Visit Baltimore Annual Report FY 2019-2020 2019 | Page 12

CIAA Tournament Visit Baltimore aggressively pitched and won the bid to host the 2021-23 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA®) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. The CIAA is the nation’s first African American athletic conference and the annual basketball tournament is one of the most highly attended basketball tournaments among all NCAA divisions. Each year, the tournament has the potential to drive $50 million in total economic impact locally, and bring 150,000 people to the city for games, shows, forums and more. BIG WIN The CIAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournament is an impactful event at any time of the year, but especially during what is traditionally a slower period for the tourism industry. This is a tremendous opportunity for our community to roll out the red carpet and make meaningful social and business connections over the last week in February. Visit Baltimore and the CIAA partnered to host a press conference to announce the big news in January 2019. The AP, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and Sports Travel Magazine were just a few of the media outlets that covered this exciting announcement. Baltimore’s local broadcast stations also tuned in to the event. 10