Market America Inc. recently held its International Convention in the Triad area. Its 20,000 attendees filled hotel rooms and packed restaurants and stores to the tune of several million dollars in a four-day period.
Considering the economic impact this event has on the local economy, I was mystified by the lack of coverage in the News & Record.
In years past, I served as chairman of the N.C. Governor's Advisory Board on Travel and Tourism and on many other economic development boards and committees. I am currently serving as a board member of the Appalachian Regional Development Initiative.
I know firsthand how much effort and capital North Carolina's businesses and destination-marketing organizations invest to attract conventions of this caliber to our towns.
Surely this newsworthy event deserved mention in your paper. At best this was an inexcusable oversight -- at worst a serious disservice to your community and your advertisers.
Bonnie Church
Boone
Comments (6)
Can someone tell me what Market America is all about? Is it MLM?
Posted by hugh | August 18, 2005 7:30 AM
John Robinson addressed this letter earlier this morning on his blog.
Posted by Lex | August 18, 2005 8:03 AM
Market America is just another Amway Pyramid scheme. The only publicity given to that organization should be the truth about how they rip-off gullible people.
Posted by truth | August 18, 2005 1:19 PM
Truth, You are singing the right tune about MA. They deny and dispise the comparison between them and Amway pyramid but it's vitually one and the same.
BTW, have you ever gone to one of their recruiting meetings? Sounds like an old fashion tent revival except these people aren't pumped up on Jesus.
Posted by Yvonne | August 18, 2005 6:18 PM
No, haven't been. I noticed all those people at the coliseum, though.
My daddy taught me the lesson at an early age that if it sounds too good to be true it's probably a crock of sh##.
Posted by truth | August 19, 2005 12:24 PM
The objective of Church's letter got totally ignored in the chastising of MA. The issue was coverage of 20k people in GSO for a meeting. Too few recognize the value of conventions and their economic value to the area. People come, leave money, go home. No need for schools, libraries, new streets, etc. etc. Every town should be actively going for this business.
The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta generates over $60 million per to the state in sales tax. Think of the overall cash value which generates such a number.
Posted by opinionated | August 19, 2005 11:05 PM