February 7, 2005 --Trenton, NJ ?“ Global Spectrum?™s Eric Cuthbertson, General Manager of Sovereign Bank Arena announced today the members that will comprise the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2006 NCAA Women?™s Division I Basketball Championships at Sovereign Bank Arena, March 18-21, 2006.
In 2004, the NCAA Division I Women?™s Basketball Committee selected Sovereign Bank Arena, a Global Spectrum-managed facility, as a site for the 2006 NCAA Division I Women?™s Basketball Championships first and second-rounds. This event will be a collaborative effort between Global Spectrum, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and Rider University, whom are all partnering together to bring this event to Mercer County.
?We believe it is imperative that we include the community and local business leaders in this event. The potential economic impact to the area retailers, restaurants and hotels will be significant,? Cuthbertson said. ?Other communities that have hosted this event projected out of town visitors spend $450 on average in the host city on meals, lodging and shopping; we can anticipate similar numbers.?
The members of the LOC have been selected based on recommendations and their involvement in the community. The primary responsibilities of the LOC will be to raise funds for signage, devise transportation plans for the teams and the public, publicity for the event, and hospitality plans to showcase Trenton, Mercer County, and Sovereign Bank Arena to a national audience.
Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 40 facilities throughout the United States and Canada, manages the Sovereign Bank Arena. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world?™s largest sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum, the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, and New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities. Comcast-Spectacor owns three minor league baseball teams - the Bowie Baysox, the Delmarva Shorebirds and the Frederick Keys - all affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles.