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Visit Hickory touts new brand, convention-center expansion and $351 million in visitor spending
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Summary
Hickory Metro Trade Center and Visit Hickory reported record occupancy-tax revenue, a new visitor-facing brand (“Ohay!/Now You Know”) and a $15 million convention-center expansion funded by hotel occupancy tax at the Oct. 21 council meeting.
Mandy Pitts Hildebrand, president and CEO of the Hickory Metro Trade Center and Visit Hickory, briefed the Hickory City Council on the tourism authority’s annual report for the fiscal year that ran July 2024–June 2025.
Hil debrand said the authority adopted a new visitor-facing brand — featuring the tagline Love Life Well Crafted and the visitor greeting “Ohay!” along with the complementary “Now You Know” positioning — and reported record event and occupancy-tax revenue that helped fund a recently completed convention-center expansion. "It's a new era," Hildebrand told the council.
Why this matters: The tourism authority directly supports local hospitality employment and uses occupancy-tax revenue to operate and expand the convention center; its activity affects lodging, restaurants and conventions in Hickory and Catawba County.
City Manager Warren Wood and Trade Center staff described a $15 million, 45,000-square-foot expansion of the convention center financed from hotel-motel occupancy tax rather than city property tax. Wood said the expansion “is gonna open up a lot of markets for us in terms of the tourism and convention industry.”
The authority reported that in 2024 domestic and international visitors spent about $351,000,000 in Catawba County. Hildebrand said the hospitality and tourism sector employs more than 2,500 people locally and generates roughly $88,000,000 in payroll.
Officials said two new hotels will add rooms to help accommodate events: a Home2Suites by Hilton adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn expected to open by November, and a TownePlace Suites anticipated in 2026 that will add about 108 rooms. Hildebrand and Sarah Jones, vice president of marketing and sales, described a suite of print, digital and influencer-marketing efforts tied to the new brand and an increased visitor newsletter audience.
During council remarks several members praised the Trade Center’s staff and the expansion’s operational performance during concurrent events. No council funding vote was required; the authority operates the convention center under a contract with the city, using occupancy-tax revenue for debt service and operations.
The tourism annual report is available at VisitHickoryNC.com for further detail on events and economic metrics.
