The Sun Belt Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship will be in Pensacola March 5 – 11. Twenty-eight teams will vie for a chance to play in “The Big Dance” for the men’s and women’s NCAA championships. Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gil talks about why Pensacola is the ideal location for their championships.
Commissioner Gil said, “Pensacola is such a great town with the beaches, the weather, and so much to do. You don’t have to be in proxy. It’s a draw for schools and all the parts of our footprint, no matter how far they are from Pensacola. ”
Visit Pensacola is promoting our partner’s deals and specials to spectators visiting the area during the 2024 Sun Belt Basketball Championships. The Visit Pensacola website has a dedicated page where visitors can view the compiled list of deals and specials and will encourage them to visit your business.
On my flight home from Sacramento two years ago, I flew from Dallas seated among a bunch of high-spirited students from UT Arlington. The flight crew was Dallas-based so the flight was quite a hoot. We got in at about 10:30 pm. None of the kids knew anything about Pensacola. They told me that they were going to take a bus and check into their hotel (at the beach!) and then go for a walk in downtown. Some thought that Pensacola Beach was “in” Pensacola. I suggested that next time they stay on this side of the bay. I directed them to the place near the baggage pick-up where Visit Pensacola had its glitzy brochure. I told everyone to take one. They did. Visit Pensacola should have someone at baggage claim to hand out their brochure to everyone coming for the event and answer questions. They were asking about the best restaurants and I told them mine. Because so many are students, I think it would make sense to work with the Air Museum to shuttle students from the Bay Center to the Museum. Maybe have some flight students who graduated from their colleges on-hand to answer questions.