By TXMMA Staff | Photos by Mike Calimbas (Sports and Fitness Photographer)
2013 Europa Games Expo this weekend in Dallas set to feature MMA, BJJ, Fitness Events and much more
DALLAS, TX, August 14, 2013 – With over 18-years of history in the sports and fitness industry behind them, the Europa Games Get Fit & Sports Expo has established itself as one of the leading events of its kind catering to the sports and fitness industry nationwide.
The 2013 Europa Expo Tour encompassing four cities (Orlando, Hartford, Dallas, and Phoenix) is expected to attract 150,000+ attendees and 35,000+ competitors in total this year with the third show scheduled for the Dallas Convention Center this weekend, August 16th and 17th.
The 2013 Europa Games Dallas event is set to feature a wide assortment of sport and fitness events, including the annual Fight to Win / World Grappling Circuit BJJ tournament and XKO 19 (MMA) along with CrossFit Games, sport karate, bodybuilding and physique contests, plus more.
With this weekend imminently on the way, we recently spoke to Europa Games co-founder Scott Templeton to discuss the upcoming event.
Interview – Europa Games Co-Founder Scott Templeton
Last year in Dallas seemed to be your biggest expo yet in the Lone Star State. How many attendees are you expecting this weekend and what can sports and fitness fans expect at this year’s event?
Yes, 2013 was the biggest to date in Dallas. We had just under 65,000 over two days. Our business, Vision Star Inc., is currently growing 15-20% per show. So we expect right around 75,000 people. There are 500 vendor booths, 600,000 square feet right in the middle of downtown Dallas. If you haven’t experienced a Europa Games Expo yet, it’s a very unique experience. There’s literally something for every type of sports and fitness fans under one roof. You will see; the largest 2 day crossFit competition in the country with nearly 1000 athletes competing for $20,000.00 cash prize. The largest grappling tournament in the state with nearly 1000 grapplers going for $5000.00, hosted by Fight To Win & World Grappling Circuit, XKO 19 Pro MMA with bleacher style and VIP seating for 2000 spectators, 500 youth at the Megatron Wrestling Youth & HS Championship competing for $5000.00, Professional IFBB International Body Building, Pro Fitness-Physique and Bikini competition, 500 Kids competing in the AAU Regional Tae Kwon Do Championship for $3000.00 in cash, NASKA Texas Open Karate Championship with nearly 400 competitors going for $3000.00, a National Arm Wrestling Championship, National Power Lifting Championship, a $10,000 Muscle Pharm Obstacle Course that you can run for free, and a kids zone with really cool bounce houses.
Backtracking a bit, how did the Europa Games Expo come about? Can you give us some history on the organization?
You bet. We get asked that a lot now. We call it the longest over-night success story you’ll hear. Most people don’t realize it, but we’ve been around for over two decades. My business partners Ed & Betty Pariso started the SW USA Health & Fitness Expo over 20 years ago. Their background is in the fitness industry and mine has always been in the martial art industry. I very much consider them the best promoters in the industry and was very fortunate to be introduced to them through mutual friends, over a dozen years ago. You simply won’t find a harder working team. I had an opportunity, and pretty much free-reign, to integrate the martial arts concept into the show and ran with it. We have vertically integrated ourselves with the right partners. 8 or 9 years ago, we sat down with Eric Hillman, the CEO & Owners of Europa Sports Products. They are the largest nutrition and supplement distributor in the world. We had this vision of grandeur on how we could expand the expo under his brand and extensive network. He’s essentially the gate keeper in the health and fitness industry. Thank God he gave us the green light and as they say, the rest is history. Since then we have now expanded into Orlando, Hartford and Phoenix as well with the same concept. Between all 4 shows we now essentially run the largest sports and fitness expos in the United States, with 175,000 attendees 15,000 athletes and fortunately many, many loyal supporters, vendors and industry-leading sponsors now behind us.
Now you personally reside in the Dallas area, is that right? What is it about Texas that makes it such a great hub for health, sports, and fitness?
Correct. I was born and raised in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex. In regards to the expo, I personally think that being centrally located directly in the middle of the country and right next to an international airport, obviously helps. It’s significantly less expensive to take on an endeavor like this in Dallas as compared to other major markets. The Texas economy is strong and continually growing. The housing market is great and stable. And the ability to be outside year-round with the weather plays a key role. Sports is beat into us as early as we can walk here.
Between all the events at the Expo, what is your favorite to watch? What are you most excited about for this year in particular?
I’m a bit biased because I’ve been in karate forever so I still enjoy watching that. But after the doors open and the show goes on auto-pilot, I find myself stopping at every event and taking it all in. It is competition at the highest level and every athlete lays it on the line. I’m particularly excited about the Megatron Youth & High School Wrestling Championship this year. Amateur wrestling is going through a correction and we wanted to play our part in supporting the sport as a whole. Our director, Dan Peiffer, is a good as it gets. His finals are in the LA convention Center every December with 2000 kids. Also, I’m going to check out the XKO 19 Pro Fights. The set-up is crazy over there and these guys are ready to bang!
Give us your quick elevator pitch. Why should fans buy a ticket and get out to the Convention Center this Friday and Saturday?
If you’re in the health and fitness and/or the martial art industry either as a fan or competitor it has become a don’t-miss event. It’s a family environment where everyone is welcome. The kids go crazy over our kids zone bounce house area as well. Once you go, you’ll ask yourself why you haven’t gone every year. Not to mention you’ll probably leave with 2 or 3 months’ worth of free supplements and nutrition samples.
Anything else you want to add?
We are simply humbled and thankful for the continued support. We could never have gotten here without our partners everyone involved. Our mission is to have the biggest and best sports and fitness expo in the world right here in our own back yard. See you this weekend!!
Past Photos – Europa Games Expo in Dallas, TX
See more event past photos from Europa Expo events on www.mikecalimbas.com.