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sta16_votebutton_v1The 2016 NBA Finals in Oakland, California, and Cleveland, Ohio, was named Sports Event of the Year, as well as Best Professional Event Series or Circuit.

SportsTravel announced the winners of the 2016 SportsTravel Awards during a gala event at the TEAMS ’16 Conference & Expo in Atlantic City Tuesday evening. TEAMS: Travel, Events And Management in Sports, is the world’s largest gathering of event organizers and travel planners from the sports industry. Held at the Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center, the awards ceremony was emceed by broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein and featured newly crowned Miss America and a musical performance by Emmy Award–winning Tonic Sol-fa.

Other winners were the 2015 IWF Weightlifting World Championships in Houston; the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida; the 2016 Divas Half Marathon and 5K Series; the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship in Glendale, Arizona; the 2016 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas; the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida; Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California; the 2015 Reebok Crossfit Games in Carson, California; and the 2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

“As the gold standard for the sports-event industry, the SportsTravel Awards celebrate excellence in sports-event management and production,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference & Expo. “It is our pleasure to recognize these outstanding sporting events—as well as the event organizers and host cities who create them.”

The SportsTravel Awards program bestows honors at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. To be eligible, events had to occur between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016. Criteria for nomination and voting included:

• Superior organization of and attendance at the event
• The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators
• The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event

The 2016 SportsTravel Award winners are:

Sports Event of the Year
2016 NBA Finals, Oakland, California, and Cleveland, Ohio

Best New Event
2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, Gulf Shores, Alabama

Best Professional Event Series or Circuit
2016 NBA Finals, Oakland, California, and Cleveland, Ohio

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2015 Reebok CrossFit Games, Carson, California

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
NFL Super Bowl 50, Santa Clara, California

Best Collegiate Event Series or Circuit
2016 NCAA Frozen Four, Tampa, Florida

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2016 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, Fort Worth, Texas

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
2016 College Football Playoff National Championship, Glendale, Arizona

Best Amateur Event Series or Circuit
2016 Divas Half Marathon and 5K Series, Various Cities

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2016 Invictus Games, Orlando, Florida

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2015 IWF Weightlifting World Championships, Houston, Texas

Hosted by the Atlantic City Sports Commission and Meet AC, TEAMS ’16 is being held through September 29 in Atlantic City. For more information, please visit TEAMSconference.com or call (877) 577-3700.