Mayor Bellamy publicly presents the good news June 3, 2010 * Photo: City of Asheville

Asheville will host Southern Conference basketball tournament

Event projected to be worth millions to the city and local businesses

"The trickle down will be huge," says Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Kelly Miller, referring to the effect the city will gain from being the host city for the SoCon basketball tournmant.

With great fanfare in a mid-afternoon press conference held June 3, 2010, in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at the Civic Center, Mayor Bellamy, as well as a full-court press of Asheville City and Buncombe County officials bounced out the good news that sports equals money.

Follows is the official press release:

Southern Conference Names Asheville as Host City for Tournament

ASHEVILLE - The City of Asheville announced today that it had been named the host city for the Southern Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament. Asheville will be the home of the tournament for three years, beginning in March 2012.

City officials were contacted today by Southern Conference officials – just one day after a delegation of local leaders concluded two days of presentations and negotiations at the conference’s annual meeting in Hilton Head, SC.

The men’s games will be played at the Asheville Civic Center. The women’s tournament will begin at the new Kimmel Arena at U.N.C. Asheville, with the semifinal and championship games being held at the Civic Center.

Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy made the announcement today at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. “The Southern Conference has a great history in Asheville,” Mayor Terry Bellamy noted referring to the tournaments nine-year run in Asheville from 1984-1995. “They’re coming back home.” Mayor Bellamy added, “There will be a significant economic impact for the city of Asheville, bringing thousands of tourists to town in March, typically a slow time for tourism.” The mayor also highlighted the significant partnership between the city and the University of North Carolina – Asheville.

Additional comments were made by Buncombe County Commission member K. Ray Bailey, Buncombe County Commission Vice-Chair Bill Stanley, Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Kelly Miller, City of Asheville Economic Development and Civic Center Director Sam Powers and Asheville City Council member Jan Davis.  Buncombe County Commission member Carol Peterson was also in attendance.

Buncombe County Commission Vice-Chair Bill Stanley noted, “this is a major, major boon to our tourism industry.”

Kelly Miller pointed out that the tournament will “start our [tourism] season much earlier. The trickle down will be huge.”

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