Charleston Mayor Danny Jones and the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau today launched an exciting new economic development campaign, Capitalize Charleston.
Capitalize Charleston is designed to engage members of the Charleston community by having them help attract regional and national meetings, conventions and events to the Charleston area.
Community members are asked to identify personal involvement in professional, fraternal, religious, military, civic or competitive sports organizations that the CVB can help attract to the city.
“The more events and people we can attract to Charleston, the more money will be infused into the local economy and the more local businesses will be willing and able to invest their capital here,” said Charleston Mayor Danny Jones. “By attracting people to come here, we are making a positive difference in the economic future of Charleston. Promoting tourism really is a capital idea for West Virginia’s capital city.”
Tourism generates $580 million in economic impact for Kanawha County, supports 5,000 jobs, and generates $49 million in state and local taxes. Last year, the CVB booked 15,000 room nights and welcomed 66,000 attendees to Charleston–resulting in more than $10 million in economic impact. Since July of this year, the CVB has helped book 22,000 room nights.
“Our recent successes were, in large part, due to the involvement of local community leaders, and the Capitalize Charleston initiative is designed to build upon those successes,” said Alisa Bailey, CEO of the CVB. “When we host these meetings and events, we fill hotels. When we fill hotels, the small businesses that represent most of our tourism industry–the retailers, the attractions, the restaurants, our transportation sector–all benefit.”
The kickoff of Capitalize Charleston also honored several individuals who have already used their affiliations with groups to bring meetings and events to Charleston. Groups such as the Marine Corps League, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, International Right of Way, SportsFEST and Capital City Striders, have held their events in Charleston because of encouragement of local contacts.
The CVB board also honored the Mayor, who has been personally involved in bringing large meetings and events to Charleston, by presenting him with a stained-glass rendering of the Capitol dome designed by local artist, Eric Holestine.
“The Mayor has been our secret sales and marketing weapon and truly embodies Capitalize Charleston by investing his personal time in helping bring millions of dollars of economic impact to the city,” said Bailey. “It is so exciting to work with him and locals who are as passionate about their organization as they are about the city of Charleston.”
For more information on the Capitalize Charleston campaign, call 304-344-5075 or visit www.charlestonwv.com.
About the Charleston CVB
The Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes economic development through a strong visitor and meeting industry resulting in increased visitor spending for sustainable economic growth and enhanced quality of life in Charleston, W.Va. Last year, the Charleston CVB hosted 35 events attracting 66,000 attendees and accounted for nearly 16,000 hotel nights, resulting in an estimated $11 million in economic impact for the city.
