assets and partners under one regionally led brand, recruiting, retaining and facilitating sports events for DuPage County.