Experience Columbia

Experience Columbia SC’s mission is to drive economic impact to our local community by marketing and selling the region as a premier destination for meetings and conventions, tradeshows, special events, sports, and leisure travel. They work with our local hotels, restaurants, facilities, and attractions to share all of the unique ways to enjoy the Columbia region with potential visitors.

Their three branches—Experience Columbia SC (the CVB), Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (CMCC) and Experience Columbia SC Sports—each have a specific set of responsibilities related to promoting and marketing the Columbia region.

The Experience Columbia SC Convention & Visitors Bureau sales team recruits multi-day meetings and conventions to hotels and facilities in Richland County, Lexington County, and the City of Columbia. The CMCC sales team works to recruit multi-day as well as single day meetings, conventions, and events that will use the Convention Center to drive positive economic impact to the overall region. Both teams collaborate on business that could be a fit for the convention center in combination with area hotel rooms and/or hotel meeting space. 

ECSC Sports puts the region on the map as a premier destination for sporting events. From partnering with local organizations to grow a small road race to hosting the first round of men’s basketball during NCAA March Madness, sporting events create economic benefit for the region by generating room nights, food and beverage sales, and associated tax revenues. The team focuses on traditional sports such as soccer, lacrosse, dance, tennis, and golf but also unique sports such as cornhole and pickleball, among others.

Their marketing team manages and promotes the brand for each entity within their organizations. From earned media, social media, and websites to advertising placements, promotional items, and photo and video assets, their marketing team represents the brand that inspires travel to the Columbia region. If you see a feature article or ad on the Columbia region in a lifestyle publication like Southern Living, Garden & Gun, or The Local Palate or an influencer post touting Columbia on Instagram, chances are Experience Columbia SC had a hand in hosting the travel writer or influencer, supplying content, or pitching the idea. They know how amazing our city is and love to share those tips and itineraries with publications, content creators, and their audiences.

They also know how important local pride is in our community, and to tourism. Locals have an influence on how their friends, family, and colleagues perceive Columbia. This year is the fourth year of Experience Columbia SC’s Ambassador Program, where they team up with four of Columbia’s most impactful locals each year to share their favorite ways to enjoy the heart of South Carolina.  

Their local marketing and advertising campaign features a combination of paid and grassroots efforts to envelop the local audience and bring them along as partners in our effort to improve positive perception of the Columbia region through paid advertising, brand activation, social media amplification, influencer marketing, and community partnerships.  

From the Experience Columbia CVB sales team attending 28 in-person tradeshows, to connect one-on-one with target planners to the CMCC earning GBAC accreditation and offering hybrid options to ensure that all attendees are safe and accommodated, to an Experience Columbia SC marketing team member crafting an Instagram story about one of the region’s numerous entertainment districts or bringing in influencers and travel writers to share Columbia’s tourism offerings, each department and position is vital to driving and keeping visitation to our community.

How Experience Columbia Inspires Tourism:

• Out-of-the-box meeting and events experiences
• Recruiting a broad range of meeting and sporting events
• Branding and Advertising
• Earned media and influencer marketing
• Social media
• Robust website content

Learn more at experiencecolumbiasc.com