DATE: March 11, 2008

CONTACT: Anthony Dixon, (252) 347-5700
awdixon@clemson.edu

WRITER: Ross Norton, (864) 656-4810
rnorton@clemson.edu

Charlotte should take advantage of ACC spotlight

CLEMSON, S.C. — The city of Charlotte should dedicate a portion of its time in the ACC spotlight to something other than basketball, advises a Clemson University graduate assistant who studies the economic impact of major events.

“Charlotte should try to take advantage of the event and let viewers know about other things the city has to offer,” says Anthony Dixon, who is earning his graduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism management. “Sometimes destination cities get too focused on the event and forget about the rest of the year. They need to use this opportunity to drum up business for the rest of the year – to tell people why to visit Charlotte when there’s not a basketball game.”

Dixon says the multi-day ACC basketball tournament should have a significant impact on the city because it brings in a large number of fans from out of town. And out-of-town fans create the economic impact so long as they open their wallets within the Charlotte city limits.

“The problem is if they lose early, the fans may leave. There are some that sell their tickets and go home immediately, but a lot of them stay around until the end, even if their team loses early,” Dixon says.

Because it’s home to a lot of North Carolina and Duke fans, Dixon says Charlotte could do better when the Tarheels and Blue Devils do worse, at least in terms of tournament economic impact.

“If Maryland wins, their fans eat in Charlotte. If the ‘Heels win, many of their fans will eat at home,” Dixon says.

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