Asheville’s tourism and sports leaders are asking local businesses to start preparing now for a busy stretch of sports events they say could deliver a measurable economic lift and help the city compete for more national competitions in the years ahead.
With the Southern Conference (SoCon) men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in town this week, Explore Asheville hosted a Lunch & Learn March 2 outlining several athletic competitions that will take place locally this year, including the Big South Baseball Tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship and the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville. Organizers used the session to walk hotel operators, restaurateurs and other partners through timelines, sponsorship options and volunteer needs.
“As we all know Asheville is a food, beverage and beer town,” said Jay Curwen, director of sports, film and entertainment for Explore Asheville. “But with SoCon going on right now, with NAIA and Big South going on in the spring and with Biltmore Championship Asheville going on in the fall, Asheville is a sports town and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.”
Quickly approaching
The 74th annual NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held Wednesday, May 20- Friday, May 22 at UNC Asheville’s Karl Straus Track. The NAIA is the governing body for athletics at about 250 small colleges and universities, including Black Mountain’s Montreat College…