Kathleen Cartland Doing Her Part to Promote Charleston
Metro Sports Council Executive Director Unites Love For Athletics And Lowcountry
By Jeff Walker, Entertainment Writer (Posted Spring '09)
Kathleen Cartland
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Outside sports and tourism circles the name Kathleen Cartland may not be easily recognizable. But for over a decade the Executive Director of the Charleston Metro Sports Council has been helping promote the greater Charleston area as both a vacation destination and more importantly as a premier sports tournament destination. Working silently behind the scenes she has been instrumental in bringing events such as the Family Circle Cup and several Southern Conference Tournaments to the low county. It goes without saying that all of her efforts have helped pump millions of dollars into the local economy.
A self proclaimed sports enthusiast, Cartland correlates her job with that of a team player. “I’m kind of a go to person. Usually I’m the first point of contact between a group or organization that has an initial idea and all the other outside groups that will later become involved.” After ten years Cartland admits she has become well connected. “I guess you could say I’m well networked. If someone were to call be about underwater hockey or a fishing tournament, I’d know who to contact almost right away.”
Cartland grew up in North Carolina and found her way to Charleston in 1985 after graduating from UNC Greensboro with a degree in business administration. “I followed some girlfriends of mine who had nursing degrees and had found work in Charleston. Me, I had my marketing degree, which meant I was qualified to sell just about anything, so I though Charleston would be a perfect place to do that. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Charleston. The weather is great year round, and that allows me to enjoy bike riding and other outdoor activities.”
After cutting her teeth with the Charleston Recreation Department and Junior Achievement, Cartland found her niche with the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce in 1994. “Been here going on fifteen years now. After five years with the Chamber we branched out and started the Metro Sports Council.”
Cartland says her role as Executive Director is twofold. “My primary goal is to promote Charleston as a sports destination community. But I work closely with the other branches of the CACVB to bring in the vacation and tourism aspects of Charleston. So attendees see it for more than just a sports trip. Maybe they’ll want to spend a few days here with family and friends on vacation as well. Both goals work in conjunction to promote Charleston overall.
Although Cartland is open to all ideas, she says there are certain criteria that must be met before she comes involved. “Basically there are four elements that I measure before I get the ball rolling. First and foremost there has to be a venue, an arena or sports complex that is suitable enough and of course available. Secondly I prefer a local team or teams to participate and act as local hosts. The third thing I look at is if we can tie in local sponsors. And last but certainly not least, do we have the fan base to pull it off. If there’s no local interest it wouldn’t be as attractive to put it all together.’
Cartland has built a solid resume when it comes to attracting sporting events to Charleston. She was one of few that helped facilitate the Family Circle Cup move from Hilton Head to Charleston. “It was all very hush, hush in the beginning. I remember I received a call from representatives with the Family Circle Cup and initially I was thinking they wanted us to help them promote the tournament from Charleston. Little did I know they were looking to move the tournament entirely, and that we were on the list.’
According to Cartland Charleston and Daniel Island had to move quick to secure the Family Circle Cup. “I knew they were developing Daniel Island at a steady pace and that they had a tennis facility on the drawing board. But when the tennis tournament presented itself we knew we had to alter the existing plan and go in another direction. Trust me a lot of preparation and long hard work went into getting the complex ready for in debut in 2001.”
Ever since she joined the Charleston Chamber Cartland admits her days are sometimes long, but she did find time to earn her masters degree from the Citadel in 1997. “I felt it was important in the type of work I was doing and the direction I saw myself going in. Now, I consider myself blessed to have degrees from two SoCon schools, Greensboro and the Citadel.”
Her admiration for the Southern Conference may have played a small factor in her efforts to bring the Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments to Charleston. “The baseball tournament has been coming to Charleston on a regular basis, first at College Park and now at Joe Riley Stadium. After the College of Charleston joined the Southern Conference in 1998 it seemed only natural for Charleston to host the basketball tournament. The college had been making a name for themselves for quite some time, so they had strong fan base. And of course it didn’t hurt that we now had two representatives in the conference from the same city.”
Cartland’s interests and involvement cover more than just professional and college sports. “In my office we look at everything. We’ll work with local recreational departments, area schools and individual groups to bring various sporting events to Charleston. Another barometer for me is, if the event can fill 100 hotel rooms or more in the area. That’s a good indication it will be successful, not only for the event but for the local economy.”
Dedication and long term planning are the keys to success for Cartland. “Very rarely are we planning an event last minute. There have been times we’ve pulled it off, but most of the time we are scheduling an event one, two, maybe three years down the road. That gives us the time we need to get everyone else on board. That gives us time to line up sponsors, arrange accommodations, and work on the marketing aspect of the event.”
Occasionally Cartland says she has to travel in her job. “Most times I can do what I do from Charleston, spending a lot of time on the phone, visiting local businesses, and sending emails. However, on rare occasions I’ll go to conventions and trade shows. Usually I’ll have a booth with a picture of Charleston behind me. I’m out there trying to do what the rest are doing, and that is to sell people on the idea of bringing their sporting event to our city and maybe consider Charleston as a vacation spot as well.”
You may not recognize her on the street, but her constant commitment to help bring sporting tournaments and events to Charleston makes Cartland a lowcountry leader. “Some days are more hectic than others, put at the end of the day I love what I do. I love sports, especially team sports and I love Charleston. Whenever I can help bring the two together I feel like I’ve done my job.” Thank you Kathleen Cartland for doing your job, and doing it well.
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