Gamecock women bring NCAA to town, boost business in the Midlands (+ video)
When regional play opens Friday in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in the city center, the Gamecocks will be hosts, but the Capital City may benefit most.
Thousands of hotel rooms appear to be booked for the three-day tournament that tips off at 5 p.m. in the Colonial Life Arena, when the University of South Carolina, seeded No. 1, will take on 16th-seeded Savannah State College.
Thousands of visitors are expected to spend significantly on food, beverages and transportation. Then add a couple hundred thousand more dollars onto their tabs for shopping and recreation, the Columbia Regional Sports Council predicts.
With Saturday having no games scheduled, visitors will have an opportunity to explore Columbia’s charm and history, said Scott Powers, the council’s executive director. “With most of the events we are involved with and bring into town – tennis tournaments, soccer tournaments and that type of thing ... there’s no day when there’s no event going on,” he said.
That means Saturday is an open for trips to Riverbanks Zoo, the State Museum, the Columbia Museum of Art and other destinations. They could benefit big time from the tournament, Powers said.
Syracuse University and University of Nebraska follow USC and Savannah State in the nightcap Friday, then the winners of those two contests face off Sunday for the chance to advance to Greensboro, N.C., for the next round.
Local businesses could reap an estimated $1.3 million this weekend, a pre-event analysis by the sports council shows. That includes $294,000 on retail, $282,000 on lodging, $222,000 on recreation, $200,000 on transportation, and $193,000 on food and beverages, the report states.
“Everybody around the country is going to be aware of what happens in Columbia this weekend,” said Powers, noting the city last hosted an NCAA tournament 13 years ago, in 2002.
“It proves to the country we are able to host big-time, national-type events, so it helps with our prestige, and helps us to market Columbia and the Columbia region even more to host other events.”
The state Restaurant and Lodging Association, a trade group for hotels and restaurants across South Carolina, met Thursday with Columbia-area members. They reported heightened occupancy in downtown hotels. Some, especially in the Vista, are sold out, said Katie Montgomery, association spokeswoman.
“The NCAA tournament is bringing basketball fans from all over to the Capital City, and Columbia's hospitality industry is rolling out the welcome mat,” Montgomery said. “Hotels are packed with guests and restaurants, particularly those in the Vista, are gearing up for an especially busy weekend.”
Restaurant managers say the USC women’s basketball team has contributed to an increase in their sales throughout the 2014-15 season, and they expect their establishments to be packed houses this weekend, she said.
Bobby Williams, CEO of the family-owned Lizard’s Thicket restaurant chain, said this year’s women’s team has for the first time caused him to add staff in his Columbia-area restaurants on game days, particularly at the downtown Elmwood Avenue restaurant and on Knox Abbott Drive across the Congaree River in Cayce.
For afternoon games, there is a crowd rush before and after the game, he said. Lizard’s Thicket operates 15 locations in the metropolitan area.
“The (USC women) have really helped business in Columbia this year,” Williams said. “It’s been great for everybody. We’ve seen a lot of business from the visiting teams. It’s really been good.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 7:40 PM.