The CIAA released its official photos on Facebook today. I found a link on the page to an April story by the Charlotte Post about the tournament’s economic impact. This story hasn’t been widely reported so I wanted to share it with the Praise Charlotte family.
This year, the tournament brought in $37.1 million, slightly trailing last year’s $38.2 million, according to the Post’s story.
“The CIAA tournament consistently produces more than $35 million in impact locally,” Tim Newman, CEO of the CRVA, told the Post. “In fact, these numbers show that even with an economy that has affected so many, the CIAA experience is still on the top of the attendees’ lists. In speaking with SouthPark Mall and Concord Mills, their business in February escalated compared to the same timeframe last year, showing the far-reaching effect of CIAA.”
Next year is the final year of Charlotte’s contract. City leaders are in negotiations with CIAA to renew it. No agreement has been reached yet. In February, CIAA commissioner Leon Kerry said he wants the city to renew the contract. Newman has also said he would like for the tournament to remain here.
But we know it all comes down to money. We’ll see what happens.
