The Comeback Playbook: From Natural Disaster to Sports Destination

Editor's Note: This episode was recorded live at the 2026 Sports ETA Symposium in April. As a result, some discussions reference upcoming events and opportunities that have since taken place.What happens when a natural disaster threatens to wipe your destination off the map? You don’t just rebuild—you reinvent.In this episode, we sit down with the powerhouse team from North Little Rock Tourism to unpack one of the most inspiring comeback stories in the sports tourism industry. After a devastating natural disaster shifted their entire landscape, the NLR team didn't just aim for "normal"—they aimed for "better."Join host Kathrine and special guest Shelbey Morris, North Little Rock Tourism's Senior Manager of Sales and Partnerships, as they walk us through the journey from survival mode to a competitive masterclass in resilience. We dive deep into how they used a sports feasibility study to silence the noise and sharpen their strategy, the "unlikely allies" that fueled their recovery, and the massive revitalization of the community’s crown jewel: Burns Park.