The city of Charlotte and the CIAA are in talks to keep the popular basketball tournament here beyond its 2011 contract date.

Leon Kerry, commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, said the latest talks occurred on Monday. He declined to give specifics or speculate about the odds that Charlotte will keep the event.

He did say, however, that the tournament has been extremely successful since it moved from Raleigh in 2006.

“I don’t know what the board wants to do, but we’ve been talking about it, trying to put things in place to stay here,” Kerry told Qcitymetro.com on Wednesday.

Other potential suitors, he said, could include Raleigh and Washington, D.C.

Officials in those cities did not immediately return phone calls.

Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker was quoted in 2008 as saying he intended to make a play to regain the tournament. With the city’s new convention center, he said, Fayetteville Street could easily rival uptown Charlotte.

The CIAA normally signs three-year contracts with host cities, Kerry said. Negotiations typically begin in year two.

Charlotte won the tournament from Raleigh with a $1-million-a-year commitment to the CIAA’s general scholarship fund, said Tim Newman, CEO of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which has led negotiations for the city. The money comes from a combination of private and public funds, he said.

Newman declined to speculate about how much the city might bid to retain the CIAA.

“We’ve expressed to (Commissioner Kerry) that we absolutely want to keep the tournament here,” he said, “subject to negotiations.”

The four-day event is said to generate more than $20 million a year in direct spending with Charlotte hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Its total economic impact has been estimated at more than $30 million a year.

Kerry said Charlotte’s combination of uptown amenities and proximity to South Carolina has made the city a destination for tournament fans.

“I’m not trying to get out of here any time soon,” he said. “Plus, sponsors like Charlotte. It’s been easier for us to retain sponsors here than any other place we’ve ever been.”

As for Washington, Kerry said the nation’s capital might prove too expensive. He said he recently attended a convention there and paid $75 a night to park.
 

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement