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MEAC
Basketball Tourney headed to Raleigh
June 2, 2005
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Council of Chief Executive
Officers has voted to award the 2006-2008 MEAC
Basketball Tournament to Raleigh. The 2006 Tournament is scheduled
for March 6-11 and will be
played at the RBC center.
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 Thursday
afternoon in Mayor Meeker’s
office.
The bid from the City of Raleigh/Wake County pledges $550,000
a year to host the MEAC
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.
“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
Chancellor 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.”
Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb added, "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. 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. After visiting most of the
cities, the committee submitted their recommendation 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.
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