The Charlotte City Council discussed on Monday the city’s efforts to land the CIAA basketball tournament for three years starting in 2028.
The tournament had been in Charlotte for 15 years before moving to Baltimore in 2021.
The HBCU athletic conference invited 10 cities to bid. But the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority said that it appears only two cities are trying to lure the tournament — Baltimore and Charlotte.
The bid deadline is April 15.
The CIAA wants the winning city to guarantee low hotel room rates, which could be set at $125 a night for teams and capped at $225 for fans.
Mike Butz, with the CRVA, said that’s been a challenging part of the bid.
“The hotels are responding at different levels. Some within, and some not,” he said.
The CIAA also wants $1.5 million for a scholarship fund. The CRVA said it will use some tourism tax dollars, and is hoping the corporate community chips in. The tourism group is also seeking money for the state.
The conference also wants all or most games to be played at the Spectrum Center uptown. In the past, Charlotte has held early round tournament games at Bojangles Coliseum before playing the final games un uptown.
The CRVA said it’s working with the Charlotte Hornets to see if the arena can host all the games. But the group said that’s challenging because the CIAA tournament is in the middle of the NBA season.
The CRVA said the tournament has drawn 60,000 fans to the city in the past.
