Organizers say Conway tournaments brought thousands of visitors; ask city support for future bids

Coach Henson, a coach at Central Baptist College, told the Conway City A&P Commission that hosting an AMC conference tournament brought visitors and local spending to Conway. "It was definitely, you know, a good deal for Conway for sure," Henson said.

An event organizer who supplied a handout told the commission the larger travel tournament used about 16 fields in Conway and drew teams from roughly seven states. "We have about 6,300 participants," the organizer said, explaining that figure was calculated using an industry average of about 38 people per team, which includes players, coaches and accompanying family members. The organizer added the tournament relied on local turf fields at City of Colleges Park, Conway Station and Don Owens and that the tournament brought vendors and visiting businesses into town.

The organizer estimated roughly 300 hotel rooms were used during one college tournament, about 1,800 meals were consumed in Conway, and roughly 400 fans attended per day; the speaker characterized those counts as approximate because teams and families often book lodging independently.

Coach Henson said he plans to bid again and asked the commission for informal support because the AMC requires bids two years in advance. "If I've got y'all support and y'all think it's good, you know, I definitely would like to try to bid on it," he said, adding he would follow up with city staff.

Commission staff also reviewed the larger "Weekend of Champions" event and the AAA (event organizer referenced in the meeting) state championships that took place in Conway. Rachel (staff member) and Jamie (staff member) said weather and scheduling over Memorial Day weekend forced some championship games to be played at alternate locations, and that the three‑year contract for hosting the AAA event is in its final year. Rachel said the city and staff are preparing materials and outreach to help the city remain competitive when the bid reopens in January. Jamie noted the weather disruptions reduced gate attendance for some events but did not necessarily eliminate hotel stays and restaurant business: "We could have record low people through the gate, but still have a ton of folks who had to have a hotel room and who were here all day eating multiple meals," Jamie said.

Jamie and Rachel told commissioners the event is not purchasable by price alone and must be earned by delivering the experience; staff said they plan to seek a longer contract in the next bidding round and to develop contingency planning for weather‑affected sports (for example, identifying alternative turf sites within a reasonable drive).

The commission did not take a formal vote on providing financial guarantees for future bids during this meeting. Organizers said they will follow up with staff on formal requests and that bids are due on schedules set by the event organizers (the AMC and AAA).