COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — This weekend is gearing up to be a busy one in Columbus with two major sporting events in town: the NHL Stadium Series game and the Arnold Sports Festival.
Columbus is home to hundreds of delicious restaurants, nice hotels and friendly people, and that’s why big events come to the city; Columbus is becoming a major sports destination, according to the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.
Linda Logan, the commission’s CEO, said sports organizations tell her they love Columbus.
“Recently, Sports Business Journal ranked Columbus in the top ten cities for hosting sporting events, so that was a big feather in Columbus’ cap and we’re very proud of that knowing that we have a great lineup in the future,” Logan said.
Dan Williams, the chief sales officer for Experience Columbus, said there are multiple reasons for that.
“The connectivity of the hotels, the convention center, being able to walk down through the Short North to the hundreds of restaurants, and lastly it’s our people,” Williams said.
Logan also said central Ohioans are very welcoming.
“Our city really responds whether it’s buying tickets, tuning in to watch big sporting events,” she said. “Columbus is so sports-minded so events that happen here once usually want to come back because they are so successful.”
President and CEO of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce Derrick Clay said these events continue to have a major impact on the local business scene.
“That definitely helps our economy and we welcome all of these organizations that choose central Ohio as their home when they come in for various different sporting events,” Clay said.
The Arnold Sports Festival is always one of the largest events in central Ohio. It starts Thursday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and at the very least, it will be back in the capital city in 2026. Williams said the future of the event in Columbus is up in the air.
“We’re still working through that,” he said. “You know, they’ll definitely be here next year but we’re still working through those future years, but we look forward to again continuing to be the host city for the Arnold Sports Festival.”
Losing the festival would be a huge blow, which is why Williams said they are working to keep the festival in Columbus. Clay said the economy would take the hardest hit.
“It would definitely be a detriment if the Arnold went away,” he said. “That’s something that we don’t want to happen.”
Even if The Arnold does leave, Clay said Columbus’ economy would bounce back and he believes another big event could take its place, but The Arnold is a beloved event, so the goal is to keep it in the capital city for years to come.