When the U.S. Bowling Congress last held its open championship in Baton Rouge in 2005, the event created a $70 million economic impact and drew record attendance figures of any host city outside the lone recurring host of Reno, Nevada. “Our goal is to beat that next year … and I think we have a great shot at breaking that record,” USBC Executive Director Stu Upson said this afternoon at a one-year out kickoff event for the 2012 open championship. Over the 151 days the event will take place in Baton Rouge, officials predict a $100 million economic impact and 100,000 hotel stays created by the bowlers and visitors the event is expected to draw.
To gear up for the championship, a local organizing committee known as “Team Baton Rouge” has been created, composed of representatives of city-parish government, the Metro Council, the convention and visitors bureau, Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation, the River Center and the Downtown Development District. Free posters, lapel pins and other promotional gear will begin to be distributed to area businesses in January, while town meetings and hospitality training seminars will begin this fall. A website is also in the works.
Created in 1901, the open championship is the world’s largest sporting event, drawing in 12,000 to 16,000 five-member teams each year. It is held in Reno every three years, and has been held in 48 other cities. No other city has brought the event back as quickly as Baton Rouge. “We come to Baton Rouge for one simple reason: Our bowlers love it here,” says Upson. The open championship will be held at the River Center, and the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino has signed on as the first major sponsor. —Steve Sanoski
