ECSC Sports wins governor’s cup award for rivals in Red Tour

Experience Columbia SC Sports won the coveted Governor’s Cup Award Tuesday for the Rivals in Red Tour that brought in 70,000 visitors and soccer fans from across the globe to the Columbia region in 2024.

Experience Columbia SC Sports, the University of South Carolina and TEG Sport teamed up for the historic event featuring the English Premiere League titans Manchester United and the Liverpool Football Club in a head-to-head match-up at Williams-Brice Stadium, making Columbia SC one of only three U.S. cities to host and be featured as part of the Rivals in Red Tour.

The Governor’s Cup is awarded to a tourism partner whose attraction, event or initiative has demonstrated extraordinary success not only in impacting the economy and the quality of life in the community but also making strides for the tourism industry in the state through their efforts. Nominees represent noteworthy projects from across the state and recipients are recognized as setting benchmarks for the tourism industry for their outstanding achievements in tourism and marketing. The award is presented each year at the South Carolina Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel.

From creating signature events around the city for visitors to enjoy to marketing efforts to paint the town red throughout the weekend, the Rivals in Red campaign accomplished its vision to leave attendees with an unforgettable destination experience that would have them eager to return to Columbia. Scott Powers, ECSC Sports executive director, thanked the University of South Carolina, staff and community partners for collaborating to make the event a success.

“I’m up here holding the award, but one person doesn’t make events. One person can’t put an event together,” Powers said. “Thank you to the University of South Carolina for their partnership, the support and funding from SCPRT (South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism) and the Star Grant, the City of Columbia, our hotel partners and our staff who worked diligently to make this possible. 70,000 people in the stands, $13 million in visitor spending – it was a fantastic event.”

Overall, the Rivals in Red campaign showcased innovative marketing strategies that engaged the local community and visitors alike.

“Eye-catching billboards, targeted emails, physical media such as coasters, street pole banners, and hotel door hangers, the campaign used a diverse mix of promotional tactics,” said award presenter and SCPRT Director Duane Parrish “The campaign garnered over three million digital impressions and over $2 million in total earned media value. And with a direct economic impact of over $13 million for the weekend it’s clear that the Rivals in Red Tour was a tremendous success for Columbia and a significant win for our state’s tourism industry.”

Experience Columbia SC President and CEO Bill Ellen said the event has had a lasting impact on the region and shows how collaboration can result in hosting events that are a win for the entire community.

“As a huge sports community, we have hosted large events in the past, but the global reach and fanbase that this match generated was very impactful for tourism in our area and our restaurant, lodging and business partners,” Ellen said. “It proved that with collaboration, we can host events at a high level and showcase Columbia as the vibrant destination it truly is. We thank SCPRT for this prestigious award.”

About Experience Columbia SC

Experience Columbia SC is the region’s destination marketing organization. We’re responsible for all marketing efforts intended to help more visitors discover all that makes Columbia the real Southern hot spot. Think of us as the biggest cheerleader for the heart of South Carolina. For more information, please visit www.experiencecolumbiasc.com.