My Place cements presence at Summit League Basketball Tournament

Step into the tournament through the eyes of Social Media Manager Megan Rosendahl

When I was asked to cover The Summit League Basketball Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I was a little hesitant. Don’t get me wrong — I love sports. I played all through my high school career and spent three years with a junior hockey team.

It’s just that we’re hotel people, not sports people.

But as I type that sentence, I immediately recognize that it’s inherently untrue.

We’re definitely sports people. We're soccer and wrestling and basketball and football people. We’re also reunion people, construction people, remote work people and medical people. We’re big fans of vacations, overnight stays and extended stays.

My Place is the perfect place for sports teams or anyone needing to stay a couple of nights. Bring all the healthy snacks you need and fill our in-room kitchenettes. Relax after the big game in our exclusive My Place Plush beds. You can even bring a furry best friend to our pet-friendly accommodations.

In 2024, My Place Hotels of America had the unique opportunity to sponsor The Summit League’s annual basketball tournament, a gathering of nine teams from across the region vying for a spot in the NCAA Division I national tournament.

It was an interesting partnership, but one that we knew we had to be a part of. You see, of the nine participating teams at the tournament, My Place has locations in six:

· My Place Hotel-Kansas City East/Independence, MO (University of Missouri-Kansas)

· My Place Hotel-Grand Forks, ND (University of North Dakota)

· My Place Hotel-Fargo, ND (North Dakota State University)

· My Place Hotel-South Omaha/La Vista, NE (University of Nebraska-Omaha)

· My Place Hotel Minneapolis/Shakopee, MN (University of St. Thomas)

· My Place Hotel-Brookings, SD (South Dakota State University)

And there’s always potential to be in the communities of the three other schools — University of Denver, Oral Roberts University, and the University of South Dakota.

So, decisions were made, graphics were created, and this social media manager was thrust into an impressive arena at the Denny Sanford Premier Center March 8-12.

The tournament hosted both men’s and women’s games, with the ladies taking the afternoon slots and the men hitting the court for evening games. And the 12,000-seat arena was packed for nearly every game.

As part of our partnership, we received four VIP tickets to the event, which included front-row seats and preferred parking (essential when you're carrying cameras, computers, and other equipment). To my surprise, when I arrived at the venue I was greeted by Bryan Miller, Associate Commissioner for Marketing, Sponsorships & External Affairs for The Summit League, who presented me with an exclusive Media Pass. Thanks to him, I was able to capture literal court-side action.

With more tickets than we needed, we decided to host a giveaway — congrats to Meg M. on receiving two all-session passes and a two-night stay at My Place Hotel-Sioux Falls, SD.

It was pretty incredible to see the My Place logo blasted across the entire arena. Not only was our logo on display on the jumbo screen a couple times per game, but it was also wrapped around the boards above and below the screen, as well as the ribbon board that circled the entire stadium between the upper and lower seating decks and flanking the gym floor on both sides.

The atmosphere: energetic.

The games: exhilarating.

The experience: electric.

Special thanks goes out to The Summit League for their incredible hospitality. Big kudos to the local My Place staff for a seamless check-in and a clean, comfortable, quiet room. I'd also like to thank my fellow photographers who sat knee-to-knee with me for several games.

And congratulations to both the SDSU men's AND women's basketball teams for their big tournament wins!

You truly welcomed this hotel girl into your sports world.