Columbia tourism and marketing

[krazeeboi]

The State reports that Ric Luber, a former director of convention centers in Austin, Rochester, NY and Columbus, OH, has been named as the new president and CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism. Luber said he hopes to make Columbia become known as a "world-class" tourist destination, marketing the city's universities and rivers. He said Columbia is

[krazeeboi]

Reading through the letters to the editor on The State's website, I also see that there was an article done about the Marketing Columbia Committee, which is led by City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann, which held meetings last week to develop a new strategy to sell the region. A key aim of the committee is to get all of the agencies that play a part in marketing the region on the same page.

Carroll Gray, a former Columbia resident who will run the two-day meeting, said he has found that Columbia has been willing to let state government, USC and, to some extent, Fort Jackson, dictate what goes on in Columbia.

[Ellen]

One of the letters to the editor in today's edition of The State criticized the decision to allow a non-Columbian, a former Columbian no less, be in charge of marketing efforts. The person who wrote the letter noted that the city seems to be looking everywhere except Columbia for qualified individuals/companies to market the city.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to show you the gems. When you've lived in a place all your life you may have a tendency to overlook or take for granted its most outstanding features.

[CorgiMatt]

Besides, the writer of the letter to the editor lives in Forest Acres, Columbia's leech.

[TheCarolinaKing]

I agree stepping outside of columbia allows you to see its greatness a little more than when you are constantly around it. I enjoy leaving for a period and returning and realizing what makes Cola so special. Many cities dont offer the vast amount of greenery and landscaping that our city does. the ability to just "do you" without concern for others is mind easing. I work with a few doctors from the DC area, who have lived in mostly major cities all their life, are falling in love with columbia eachtime the are work assigned. the hidden ameninities, the food, its really relaxing. sometimes ill admit it is frustrating because of what the city lacks but cola is headed in the right direction and has a strong foundation to stand on. Last night my friends and i walked down gervais in the vista at about 2am and the amount of life was suprising. alot of major southern cities completely shut down by 2 but there was still life in the streets up to 330 when i ventured to my home. I hope this person will bring out the best of our city without allowing it to loose its unique character. I have a positive outlook for this situation, and I hope that he takes advantage of forums like this to see what is great about Cola and what its people what to see happend!

[krazeeboi]

I think the writer of the letter I mentioned earlier had a point about the nonchalant attitude that seems to permeate the Columbia area, and I think this goes back to Carroll Gray's statement that historically Columbia has been willing to let state government, USC and, to some extent, Fort Jackson, dictate what goes on in Columbia. It really is only relatively recently that this has begun to change. Some of Columbia's most successful venues (not affiliated with USC) have only been in existence for a few years, such as the Columbia Musuem of Art (in its present, more prominent location), EdVenture, and the convention center, which all play a significant role in exposing the city to visitors. Also, as a related result, Columbia has been snagging more regional and national meetings (many of them being a first for the city), from the Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam Festival held earlier this month to the National Hydrogen Association's annual meeting to be held in 2009 and the International Downtown Association's spring conference last year. So it appears that this tourism/marketing campaign is coming at a pretty good time, as Columbia's name is starting to get out there more and more.