CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The WVSSAC High School Basketball Championships arrive at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center on Tuesday, and over the next two weeks, thousands of fans from around the state will descend on the capital city’s hotels and restaurants.
The two-week span in which eight state champions are decided proves to be one of Charleston’s most profitable stretches of the entire year.
“Just those two events—just those two weeks—that’s a $10+ million economic impact to the city of Charleston,” Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Tim Brady said.
The girls’ basketball tournament runs this Tuesday through Saturday, with the boys’ bracket following next week. Several other events and conventions are coming to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center this month, and the combined attendance is expected to make for a very busy month.
“We’re looking at 90,000+ attendees at events at the Coliseum and Convention Center in the month of March. We talk about cycling and the events that bring big eyeballs, but they’re driving business at the convention center every day,” Brady said.
The state tournaments and other events scheduled for this month bring visitors to Charleston from every corner of West Virginia. Brady said that provides local businesses with a new audience to entertain as long as they are in the city.
“All of those people are staying in hotels. All of those people are eating in restaurants, and there’s your economic impact,” he said.
The next two weeks are shaping up to be among the most exciting all year at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Brady said that it all comes together with a lot of help from the staff at the facility.
“Big shoutout to Patrick Leahy and his team at the Coliseum and Convention Center. There are very, very few dark days in a month at that event, and those guys work their tails off. They do a great job,” he said.
The WVSSAC High School Basketball Championships begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, and every game of both tournaments can be heard on the MetroNews Radio Network and online at wvmetronews.com.