Another Side of CIAA Week

I know that I--and just about everyone else in Charlotte or who is coming this week--have been talking a lot about all of the parties and events going on surrounding the CIAA Tournament. But it's about much more than that. The CIAA Tournament is about putting on high-caliber basketball games, raising money for scholarships, and generating revenue for both the CIAA and Charlotte economy.


A few weeks ago, I interviewed Anthony Lindsey, chair of the CIAA Tournament Local Organizing Committee, for an article in the February issue of Charlotte Hospitality News. Below is one of Lindsey's responses to my questions during our Q&A.

For the city, the tournament represents how Charlotte has elevated itself to a level of accommodation that attracts people from all over the country and all over the world. I think one of the things that is really important for us to keep in mind is that the tournament benefits from being in Charlotte, and Charlotte benefits from having the tournament. It gives Charlotte an event that attracts people, and when they get here they find out that they like what they see. They may have heard or read in the paper about us being the second largest financial center in the country, or seen in Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine, and all these other places that it’s ranked one of the top places for African-Americans to live. You have all of this as a backdrop for people to read about, and then when they get here they find that it’s a really inviting place to be. So the tournament helps draw people in who might not otherwise have come to Charlotte and experience what Charlotte has to offer.

Click here to read the full interview.