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Episode #2119
MEAC Tournament
Lewis: Last week we took a look at the economic and social impact of the CIAA in Charlotte. This week we report on the 2006 MEAC tournament that was held for the first time in Raleigh. We'll show you how the much younger MEAC tournament is making its mark in intercollegiate athletics, next on Black Issues Forum.
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Lewis: Hello and welcome to Black Issues Forum. I am Mitchell Lewis. Since 2004 the city of Raleigh has hosted and nurtured the annual CIAA Central Intercollegiate Athletic Associations men and women's basketball tournament at the RBC Center. In March the city lost a competitive bid to the city of Charlotte but it picked up a new opportunity.
Through the year 2008 Raleigh will be the site of the Mid-eastern Atlantic Conference or MEAC. According to market research it is a comparatively smaller conference compared to the CIAA drawing about a fifth of the number of those who attend the CIAA games. But still organizers are very hopeful about the prospects for the conference in Raleigh. In a moment we'll talk to some guests who worked on the planning of the MEAC Conference. Right now producer Thomas Todd brings us this report on Raleigh's capture of the MEAC Tournament and its promise for the city and participating schools.
Todd: Partying with old classmates and friends, enjoying flavorsome foods, shopping for the latest fashions and watching one of America's most successful basketball tournaments have added to big income in popularity for the city of Raleigh and the Mid-east Atlantic Conference Basketball Tournament or otherwise known as the MEAC. This year Raleigh has secured a three year contract to host the MEAC. This new venture will help the city of Raleigh remain a successful host of basketball tournaments.
Dupree: Our bid for the MEAC was really a marketing-based bid. We felt that the MEAC was an undervalued event that had never been really, marketed in a major way year round. So the emphasis of our bid was, year round marketing to really build this event up and have it grow over the long-term.
Todd: The 36 year old conference consists of 11 historically black colleges and universities that for the past seven years was housed in Richmond, Virginia where the tournament gained notoriety, financial stability and a popular fan base.
Wray: It's our intent to build the tournament in the next three years, hopefully the next six years we can build it because the potential is there. Now, when I talk about potential, when I look at the number of alumni of the member institutions which is in excess of 250,000, when I look at the current enrollment of the members institutions of students in excess of 73-75,000, I think it would add a significant growth to the MEAC tournament.
Todd: While it may take time to build up attendance, growth at the MEAC tournament is expected to draw many old and new fans. Stakeholders consider the RBC Center the best place to promote the tournament and bring far-reaching benefits to the city of Raleigh.
Dupree: The MEAC stretches from Delaware to central Florida so we are squarely in the middle of that. I also think that the folks who come to the MEAC are going to find that it is a tremendous step up in terms of the venue and the facility. Nothing against the Richmond Coliseum but the RBC Center is in another world in terms of a state of the art building, the bells and whistles and the amenities and the sort of first class experience you feel when you are in the RBC Center. And I think that is going to help take this event to another level.
Jones: We have been going very regular for at least the 10 years. I love this facility. They couldn't have chosen a better place. I love to play in this, I love the openness, the town is great. So I am very happy to be here.
Robinson: You know, whenever you change venues coming from Richmond to Raleigh, there is going to be a fall-off in the sense of attendance but some people have to get used to the change, you hope that it being at the RBC Center that it will at least provide us a better facility than the one that was in Richmond and we also hope that our finances do better than what we've done in Richmond in the past.
M: We will probably end up about 50-55,000 people in attendance to this game and activity. So we believe that the economic impact is going to be about $2.3 million. We understand that that's no ways compared to where it was the last year of the last basketball tournament we had here.
Todd: MEAC fans did enjoy themselves at this year's tournament. Some final attendance and financial data shows that the tournament hosted over 22,000 fans and took in over $3 million.
M: We plan to after this program, after this year, to sit down with the administrators, the CEOs, the presidents and the chancellors to talk about what worked, what didn't work. What kinds of things we need to work on to change it to make it grow and be successful.
Lewis: And at this time I would like to introduce Jocelyn Williams, the Event Coordinator for the MEAC Tournament in Raleigh. She also worked closely on coordinating events for the CIAA Tournament when it was in Raleigh. We also have with us Delores D. Todd, Director of the Athletic Department at North Carolina A&T State University and actually the school's first female director of athletics. She was also the first female to serve as an assistant commissioner in the 50 year history of the ACC, the Atlantic Coast Conference and she is a CIAA Hall of Famer. And to both of you ladies, welcome to Black Issues Forum.
Todd: Thank you.
Lewis: Dee, I will start off with you. Give us a little bit of background history about MEAC.
Todd: Well, I'm coming up on my first year of being and Athletic Director in the MEAC and have had the opportunity to experience the MEAC as far as being in Greensboro, North Carolina. But the MEAC, actually the schools in the MEAC, I guess the children of the CIAA. Most of the MEAC schools were CIAA schools back in the past when I was going to Winston-Salem State. So it is interesting to see this tournament versus the CIAA tournament which is sort of the mother of all of them.
Lewis: And, Jocelyn, especially being the coordinator of this event, what do you see as making the MEAC unique?
Williams: Well, I think we have some challenges in front of us but the uniqueness of the MEAC will be basically the division one title that it has. The schools are much larger in numbers of the students and of course the alumni and fan base is going to be much larger. So we are excited about that just because the fact that we got larger schools, we got a division one conference in basketball and all of that is going to turn into great numbers for the tournament.
Lewis: You mention challenges, what do you see as some of the challenges facing MEAC?
Williams: Well, anytime you go into be, I guess, have a first, which is the first in Raleigh coming from Richmond, you know, the transition is always going to be a little challenging I would say. But that is what makes, I think the city of Raleigh and Wake County excited about the situation because we know the potential. The potential is there. We are excited because North Carolina A&T, the largest school, one of the largest schools in the state here is here in North Carolina and very close to us in Raleigh. So that makes us excited. You've got schools, you know, up and down the east coast and the academics as well as the athletics is really something to be excited about.
Lewis: Now, Dee, you have been affiliated with the CIAA, the ACC and the MEAC and I am kind of putting you on the spot here but when you have to sit there and compare with all your experiences in these particular groups, is there anything to compare when you look at these three?
Todd: Well, I think there are a lot of things that you can compare. I think they are all great academic institutions. I think you can compare with the CIAA, yes, we are both historically black colleges and universities and when you compare with the ACC, yes, we are both division one. But I do agree with Jocelyn, I think this is a wonderful opportunity here for the MEAC to grow and if you take the cultural experiences of the CIAA, if you may, and the organizational structure of the ACC and take the good things about that and make it your own, I think you have an opportunity for a great event.
Lewis: What do you see as some of the challenges facing MEAC?
Todd: I think some of the challenges are the fact that we are still relatively young when you compare to the other conferences that we are sort of being compared against, I think the fact that we do follow the CIAA as far as when our tournament is and then now being in the same state. Last year I think we ran up against the ACC and even though you're not going to have the same people come to both tournaments, if there are not things that are attractive at the tournament that would make a person say, "Okay, I am going to go to this tournament," then they are going to stay at home and watch games on TV. So I think the time of our tournament which is really nothing we can do about that because that is when most division one conference tournaments are happening, we have some unique challenges but not any that we can't overcome.
Lewis: And, Jocelyn, of course, this year's tournament was held in Raleigh and for a while it had been in Richmond. Talk about the process that took place to end up moving the MEAC to Raleigh.
Williams: Well, you know, the CIAA went to Charlotte and so the city of Raleigh and Wake County, you know, being the Mecca that we have here for amateur sports and we feel like it is a destination, we felt that we were compelled to go after another event. MEAC was in its bid year, upcoming bid year so what a great event to go after. So we put our name in the hat, the city put their name in the hat, in the bid process. And of course we came out on top in that process. And, you know, it was a good challenging process because you know, the city of Richmond as still vying for it as well as two or three other cities as well. But we here in Raleigh and Wake County, we think we know a little bit about how to put on a basketball tournament. So it was from that standpoint a good thing for us and we were able to come out on top in that process.
Lewis: And, Dee, of course with all your background, once again, CIAA, ACC and MEAC, how do you feel that-what is going to be your role in perhaps trying to bring up the MEAC to some of the other perhaps conferences?
Todd: Well, my role will be as far as support, to support the conference and to make suggestions and I also have made some suggestions that all the athletic directors should be involved in trying to make this tournament work because we all have obviously a vested interest in it so making some suggestions to the conference as to how we can take this and make it better, that would be my role.
Lewis: And, Jocelyn, of course, you have completed the first one here at Raleigh. What was the economic impact? How did you fare?
Williams: Well, the economic impact, we were over $3 million for the week here in Raleigh. The tax revenue was over $250 thousand which is always great. But I think we understand that there are things that we can make better. We have got great support here from the Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Gale Force Holdings which is the RBC Center. Wake County as well as the city of Raleigh. And this area of course, they love the challenge of having the tournament here so everybody working together will do what it needs to do in order to make sure this event is a success. So we are working with like __ directors and we are working with the commissioner and the conference office. We are working with our sponsors here locally of course. And then the city and the county-we are going to do what it takes-what it needs to take. What it needs to do in order to make sure that we are a success. So we are up for the challenge and we are looking forward to the next couple of years.
Lewis: Well, thank you, ladies. We'll get back to this discussion in just a moment. But with high hopes for the economic success of the MEAC Conference in Raleigh, organizers work to meet expectations for entertainment as well. Produce Deborah Holt talked with members of the planning committee about those expectations and then she attended the conference to bring you a sample of their hard work.
Bell: I think the experience we have had here in the past with tournament is just going to help raise it to another level. As you know, if you attended the HBCU, chances are you know someone, the family knows someone, we talk among each other and so I think it is going to be a great experience with all the people who choose to come here.
Meeker: It brings a lot of people to town and it is also an audience that is really very educated and very connected. The MEAC has a bunch of great universities throughout the east coast, really bigger schools than we have had before. And we are also looking forward to division one basketball. It's really something new for this kind of tournament.
Fitts: I'm a North Carolina Central grad and I also played in MEAC. MEAC was formed and I actually played its first tournament in Durham at Duke University at Cameron Indoor Stadium in '71 and '72 season and '72 and '73 season so coming back to the roots here there are a lot of the guys who played who will be in town for the MEAC because it was an outstanding tournament.
F: Planners and organizers are working hard to make sure it's outstanding in Raleigh to score big points on its debut in the city organizers called on big names.
Green: Oh, the excitement is going to be great. Its going to be a reunion. You know, this is the CIAA country with Central, Shaw University and St. Augustine within a few miles of each other. But I think that the schools in the MEAC will grab you. I think it will get your attention once you begin to know them.
F: Commonly associated with the CIAA, Tom Joyner showed a stronger alliance to the city of Raleigh by maintaining his appearance for the early morning sky show at Memorial Auditorium during the week of the MEAC tournament.
Another attention-getter planners are counting on is the state of the art RBC Center with accommodation for up to 75,000 attendees and 66 private luxury suites. The RBC Center is also the venue for the vendor activity.
Jeffries: I think the MEAC tournament coming to Raleigh is great for Raleigh. I think the potential is huge to grow the tournament and I think that once it ends its term here it will be as large as the CIAA.
F: As with many HBCU dominated sporting events, the game is just a mere fraction of the entertainment and wise band directors packed an arsenal of youth with wide-range appeal.
M: When we are hyped you probably have to get hyped with us. They don't have a choice. I'm an old school guy and I love the old school. The kids like all the new school stuff and all the hip-hop and they are always making suggestions. Sometimes I write in my hotel room for them, you know, just for the game so we have something to play for them, too.
F: For the younger crowd a big draw of the evening is the Greek step-show.
M: Our style is basically power based, precision based and professional so that is what we look for. And we tried to look entertaining for the crowd.
F: Always incorporate a little bit of everything because you want to get the crowd, that one can't sit still for the slow stuff, the dances and everything. And we are just making sure that we get everybody into it.
F: It really creates unity amongst all the universities when it comes to these tournaments. It's really good to see everybody doing their thing and just coming together and having fun.
Lewis: And we are here with Jocelyn Williams and Dee Todd and we are talking about the MEAC. And of course having a little fun here. To the two of you, and I wills tart off with you, Jocelyn, how important is the social aspect of the MEAC tournament?
Williams: It's very important. As a matter of fact it is part of the tournament, it is part of the game, it is part of the week. You know, the tournament, the tournament here, I think it kind of culminates so many different things. You've got the parties, you've got the reunions. You got great basketball. Networking going on. You know, there are activities of course that happen throughout the week that I guess are ancillary to the basketball games but it is just as important. Like we put on a __ expo during that week. We have a high school day where close to 2,000 high school kids come and are recruited by the colleges of the MEAC. So there is all kinds of things going on and all those things are very important to making it a very successful tournament.
Lewis: So of course, Dee, you with A&T, now what was going on-how important is the social aspect especially to A&T?
Todd: Well, the social aspect as Jocelyn said is very important. As she said, you know, the basketball is the attraction to bringing us all here. I do think that is is important that you have some activities to go to in the evening. I do think it is important also that they do not conflict with the basketball game because obviously as an athletic director I like to see the people at the basketball game. But I think that hopefully A&T will have a much better record and will keep us in the tournament a little bit longer. I think that is very important because we rank number one in the MEAC as far as attendance at our home basketball games and second in the country for HBCUs with home basketball game attendance. So I think it is very important that A&T who is historically known for traveling remains in the tournament as long as we can. So if you can help us out with that that would be great. [LAUGHTER]
Lewis: And perhaps that will happen. Now Jocelyn now of course we are talking about the social aspect but getting back to that economic impact, what type of feedback did you get from perhaps vendors or people within the town of Raleigh as far as how they thought the tournament went.
Williams: Well, you know the economic impact, the number that we come up with, the Convention and Visitors Bureau come up with really, there is a formula that they have that they add different types of information to come out with that particular number. And it has to do with hotel stays, how many nights, and the number of hotel rooms that are used during that week. Also there are other factors, that one being the main one of course.
Restaurants and the kind of dollars that are being spent, you know, that's important to the city. You know, part of the bid process is the contractual agreement that we have with the conference in order to fulfill that contract we need to make sure that those Aggies stay in town as long as we possibly can get them here as well as all the other schools that are in the conference. They'd love for them to come. So we want to make sure that we have all those activities that we are talking about included in the week so they will come for the basketball they'll come for the reunions, they will come for the networking. Of course we are-we target the alumni. The alumni are very important in this process and we want to make sure that we have activity available for them to come, be comfortable and want to stay so that the economic impact numbers can continue to go up, up and up. And the city and the county is really happy when that happens.
Lewis: And of course, the scholarship is another integral part of this and I guess this could be directed at either one of you. Talk about the scholarship aspect of the MEAC tournament.
Williams: Well, from our perspective, right now, we are trying to make it so that it is advantageous to our institutions to put back money into our athletic departments to go towards scholarships. As we grow that is the goal and with our institutions and the challenges that we have in supporting our athletic departments that is very important to us.
Lewis: And I am going to put you on the spot once again because-I know this is sort of deviating a little bit but with North Carolina Central talking about going to the division one play, that had a great impact on the Aggie/Eagles classic. What are your thoughts on that?
Todd: Well, when North Carolina Central was the common division one school, then obviously we would be, if they are accepted into the MEAC we would be playing a game again. Now rather that would be the Aggie/Eagle, I can't answer that question because as you know Winston-Salem State and one other institution but I mentioned Winston because it is a state school, have made applications to come to the MEAC. And I think that for the sport of basketball in particular Winston-Salem State really can't compete in a tournament for a couple of years because that is an NCAA rule when you transition from two to one so I think when you look at North Carolina Central they are several years away as far as having the impact on basketball. And as far as football is concerned once the number gets to a certain amount in the conference I don't know if we will be having divisional play and if we will be playing them every year. I don't know how that would turn out.
Lewis: And we are getting pretty close to the end of our program here but a question to both of you and I will start off with you, Jocelyn, how do you see the future of the MEAC evolving and what will it take?
Williams: I think that like we said before it is great potential for MEAC here in Raleigh. Go back to the size of the schools. It is division one basketball. And the city of Raleigh and Wake County simply because of the support it gets from our companies, the sponsors that we have, we get the support from the community and just because Raleigh is a destination for amateur sports. We have the RBC Center. We have just great support for the event and I think that the future is going to be very, very good. We are excited about filling up the RBC Center, selling out the RBC Center and that is the goal that we have. We are planning to do that. And of course bringing all the great entertainment into town for that week as well.
Lewis: And, Dee, we are kind of under 30 seconds. Your thoughts?
Todd: Well, I agree with Jocelyn. I feel that the success is the journey and really not the goal and it is going to be all the things that we do along the way to get to that journey that is going to make this a great event and I think we have the opportunity for a great marriage to continue to take place with the MEAC and the city of Raleigh and Wake County and it has wonderful opportunities and it's a great challenge. I love challenges and obviously Jocelyn and the city of Raleigh loves challenges, too, so I think we can get there.
Lewis: Ladies, I thank you for being on and continued success to both of you. If you would like to learn more about the MEAC tournament, get in touch with our guests or obtain a transcript of tonight's show. You can visit us online at unctv.org/bif. When you visit be sure to give us your comments and your program suggestions. You can also call us on the BIF line at 919-549-7167. For Black Issues Forum, I am Mitchell Lewis. Thanks for watching.
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