MEAC hoops to follow CIAA in Raleigh
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and its Council of Chief Executive Officers has voted to take its annual men's and women's basketball tournament for the next three years to the place the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association just left, the RBC Center in Raleigh (N.C.)
Dr. James C. Renick, chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University, MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas, Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, and Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb made the official announcement at a press conference held last Thursday afternoon in Mayor Meeker's office.
The bid from the City of Raleigh/Wake
County pledges $550,000 a year to host the tournament for
the next three years. This includes contributions
of $200,000 from both Raleigh and Wake County. Additionally, the Greater Raleigh Convention and
Visitors Bureau is contributing $100,000 a year and
the Centennial Authority, which owns the RBC Center,
is guaranteeing a $50,000 annual contribution.
Gale Force Holdings, which operates the RBC Center,
is providing the arena for tournament games.
The attractive proposal comes just months after Raleigh was notified by the CIAA that its very successful basketball tournament was leaving the RBC after a splendid six-year run (2000-05) to take up residence for three years in Charlotte.
"On behalf of the Council of Chief Executive Officers and all of the MEAC member institutions, I'd like to express our excitement with the MEAC tournament moving to Raleigh/Wake County," said Renick. "Raleigh is a great place and we think that this move will provide a first class venue for all of the MEAC schools. "
"We are excited about the MEAC Tournament coming to Raleigh-Wake County," Commissioner Thomas said. "Raleigh is one of the most progressive cities in the country and they have demonstrated that they know how to market and build a successful tournament. The MEAC is on the verge of phenomenal growth and I think that the city of Raleigh and Wake County can surely help us achieve our goals."
The city was certainly instrumental in helping the CIAA takes its tournament to another level. Prior to its six-year stint in Raleigh, the conference struggled to fill Winston-Salem's 14,000-seat Joel Coliseum during a six-year stay there (1994-99).
The conference then took the bold move of relocating to Raleigh's much larger (18,000-seat) RBC, then known as the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena where it was the first major event in the facility. After proceeding cautiously in its first year (1999), where only lower level tickets were sold, the CIAA went on to sell out the arena in the subsequent five years.
Half of the CIAA's 12-member institutions were within 100 miles of Raleigh. The MEAC has only one institution, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., in that same proximity.
"Raleigh/Wake County is an appealing and central location for the MEAC's 11 fine institutions, their students and their fans -- from Delaware to Daytona Beach," said Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb. "I am convinced this historic partnership will benefit everyone." Mayor Meeker said he sees Raleigh/Wake County as "a destination for college, high school and amateur sports.
"In the past few years, we have embraced these types of sports events," the mayor said of the MEAC Tournament. "We see the MEAC Tournament as being good for Raleigh and Wake County from a business perspective as well."
Mayor Meeker pointed to projections showing the MEAC Tournament will have a significant economic impact on Raleigh/Wake County from 2006-2008, bringing additional tax revenues and a large number of fans who will stay in area hotels and motels.
It is projected the 2006 MEAC Tournament will attract 55,000 fans, with a projected economic impact on the area of $4.4 million, including bookings for 5,500 hotel room nights. Attendance for the 2007 Tournament is projected at 72,000, with 8,000 hotel room nights booked and an economic impact of $6.5 million. The projected numbers for the 2008 Tournament are 90,000 in attendance, with approximately 10,000 hotel room nights booked and an economic impact of $7.8 million.
The MEAC Tournament Committee received bids from Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Baltimore and Richmond, Va., which hosted the basketball tournament the last seven years with mixed success. This year's tournament reportedly drew 40,000 fans to the week-long event in Richmond though the men's final attendance was "around 5,000," according to Thomas. Official attendance was listed as 3,065.
After visiting most of the cities, the MEAC's committee submitted their recommenda-tion to the Council of CEOs, who made the final decision in late May.
The MEAC Tournament is held during the first week of March and consists of all 11 members in both men and women's basketball. The tournament also features a host of ancillary events, including the MEAC Cheerleading Championships.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.