CHARLOTTE, N.C.
 |
Pretty prestigious events -- even though the Division II tournament that preceded it brought more fans and had a larger financial impact.
So it's no surprise that this once booming town -- battered lately by its flailing banks and falling home prices -- is warmly welcoming the return of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and its part-basketball tournament, part-giant reunion for graduates and friends of its 10 historically Black colleges and universities.
``It's a pretty darn good deal to be able to do business with these folks,'' said Mike Crum, chief operating officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
It's because this tournament is unlike any other, where basketball is often secondary. While the first two of 18 men's and women's games were scheduled for Tuesday night, the CIAA brings thousands of people to the city who will never step foot inside the arena.
They're coming for the celebrity-hosted parties, fashion shows or perhaps what's billed as the second largest fan experience behind only the NCAA Final Four at the downtown convention center. They're also gobbling up hotel rooms to attend numerous concerts and cooking shows.
Charlotte tourism officials said more than 181,000 fans attended events associated with last year's tournament and spent $20.5 million.
``For every person that buys a ticket, there's at least one person whose coming to Charlotte who didn't buy a ticket,'' Crum said. ``They're just here for the fun, everything that happens outside the arena. That's what makes the CIAA different from every other conference college basketball tournament in the country.''
