ACC play starts today
The economic impact of the ACC tournament at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College could easily hit $750,000, according to tourism officials.
The Rome Tennis Center at Berry College is decked out in collegiate regalia this week as the Atlantic Coast Conference brings its men’s and women’s tennis championships to town. Ann Hortman, director of the Rome Sports Commission, said Tuesday she expects the event to generate, conservatively speaking, between $500,000 and $800,000 for the local economy.
“We still don’t quite know what to expect from this caliber of an event,” Hortman said. “Our hotels are full and our restaurants are going to be very busy.”
Hortman said that with the Courtyard by Marriott still under construction the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau staff had to do some shuffling to accommodate all of the teams.
Penny Miller, manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites, 875 W. First St., said 85 percent of her hotel is being used by ACC officials and teams this week.
“This is a huge feather in Rome’s cap,” she said. “They’re really good for our economy and our revenue.”
Anil Patel, owner of the Holiday Inn Express, 35
Hobson Way, and Country Inn & Suites, 15 Hobson Way, said staff expects to be busy Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Since the tournament is single elimination, one men’s team and three women’s teams will be eliminated today and four each will be eliminated Thursday.
Hortman said officials in Cary, North Carolina,
where the event has been held for the last several years, said spectators for the tournament there were in the 1,200 range over the course of the week. She hopes attendance in Rome could go up because it’s a new venue for the event, and because Georgia Tech is a No. 4 seed and expected to do well, which could draw additional fans from nearby Atlanta.
Matt Raftery, general manager at the Olive Garden, 789 Turner McCall Blvd., said he is looking for a nice bump in business this week.
“You definitely notice it when a big tennis tournament is in town,” he said.
Spectators will park on the open field on the upper terrace above the tennis center off the Armuchee Connector.
Hortman said one of the latest amenities to the tennis center is a food court where mobile vendors can set up, complete with picnic
tables and access to restrooms.
The first matches each day are at 10 a.m. Since both the men and women are playing in Rome at the same time, virtually the entire tennis complex is going to be in use for the early rounds.
The men’s draw begins this morning. Thirteen of the 15 schools in the conference have
a men’s team. The exceptions are Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Boston College meets Miami in the men’s first round match today at 10 a.m.
All 15 colleges field women’s teams. First round play today will pit Boston College against Virginia Tech at 10 a.m., Notre Dame against Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. and Syracuse taking on Louisville in another 1 p.m. match.
Wake Forest, ranked No. 1 in the nation, is the men’s top seed while North Carolina is the women’s top seed.