Asheville Secures Ingles Southern Conference Events Through 2035, Expands Tournament Week
The Southern Conference, the City of Asheville, Explore Asheville and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission announced a 10 year agreement on December 2 extending Asheville's role as host city for Ingles Southern Conference championships through 2035. The deal keeps basketball, volleyball and wrestling finals in town, and adds expanded public events meant to boost visitor spending and downtown activity.
City officials and conference leaders announced on December 2 at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville that the Southern Conference will remain based in Asheville for another 10 years. The agreement covers championship events in basketball, volleyball and wrestling and formalizes a partnership between the Southern Conference, the City of Asheville, Explore Asheville, which serves as the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission.
"The Southern Conference … announced a new 10-year agreement extending Asheville’s role as the host city of the Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships through 2035." The announcement highlighted the tournament's long history in Asheville and described a slate of expanded events planned during tournament week, including the SoCon Soirée, Downtown Dribble & KidsFest, and a Business Leader Forum that will feature Roy Williams.
For Buncombe County the agreement locks in a predictable late winter draw of teams fans and associated visitors for the next decade. Local leaders said they expect continued community engagement, with the expanded public programming designed to increase downtown foot traffic and lengthen visitor stays. Hotels restaurants and retail businesses typically see higher occupancy and sales during championship weeks, and the extension gives operators more certainty for seasonal staffing and inventory planning.
The deal builds on decades of collaboration between the conference and local partners and positions Asheville to continue leveraging collegiate athletics as part of its tourism and economic development mix. The inclusion of volleyball and wrestling championships alongside the basketball finals broadens the visitor base and spreads demand across multiple venue nights, a pattern that can amplify lodging and dining revenues.
City and tourism officials will coordinate logistics for transportation public safety and venue scheduling as the first events under the new agreement approach. For community stakeholders the key questions will be how well the expanded programming spreads economic benefits to small businesses and neighborhoods and how public costs are managed over the life of the agreement. The 10 year extension gives Buncombe County a clearer runway to plan infrastructure and marketing around a recurring regional event through 2035.
