Regions Tradition economic impact more than $20 million
The Regions Tradition annual golf tournament has a total economic impact of between $20 million and $25 million each year the Champion’s Tour event comes to the Birmingham area.
Studies from the University of Alabama School of Business and the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau show that from tourism to corporate sponsorship and involvement to charitable giving, the tournament has a large and lasting effect on the region’s economy. The GBC&VB said the event had a $10.6 million tourism impact.
Gene Hallman-Bill Horton Economic Impact of Regions Golf from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Gene Hallman, CEO of the Bruno Event Team, which organizes the annual tournament played at Shoal Creek Golf Club this past weekend, said the impact is about more than the millions of dollars.
The economics of exposure
“I think the most important benefit of this golf tournament is the positive exposure it gives for our community on a national basis,” he said. “This is a major championship on this tour. You’ve got seven hall-of-famers here in the field, some of the greatest names in golf. The Golf Channel will televise all four rounds live across the country. So, it’s very positive for our image here in the greater Birmingham area.”
Bill Horton, South region president for Regions Financial, said the banking company’s sponsorship of the tournament is a way of giving back to its hometown.
“Community is where it all starts. Birmingham being the headquarters for Regions, we’re always looking for a way to give back and this golf tournament is a good way,” Horton said. “We can talk about the economic development. And I go back for the last four years – over $70 million in economic development.”
Biggest winners aren’t on the golf course
But the biggest winner is Children’s of Alabama, the charity the tournament supports most, Horton said.
The golf tournament is also an “opportunity for us to entertain our clients, entertain prospects. But more importantly it’s a way to gather the community and get them behind something.”
Hallman said corporate support – from small sponsors to title sponsors like Regions – makes the tournament possible.
“The corporate sponsorship for a golf tournament is the foundation upon which the tournament’s built. Without that, you don’t have a tournament,” he said. “But, corporations, I like to think, get a lot of value. There’s some branding, but I think mostly they get that interaction with their customer or their employees.”
Economic development prospects
Other than customers, clients and employees, the golf tournament is a great place to woo economic development prospects.
“There is a lot of economic development that goes on during these tournaments, too, where we’re courting businesses to come and do business here in Alabama with out-of-state folks or people from out of the country,” Hallman said.
Horton agreed.
“One of the important things around this event is the economic development activities,” Horton said. “It brings a lot of people in. There are a lot of companies still looking at Alabama to relocate and I could give several examples. It’s exciting times for Alabama and certainly for Birmingham.”
Hallman said the tournament shared a role in one of the most important industrial recruitments in Alabama history.
“I’ll never forget in the very first Bruno’s Memorial Classic in 1992, we had a group of visitors show up and they played in the Pro-Am,” Hallman said. “We gave them a clinic with Arnold Palmer. They had a dinner with Chi-Chi (Rodriguez). I didn’t quite know who they were, but that was the very first site visit to the state of Alabama for Mercedes. I like to think we played a small part in showing them the quality of life we have here in central Alabama.”
Another change of venue
The tournament started at Greystone Golf & Country Club as the Bruno’s Memorial Classic in 1992. It has been played at Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and Shoal Creek – changing title sponsor to Regions along the way – and will move back to Greystone again next year.
Hallman said it’s good to move the tournament around.
“First of all, you don’t wear out your welcome at any one spot,” he said. “But it also gives the fans something different to look forward to and the players. It’ll be equally good, but just different. We’re looking forward to going back to where it all started 25 years ago.”
Horton said Regions’ 6,000 Birmingham and 8,500 statewide employees take pride in the company’s title sponsorship of the tournament. He said he notices “additional enthusiasm” during the tournament time, including when the downtown Birmingham headquarters building is lit up with the image of a golfer in the days leading up to the Regions Tradition.
“You know, Birmingham is a very special community and we all need to be real proud of where we are and where we’re going,” he said. “This event, just like many others in the state, really helps us grow.”
