Visitors attending meetings, reunions, events and/or sporting events in the Augusta area will generate at least $664,095.60 in Direct Visitor Spending over the month of January.

The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and the Augusta Sports Council (ASC) are pleased to announce the following meetings, reunions, and events arriving in Augusta. Although these groups are meeting this month, the ACVB As the official Destination Marketing Organization for Augusta, and the ASC have worked over the last several months to help these events select Augusta and have a positive experience while here. 

The groups listed below represent just a portion of the groups in Augusta this month.

For the Month of January:

Club Car 2012 International Sales Conference
January 8-13
Attendees: 175
Visitor Spending: $242,086.60

National Association of Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club
2012 Soldier Ride
January 13-15
Attendance: 250
Visitor Spending: $126,350.00

2012 Dasani Mayor's Cup Junior Championships
January 14-16
Attendance: 300
Visitor Spending: $240,065.00

First Assembly of God 2012 Point Hope from Alaska Ministries
January 19-21
Attendance: 100
Visitor Spending: $25.270.00

2012 Georgia Coroners Association Training Symposium
January 21-28
Attendance: 49
Visitor Spending: $30,324

On Thursday, December 8, the Augusta Sports Council presented the 2011 Ray Guy Award for College Punter of the Year to Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Allen. The award was presented during The Home Depot College Football Awards. The Bulldog sophomore beat out Auburn’s Steven Clark, and Jackson Rice of Oregon to take the honor.

The award caps a remarkable year for Allen, a junior from Salem, Ore. He helped lead his team to the 2011 WAC Championship, with a 41.95 net average and 37 punts inside the 20-yard line. He ranked #1 in the country in punts inside the 20 and had only 33% of his punts returned. Allen averaged 47 or more yards per punt in two games, including four 50+ yarders at Nevada. His 72-yard punt at Mississippi State is the fourth in school history, and this year five of his punts rank in the top 10 in school history. Louisiana Tech’s 2011 season will end on December 21 when the Bulldogs take on No. 15 TCU in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

Ray Guy Award
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national voting body of sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the
winner are net punting average, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success.

Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC), a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing the Augusta area as a destination for amateur sporting events, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2011. The ASC attracts, creates and supports dozens of sporting events and activities each year, generating a positive economic impact and enhancing the quality of life for residents of the greater Augusta community. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.

National College Football Awards Association
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.ncfaa.org.