I hope my friends at the Greensboro Coliseum can take a second to bask in the events of the past 9 days.  They’ve earned it.  The 2011 U.S Figure Skating Championships event was a phenomenal success and the Coliseum represented Greensboro very well.

The Championships drew thousands of fans from across the US, received national television coverage, and brought an estimated economic impact of $26 million to Greensboro.

Saturday evening’s ladies’ free skate final session was a sellout, and Sunday’s men’s finals attendance was expected to be close to the same.  That’s due in no small part to the Coliseum’s exemplary job of attracting, promoting, and hosting the event.

It’s been a long time coming

Coliseum staff have been planning and preparing for this event for well over a year.  I’ve seen first-hand how hard they work to pull off major events like this as I partnered with Coliseum staff on countless projects over the past 8 years or so.  Actually, I probably have no idea how hard they work, seeing only the tip of the iceberg myself.  But I’ve witnessed the flawless execution of countless events and I can tell you, what they do behind the scenes is mind-boggling.

Their successful hosting of this national figure skating competition will be an enormous marketing tool for attracting more high-profile events in the future.  Cross your fingers for the US Gymnastics!

And the hits just keep on coming

I’m serious when I say I hope they can bask for a second, because there’s hardly time to take a breath.  More big stuff is coming up.  In only the next two weeks the Coliseum hosts country singer Jason Aldean, Christian music’s mammoth Winter Jam 2011, and the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, just to name a few.

Whew!