Last year, Augusta hosted 1.5 million visitors who spent more than $509 million. On Tuesday, November 21 at the Augusta Metro Chamber Women in Business luncheon, hear how the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Augusta Sports Council are working together to position our city as a preferred visitor destination.

Barry White, President/CEO of Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Stacie Adkins, CEO of Augusta Sports Council, will present “Destination Augusta: Creating the ultimate tourism and lifestyle experience,” a presentation on upping the ante of Augusta's "wow" factor. Barry and Stacie will speak on the opportunity and momentum of Augusta's destination development, and discuss continuing strategies to market our hometown. They will also review highlights from Augusta's development plan, Destination Blueprint.

Barry White has led both the CVB and the city of Augusta through substantial growth, with consistent year-over-year growth in annual gross hotel revenue and related taxes. Under his leadership, the Augusta CVB was one of the first in the country to seriously focus on destination development.

Stacie Adkins was named CEO of the Augusta Sports Council in May of 2015. She is responsible for sporting events and programs with significant economic impact for the Augusta River Region, including the IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta, USA Cycling Masters National Championship, and the Ray Guy Award presented to the collegiate Punter of the Year at The Home Depot Show aired on ESPN.

The Women in Business luncheon, presented by Doctors Hospital, will be held at the Legends Club beginning at 11:30 am. Tickets are $30 for Chamber members and $40 for prospective-members.

Advanced registration is required at AugustaMetroChamber.com.

Deadline to register is Friday, November 17. For more information, please contact Sabrina Balthrop, Director of Events, at [email protected] or by calling 706.821.1300.