It's probably safe to say that few drum corps fans know anything about the Central Florida Sports Commission. The organization has been doing its work out of the view of the public. But through its efforts, the Drum Corps International World Championships will be a more entertaining event for fans and corps members alike. The commission was founded in 1992 and is funded by eight Central Florida governmental bodies. Its primary mandate is soliciting events that have a positive economic impact on tourism, hosting roughly 40 to 50 amateur events annually; including this year's NCAA National Championships. Brent Nelson is Director of Events for the CFSC. He is delighted that Drum Corps International's big event is in town, stating, "We believe that DCI further enhances our mission statement in attracting great people to our area. "Our goal in serving the City of Orlando is to drive business into the downtown corridor, underscoring the goals of the City of Orlando and the Downtown Development Board of Orlando. "The Citrus Bowl and several hotels and restaurants are already in or close to downtown. We have an adequate number of rooms and competitive pricing for those wanting to stay downtown. Fans can walk to lunchtime performances at City Hall and the Individual & Ensemble competition sites. We have multiple entertainment venues for competitors and fans to visit, with lots of restaurants, clubs and shopping. And the Citrus Bowl is only two miles away. "The CFSC has helped negotiate competitive rates and has served as local eyes and ears to identify pockets of localized support...advertising and promotion, identification of venues for I & E, etc. We also helped find financial relief from the city and other like organizations to benefit DCI and the fans. We provide numerous services and DCI's Executive Director Dan Acheson took advantage of all of them. "Dan tasked us with setting up room blocks, identifying housing sites for corps and helping take care of last minute housing needs, and working with the parking bureau to identify places to house the various corps equipment vehicles for the noontime sxconcerts and I & E. We identified venues for the Friday corps staff social at Church Street and Saturday's Friends of DCI luncheon. We also worked on the special recording session on Wednesday at the Lake Eola bandshell. "Even as late as last week, we were assisting with transportation, rooms and practice sites for the corps. It's a lot of small stuff, but when you add it all up, it's significant. We've offered our services from start to finish. "On behalf of the CFSC, the City of Orlando, the Downtown Development Board and the entire Central Florida region, we are proud and honored that Drum Corps International has chosen our community to host its World Championships. We are thankful that you have given us this opportunity and we hope that your experience in Central Florida will far surpass all your expectations."