From USBC:

HOSTING USBC EVENTS TAKES TIME, DEDICATION
AND PREPARATION FOR HOPEFUL CITIES

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Hosting a United States Bowling Congress Open or Women's
Championships requires years of preparation and a city-wide cooperative effort.
Bidding cities are usually familiar with the potential impact of the events and
their possible contribution to the local community and economy.

During its 143-day run from Feb. 11 until July 3, more than 63,000 bowlers from
all 50 states and four foreign countries will have converged on the American
Bank Center Exhibit Hall in Corpus Christi, Texas, for the 2006 Open
Championships.

At the same time, nearly 55,000 women will make their way to the National
Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., for the 2006 USBC Women's Championships, which
began March 16 and will run until July 2.

Next year, the Open Championships will be held in Reno, while the Women's
Championships heads to Charlotte, N.C., but most bowlers don't know how or why
those locations were selected.

In most cases, it is the local convention and visitors bureau that initiates the
process, often organizing a task force that includes city officials,
dignitaries, local and state bowling association leaders and business owners.

The process starts years in advance as cities interested in hosting the event
begin an in-depth bid process. As an example, in July of 2005, the process began
for cities looking to host the 2010 and 2011 Women's Championships and the 2012
Open Championships.

The interested cities were issued promotional materials and a DVD about the
tournaments. If they were still considering a bid for one or both events, they
were sent a bid package, which included more details about the requirements
necessary for consideration.

"Hosting an event of this magnitude takes years of planning and preparation, but
that long-term commitment is necessary to ensure that the city is ready for
nearly 100,000 visitors," USBC Chief Tournament Officer Roseann Kuhn said. "We
always need to keep one eye on the future, and the game has now changed a little
since the Women's Championships will begin using the arena setting in 2010."

In 103 years of competition, the Open Championships has been held in 48 cities
in 26 states, attracting participants from around the globe. The first
tournament was conducted in Chicago's Welsbach Building in 1901, as 41 teams
competed for a $1,592 prize fund.

The Women's Championships was first held in 1916 in St. Louis' Washington
Recreation Parlor with eight teams and has since been held in 55 cities in 28
states.

In order to even be considered, a host city must have a facility big enough to
hold at least 48 lanes, which requires a minimum of 78,000 square feet. The
event also needs an additional 12,000 square feet for vendor and office space,
as well as room for seating for 800 spectators.

To put things in perspective, last year's tournament used 93,685 square feet at
the Baton Rouge River Center, while the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall in
Corpus Christi was a little tighter fit at 90,176 square feet. After the venue
was assembled for the 2006 event, there only was 3/16 of an inch to spare
between the edge of the custom scoreboards and the wall.

"This year definitely was a tighter squeeze, but Corpus Christi was determined
to have us back because of the impact we had during our first trip in 1992,"
Open Championships tournament director Brian Lewis said. "We've really enjoyed
our time here so far, but as we look down the road we have to consider how much
the tournament has grown and the needs that accompany that growth. After Reno in
2007, we're going to Albuquerque, N.M., and Las Vegas, which have larger
facilities and will be able to accommodate more lanes and more bowlers."

Aside from a large convention center which must be available for at least 200
consecutive days to allow for construction, competition and tear down, the host
city also must be served by three major airlines with sizable aircraft and
enough staff to handle the added baggage, which includes bowling balls. And with
600-800 new bowlers and guests arriving each day during the tournament, the city
must have enough available rental cars and at least 600 hotel rooms per day.

A monetary bid of at least $750,000 for the Women's Championships and $1 million
for the Open Championships also is required to help offset the costs of building
the venue. With an estimated economic impact of $13-$15 million per month during
the tournament, cities may bid more to increase their chances. This year's event
is projected to bring between $75 and $100 million to the Corpus Christi
economy.

"It's undeniable what kind of impact our events have on the host cities, and
that's why places like Syracuse and Baton Rouge have been eager to see us
return," Kuhn said. "With this process, we can always be sure that the cities
really want us too."

Once the bids have been submitted, the USBC makes site visits to the qualifying
cities, and those selected are invited to make presentations to the USBC
executives at the organization's headquarters in Greendale, Wis.

In February 2006, representatives from Albuquerque, Baton Rouge, El Paso, Texas,
and Syracuse, N.Y., made their presentations before the executives made their
final selections.

In the end, El Paso earned the right to host the 2010 Women's Championships,
where the event will be held in an arena setting for the first time outside of
Reno. Syracuse, which hosted the Open Championships in 1999, will welcome the
women in 2011. And finally, just one year removed from hosting its first Open
Championships, Baton Rouge will prepare for the tournament again in 2012. Both
tournaments also are contracted to be held in Reno's National Bowling Stadium
every third year through 2018.

"We're excited about where we are headed," Kuhn said. "These are all beautiful
cities and have a lot to offer the bowlers."

Bowlers and their families and friends spend an average of three and a half days
in the host city, spending nearly $200 per day on lodging, food and
entertainment, according to an online survey of tournament participants randomly
conducted by the USBC.

The 2005 event in Baton Rouge was the largest ever held outside of Reno,
attracting 13,222 teams and more than 130,000 total visitors. The economic
impact to the area exceeded $75 million.

"In the beginning, parts of the community weren't sure about what to expect from
the tournament, and before it was even over, they were asking when we could get
it back again," said Jerry Stovall, the President and CEO of the Baton Rouge
Area Sports Foundation, which played a leading role in securing the event for
2005 and 2012. "The CVB, the city and the bowling community all came together
for an amazing team effort since no one group could've done all of the work
alone. In everything we do, our objective is always to exceed expectations, and
we are looking forward to doing that again in 2012."

Presenting sponsors for the 2006 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado, Silver
Legacy and Circus Circus Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other participating
sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Texas State Aquarium,
Majestic Ventures Yacht Charters, Inc., USS Lexington Museum and Texas Treasure
Casino Cruises.

For more information on the USBC Open Championships, visit USBCopen.com