Columbia Regional Visitors Center Celebrates 25th Annual National Tourism Week With Week Long Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Printable Version

CONTACT:
Nicole D. Smith
Media Relations Director
803.545.0011
nsmith@columbiaauthority.com

Columbia Regional Visitors Center Celebrates 25th Annual National Tourism Week With Week Long Events
Silver anniversary theme encourages travelers to "Discover Great American Traditions"

Columbia, SC - (April 14, 2008) The Columbia Regional Visitors Center (CRVC) joins hundreds of cities, states and travel-related businesses nationwide in recognition of the 25th annual National Tourism Week, to be held May 10-18. Designated by Congress and established by presidential proclamation in 1983, the event celebrates the value and scope of the nation's $740 billion travel and tourism industry, and the economic and social contributions it brings to Columbia, SC.

In celebrating the industry and its impact on the community, the CRVC has scheduled many events for National Tourism Week. The schedule is as follows:

Monday:
Grits Competition & "The Chicken Man" artist, Ernest Lee painting his "funky chickens" and other artwork at the visitors center located at 1101 Lincoln Street.

Tuesday:
Ghosts & Legends will sponsor a historic downtown walking tour. Beginning at the State House, the tour will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday:
Cab Driver Appreciation, the CRVC is asking cab drivers working between the hours of 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to stop by the visitors center for a boxed lunch

Thursday:
Family Day at Fort Jackson. The CRVC welcomes visitors from all over the country to Columbia by providing them with brochures on places to see and do.

Friday:
Columbia Carriage Works will be providing carriage tours of the Vista for $10 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Carriage will be located at the visitors center.

This year's theme, "Discover Great American Traditions," encourages travel to American locales and highlights the role that tourism plays in discovering the icons of a destination.

Ric Luber, president/CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism states, "Hotels and meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants and transportation providers are among the local businesses greatly impacted by travel to Columbia, SC. More than 10% of employment is generated by travel and tourism; it generates $16.7 billion a year in total economic demand for our state and touches our community in countless other ways. This week in Columbia we will celebrate the people who visit here, the workforce that provides service for them and the development created as a result."

Nationwide, the U.S. travel industry directly employees 7.5 million people, generates payroll of $178 billion and tax revenues of about $110 billion. TIA ranks travel fifth among 20 major private industry sectors. Visitors to the U.S. spent more here than U.S. residents traveling abroad, creating a positive balance of trade of $8.3 billion for the national economy. Travel expenditures within the United States total $740 billion.

National Tourism Week is sponsored annually by the Travel Industry Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents the common interests and concerns of travel in America.

RSVP on Facebook!

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SC Summit on Women to be held in Columbia on April 16, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Nicole D. Smith
Media Relations Director
803.545.0011
nsmith@columbiaauthority.com

SC Summit on Women To Be Held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Columbia, SC – (March 31, 2008) The SC Summit on Women, sponsored by The South Carolina Commission on Women and The Alliance for Women at Columbia College, will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (CMCC) Wednesday, April 16. Admission costs for this event is $25 for students, $35 for nonprofits, and $45 for individuals. More than 500 people are expected to attend this event.

The theme for this event is “A Day of Hope and Inspiration for Progress Made and Opportunities Ahead”. Guest speakers include Carolyn Sawyer, Debbie Walsh, executive director for the RutgersCenter for Women in American Politics at Rutgers University, and SC Attorney General, Henry McMaster. For further information on this event, please contact Michelle Hardy at michellehardy@bellsouth.net or (803) 944-0637. More information can also be found at www.allianceforwomen.net.

The mission of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center is to provide a first-class venue offering superior operations management and state-of-the-science amenities for the successful coordination of meetings, conventions, tradeshows, entertainment and other special events utilizing the facility; enhancing the economic viability and image of the Columbia Riverbanks Region. To learn more about the Convention Center, visit www.columbiaconventioncenter.com or call (803) 545-0001.

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Columbia Museum of Art Unveils Ancient Art Gallery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 20, 2008


MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ellen Woodoff
Director of Marketing & Communications
803.343.2215 or ewoodoff@columbiamuseum.org

Allison Horne
Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
803.343.2170 or ahorne@columbiamuseum.org

Columbia Museum of Art Unveils Ancient Art Gallery


Columbia, SC - The Columbia Museum of Art unveils a new and permanent installation of its ancient art collection. On view now in the Ray Taylor Fair Gallery, the installation includes approximately 50 objects that introduce the major ancient civilizations from the Mediterranean and Near East. Examples of the earliest form of writing from 12th century B.C. Mesopotamia, are shown next to Egyptian scarabs and Greek painted vessels. The world of the ancient Romans is represented by 2nd century glass and bronze items and portrait sculpture. Many of these works have not been seen since the Museum moved to its location on Main Street in 1998. The collection has grown over the last several years with the donation of 12 fine Roman sculptures in 2002 from Pennsylvania collector Dr. Robert Y. Turner.

Roman Imperial portraiture is represented by seven superb portrait heads and a statuette of Salus, goddess of health. The only collection of Roman sculpture in South Carolina on public view shows an engaging glimpse into the lives of ancient Romans with its accompanying texts, glass and bronze implements.

Greek pottery is represented by objects from the Geometric, Archaic, Late Classical and Hellenistic Periods. A finely painted Archaic Period oil flask, Black-Figured Lekythos, circa 510 B.C. from Athens, is painted with a scene showing the Greek heroes, Achilles and Ajax playing dice with the goddess Athena intervening.

The oldest objects in the gallery, circa 12th - 7th century B.C., are cuneiform clay tablets - the oldest form of writing - developed in the region of Sumer in southern Mesopotamia. Ancient terracotta and paint votive objects include the Horseman and Horse, circa 7th century B.C. from Cyprus, and Statuette of a Woman wearing a Pomegranate Necklace from the Greek Archaic Period, circa 580 - 550 B.C.

Objects from Ancient Palestine include an earthenware storage vessel and bowl, circa 17th - 16th century B.C. from the Middle Bronze Age, and a dipper juglet and pitcher, circa 1300 - 1220 B.C. from the Early Iron Age.

Egyptian objects in the installation include Shabtis from the 26th Dynasty, circa 664 - 525 B.C. and also from the Ptolemaic Period, circa 332 - 30 B.C. - Shabti figures were included in tombs to serve the deceased and were painted with magical spells from the Book of the Dead.

The gallery was guest curated by Dr. Laura Voight.


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Tickets on Sale for 5th Annual Wine Tasting at Riverbanks Botanical Garden!

For Immediate Release
March 11, 2008

Contact:
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
PR Department
(803) 779-8717, ext. 1141

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR 5TH ANNUAL WINE TASTING AT RIVERBANKS BOTANICAL GARDEN

More than 175 Wines Featured at This Year’s Event
[Columbia, SC] - Riverbanks invites wine enthusiasts to bask in the beauty of the Garden while sampling from more than 175 domestic and imported wines at the fifth annual Wine Tasting at Riverbanks Botanical Garden.
On Friday, April 18, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm Garden guests armed with a tasting glass and a wine guide will swirl, sample and consult expert vintners to help find the perfect wine for their palate.

“This exclusive after-hours event has developed into a premier affair and has a great reputation within the community.” said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. “The ambience created by the beautiful springtime Garden is one of the main reasons this event is such a success.”

Guests will discover new favorites at stations set up throughout the Garden walkways and delight in savory light bites that are offered to complement the wine selection. Several wine professionals will be on hand to answer even the simplest of questions on the flavor and origin of each wine available.

As people mingle and the wine flows, so will the sound of smooth live jazz by Little Cat Z. The local four-man band, led by vocalist Don Russo, is back again by popular demand.

To preserve the intimacy of the event a limited number of tickets will be sold. Admission is $40 for Riverbanks members and $50 for the general public and tickets are on sale now. All ticket proceeds support the conservation and education efforts at Riverbanks. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Zoo or Garden entrance.

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DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 1, 2008 - CALL FOR BIDS

MARKETING & ADVERTISING - CALL FOR BIDS:

The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism seeks a creative team for advertising development and program support, excluding media placement for fiscal year July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009. Project includes regional and national ad campaign development and design for a combined $1 million advertising budget for the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and the Columbia Regional Sports Council. Letters of interest and samples of work are due April 1, 2008. Project presentation opportunities with selected candidates will follow. EOE.

Please send to:

Kelly Barbrey
VP of Sales & Marketing
Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism
1101 Lincoln Street
Columbia, SC, 29201

ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition searching for heroic families in SC!

Do you know someone whose home deserves an Extreme Makeover? If so, the producers of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition want to hear from you! Ty Pennington and his crew have been all across the map and they are ready to drive that famous bus into your neighborhood. The deadline for nominations is April 8, 2008!

Find out how you can nominate a deserving family.

Do you have New Ideas for a New Carolina?

Everybody's got a dream. What's yours?
Can you create? Can you Inspire?

Citizens of South Carolina - Tell us your big idea!

Last year you heard the call. You unleashed your creativity. You inspired New Carolina with your ideas for a greater South Carolina. Now it's time again for them to help you turn your ideas into reality. They want ideas for businesses that stoke your fire, blow your mind, show your get-up-and-take-charge-of-my-dream spirit. Your idea could bring new jobs, new energy, new talent, new life, and new wealth to South Carolina. Help New Carolina declare independence from mediocrity. Help them encourage innovators and celebrate the courageous. Help us create a NEW Carolina.

Up to 10 of you can win:
$5000 Grand Prize
$2500 First Prize
$1000 Runners-up
$100 Best Tour de Bulb photo
So what are you waiting for?

Read more about how to enter your creative New Ideas for a New Carolina today!