First Four ‘so much bigger’ than basketball for Dayton

The first official sold out First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena on Wednesday wasn't just a night of basketball — it was also a key tool to boost Dayton's economy.

Companies took out clients to the games, economic development officials brought in corporate site selectors to show off the region and Dayton businesses — from restaurants to dry cleaners to hotels — benefited from two busy nights of sales.

The kickoff to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has an estimated $4.5 million direct economic impact, but it also has the broader benefit of putting Dayton in a positive national spotlight for two days.

“It’s so much bigger than just the game. It’s a huge opportunity to showcase Dayton and all of the development we’ve been doing lately and it sets up us for the future,” said Dayton City Commissioner Chris Shaw.

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The Dayton Development Coalition has since 2016 used the First Four as a focal point to host a tour for corporate site selectors who help companies pick their next locations.

Site selectors might have visited cities like Chicago or Atlanta through work or on vacation, but for Dayton it takes intentional events like the First Four-linked tour to show the area off, said Mitch Heaton, project manager at the Dayton Development Coalition.

“We’re at that level where people aren’t always coming through and passing through,” he said.

But once they are here, Heaton said they get a chance to see success stories of companies that have set up in the area and get a first impression of Dayton through the energy of a First Four basketball game.

The group of five site selectors in attendance this year spoke to the Dayton Daily News about their early impressions of the city.

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Tom Lawton, of Lawton Unlimited, said its a positive sign to see Dayton’s strong downtown, since the health of a downtown is a symptom of the local economy.

“The rejuvenation of the downtown area is a sign of a healthy economy and that’s what companies want to be a part of,” Lawton said.

Another site selector, Al Leszczynski, a partner with Campio, said there seemed to be a lot of training programs that integrate into the kind of skills the local businesses are looking for.

“That’s very important. It’s kind of rare actually,” he said.

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And of course, there was the basketball game.

“I like the atmosphere and the way the community comes together for these kind of events,” said Eric Levenhagen, of RSM US LLP.

The annual March Madness has tipped off in Dayton for the past 18 seasons and draws in thousands to the region.

The games started out in Dayton in 2001 as play in games and in 2011 adopted its current First Four format.

Scott DeBolt, director of UD Arena, said Wednesday night was the first official sell-out of a First Four game.

“The community comes out year after year to support this. We call ourselves the epicenter of college basketball and the road starts here in Dayton, Ohio, for the NCAA basketball championship,” DeBolt said.

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Eric Farrell, executive director of the First Four Local Organizing Committee, said turnout for the past few years has been at 94 or 95 percent capacity but the organizers continue to try to raise the bar.

“The more times we can put the record numbers it just solidifies our case that the First Four stays forever in Dayton,” he said.

University of Dayton Arena has won the bid to host the First Four games through 2022 and it's now in the midst of a $72 million renovation that DeBolt said will help the venue hold its place as the kickoff of March Madness.

The sweeping changes include the replacement of all 13,450 seats and upgrades like adding air conditioning and new WiFi, and by next year there will be more premium seating, which is valued by companies looking to cater to business clients.

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Farrell said besides the thousands of tickets that go to local airmen and students, one of the biggest supporters of buying tickets at the event is local companies bringing clients and employees over to the game.

“There’s a ton of value as far as that entertainment piece and the economic impact,” he said.

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