Some random thoughts…
Organizers of the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open golf championship – to be held June 26 through July 2 at the Newport Country Club – have asked the House Finance Committee for up to $500,000 to help them market the event. It’s a lot of money, but it might just be a sound investment.
Our golf courses are among the state’s true treasures. They’re beautiful, yet, you get the sense that they are underutilized. Maybe the national attention to be garnered from a tournament like the Women’s Open and all the deep-pocketed tourists it is sure to attract could help to change that.
After all, isn’t the crowd likely to attend such an event exactly the kind our tourism and hospitality industry craves? These aren’t college kids looking to sleep on someone’s couch and buy 30-packs of Coors Light and some pizzas. Rather, they are more likely to be couples looking to spend a few nights in our nicest hotels and drop hundreds – no, thousands – of dollars on meals and other items while here.
Joe Butz, director of the 2006 event, told the House Finance Committee that it could pump as much as $20 million into the state’s economy. Already, the U.S. Golf Association has booked 850 hotel rooms in Newport for players, event staff and media. Butz expects to sell 125,000 tickets to the tournament, which will be televised on ESPN and NBC.
The state Legislature has made this kind of investment before, notably, by giving $150,000 for the Triple-A All-Star game in Pawtucket and $250,000 to help offset the costs of bringing the Tall Ships to Newport.
Selling Luxury Real Estate Requires More Than Exposure
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Private Office Advisor Engel & Völkers Oceanside www.DiSpiritoteam.com…
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It’s sort of disturbing when you realize there is a proliferation of televised poker tournaments because the networks have found that lots of people are watching them.
It takes a commitment of time, but if you aren’t actively involved in one of your profession’s trade organizations, you may want to reconsider. According to an Accountemps survey, 86 percent of hiring managers polled cited involvement in industry or trade associations to be beneficial to an employee’s career. Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps, said the survey is further evidence that individuals need to be more than passive observers.
If you’re going to make the mistake of leaving your cell phone on during a business meeting or public presentation, don’t exacerbate that mistake by having the ringer play some digital Broadway show tune or even worse, the theme to Monday Night Football.
We held a panel discussion on the state of the state’s tourism industry during the Business Expo. It fostered a spirited discussion about efforts to promote tourism.
There were lots of great comments. Among them, this from Bob Burke, owner of Pot Au Feu and the Federal Reserve: “Why isn’t there a billboard on Route 95 that says: ‘Two hours ahead, three hours of waiting.’ It could show a picture of the Bourne Bridge completely clogged in traffic.
“You see, the people who come from New Jersey and New York and Fairfield County and Bergen County and some of the wealthiest counties in the entire nation drive through Rhode Island.
Perhaps they should get off and enjoy this state.
“Well, if you’re not ready to suggest that to them, then you shouldn’t be disappointed when they don’t do it.”
According to an article in the May 2 issue of Advertising Age, beer drinking across America is down by 53 percent. The younger generation is apparently opting for hipper vodka concoctions. Having attended a Red Sox/Yankees game in April, I can attest to the fact that this trend is not taking hold in the upper bleachers at Fenway Park, where even on a bitter cold night the beer flowed freely.
If you thought that as a society we were becoming more cultured – think again. During the keynote address at the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island’s “Sponsorship Day” at the Biltmore on May 9, Patricia Martin, president of the Chicago-based LitLamp Communications Group, said that 30 percent of Americans are “non-users” when it comes to the arts. And she was referring to a loose definition of the arts, including such activities as reading books.
Of course, we probably shouldn’t be surprised. That same week, the Providence Public Library system was busy unveiling a new schedule with vastly reduced hours of operation.
