South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Large participation means millions of dollars for SC’s economy

(Columbia, SC) – With last year’s unanimous election of House Speaker Bobby Harrell as the Chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), Charleston, SC was selected to host this year’s 2010 SLC Annual Meeting.

This year’s conference is projected to surpass an estimated $3.5 million in economic impact for South Carolina as the number of expected guests from the 15-member states nears 2,000 participants.

“People are excited about coming to see what South Carolina has to offer,” Speaker Harrell said. “I am thrilled that the Palmetto State will be on display as we host the 2010 Southern Legislative Conference. This event will bring in thousands of new visitors and will create a multi-million dollar economic boost for our state. For many of the conference guests, this will be their first trip to our state and we hope our hospitality makes return visitors out of many of them.”

Speaker Harrell has worked very hard to plan a memorable SLC experience in Charleston. Events will be held all around the historic city, including Charles Towne Landing and the SC Aquarium. Attendants will also enjoy guest speakers and performances by South Carolina natives, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, US Senator Lindsey Graham, US House Majority Whip James Clyburn, and Darius Rucker. Lasting from July 31st to August 4th, the 64th annual SLC meeting will leave a lasting positive impression of South Carolina on all those attending.

No state general funds were appropriated in the budget to host the 2010 SLC meeting in South Carolina; significant private sector donations were utilized. In past years, because of its legislative role and large economic impact, host states have generally appropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to support these types of events.

Speaker Harrell said, “Because of recent budget cuts, we felt it was important to dedicate taxpayer dollars to the most core government services and independently raise the funds needed to host this event. I want to thank the many generous members of our business community for all they have done to ensure that South Carolina, and all that our state has to offer, is properly and positively displayed during this conference.”