With tourism on the rise, ECSC celebrates Convention Center’s 20th anniversary

Experience Columbia SC (ECSC), the Destination Marketing Organization for the Columbia region, announced new tourism statistics that show tourism to the region has increased to 16.4 million visitors in 2023, up from 15.8 million the previous year.

The latest numbers were revealed at a media breakfast Tuesday held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. President and CEO Bill Ellen said the numbers show that tourism here is continuing to thrive, thanks to the efforts of ECSC staff, including a convention center that has brought people together for meetings and events for the past 20 years.

“Thanks to successful strategies and support from our stakeholders, our region welcomed over 16 million visitors in 2023, and tourism has a $2.8 billion economic impact in this region annually,” Ellen said. “All of our departments are doing a great job of telling our story and driving visitors to the destination. Our hospitality partners, stakeholders and funding partners have been vital to our success. And as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the very building we are in today, we recognize that the CMCC is an economic driver, attracting groups that come in and visit our restaurants, stay in our hotels, visit local attractions and spend money in our community.”

Tourism in the Columbia region generates $137 million in state and local taxes and is responsible for 22,546 jobs. Visitor spending is up 6.5 percent as visitors spent $1.8 billion in 2023, and visitor volume increased 3.7 percent as Columbia welcomed nearly 600,000 additional visitors over the prior year. There were also 5.7 million overnight visitors. These statistics, compiled by Longwoods International Tourism Economics, represent increases across the board since the last report in 2022.

“From the sales team members attending trade shows to connect with planners who have never brought an event to the Columbia region, to engineering and operations team members keeping the CMCC pristine, safe and comfortable, to our marketing team promoting the region in new, innovative ways, each department and position is vital to driving – and keeping- visitors coming to the Columbia region.” Ellen said. “You won’t find a more passionate team anywhere.”

Executives from each department were on hand to discuss strategies used to support tourism to the region. Cheryl Swanson, vice president and general manager for the CMCC, highlighted the center’s 20th anniversary, noting that since opening in September 2004, the state’s only downtown convention center has welcomed more than 3.9 million visitors and hosted over 8,000 events.

“The CMCC’s greatest achievement is we have accomplished exactly what a convention center is supposed to do,” Swanson said. “We’ve attracted nearly 4 million people to the convention center over the past 20 years. All this activity contributes to our local economy while showcasing the beauty and excitement of the city and region. The purpose of a convention center in a community is to drive economic impact and growth.”

In celebration of the anniversary, the center will host an invitation-only VIP reception for clients, public officials and stakeholders on Monday, Sept. 16. During the event, a live painter will create a new piece to add to the convention center’s art collection.

On Wednesday Sept. 18, from 4p.m. – 6 p.m., the convention center will host an open house for the public with refreshments, a walking tour, prizes and gifts for those who attend. Swanson praised the CMCC staff and the work they have done over the years to contribute to the convention center’s success.

“Typically, staff in any venue is dedicated, but this particular staff is unique,” she said. “They are extremely focused on the success of our events, happiness of our clients, and the growth of the facility. They’re a tremendously dedicated group of people and they work so well together. I’m very proud to be a part of them.”

Other updates included the announcement of a $13 million economic impact of the recent Rivals in Red Tour held at University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium in February and 178 events booked by the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) sales team for a total of 25,673 hotel room nights. Traffic to the Visitors Center increased by 38 percent and marketing strategies expanded to include NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) partnerships with collegiate athletes and a yearlong partnership with former Lady Gamecock and WNBA star Aliyah Boston.

Ellen said the convention center was a catalyst to tourism growth in the region when it opened and has helped to sustain it.

“We have thousands of residents who have passed through this building to attend the events, and those events have generated fond memories for those people, so they have a personal attachment to our building, and I think that’s something we’re very proud of – that we have a lot of community pride in the building and that it’s touched their lives,” he said.

The organization’s annual report was also released and includes a breakdown of statistics and strategies by department. View it here.

For more information about tourism in the Columbia region, visit experiencecolumbiasc.com and
columbiasctourism.com. For questions or interviews, contact Charlene Slaughter at [email protected] or Dayna Cantelmi at [email protected]

 

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.

About Columbia SC Tourism 

Columbia SC Tourism is comprised of a set of sister organizations responsible for various components of promoting and marketing tourism throughout Richland County, Lexington County and the City of Columbia. The two sister organizations are made up of three branches –Experience Columbia SC, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and Experience Columbia SC Sports.