Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Roanoke scores U.S. Challenge
About 70 teams from major U.S. corporations are slated to take part, and area economic development professionals relish the national exposure.
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When a polished promotional video for a unique national corporate competitive event describes the Roanoke Valley as "one of the world's most stunning locations," the soundtrack plays like sweet music to area economic developers and government officials.
It was the prospect of this type of tune that persuaded the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership and several local governments to pledge $60,000 to help lure to the Roanoke Valley the second annual U.S. Challenge.
Dave Kjolhede, executive director of the convention and visitors bureau, said the event offers unprecedented opportunities to introduce corporate officials from Fortune 500 companies to the lifestyle amenities and business climate of the Roanoke Valley.
"We all believe that if people come see this place, they're going to like it," said Kjolhede. "I think the real benefit to our area in this will be the publicity. It certainly does tremendous things in terms of putting us on the map."
Like the video, a full-page ad in the Feb. 20 issue of Fortune magazine aims to lure corporate executives to enter teams in this year's U.S. Challenge, scheduled to play out in the Roanoke Valley Oct. 19-21. Organized by London-based Challenger World and presented by Fortune, the U.S. Challenge pairs athletic and outdoor competition with tests of strategic thinking and teamwork.
Andrew Finan, managing director of Challenger World, said he anticipates participants in this year's competition will include about 70 five-person teams from companies such as Dell, Cisco Systems, Volvo and Accenture. He said the value of pre-event promotion, including ads in Fortune and Delta Sky, should total more than $750,000. And, ultimately, viewers in 100 countries will have access via cable TV to a 30-minute show shot during the competition.
The city many regard as Roanoke's sexier cousin to the south, Asheville, N.C., hosted the first U.S. Challenge. Angela Norris, public relations manager for the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the event provided exciting exposure for the Asheville region. Still, she said, the event hasn't resulted in economic development officials there landing a new employer.
Why Roanoke for 2006?
Finan said Challenger World had to scramble late last year after he rejected a city that had been tentatively selected to host the challenge.
"I had a venue set up, an arrangement with another city, and I didn't like what I saw," he said. "It didn't have the aesthetic beauty we look for."
Ultimately, Elizabeth Sarrett, an Asheville-based planner for HelmsBriscoe, a site selection consulting firm, played matchmaker. Sarrett, who attended Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, was a volunteer for the Asheville event and has a background in outdoor education. A list she provided to Challenger World cited Roanoke as one of four possible venues. Charlottesville also made the list.
"They all bid," Finan said. "They all wanted it."
Challenger World's site selection process examines area accommodations, accessibility by air, the potential for local partnerships and also highly values aesthetic beauty and a variety of challenging terrain and waterways.
"We want the teams to have a great time and we want the competition to look good on television," he said.
Finan visited Roanoke in late November. The region's assets and its competitive bid won out.
As a result, teams from major corporations will arrive in Roanoke by Oct. 19. They will enter competitions that will test their physical abilities but also emphasize working as a team to develop strategies to meet intellectual challenges.
"Team members have to have a reasonable level of fitness," said Finan, and could end up in kayaks or astride mountain bikes or cinched into climbing belts. "But the events are also highly strategic. It's a bit like a fusion of adventure sports and a game like chess. Your body serves like an engine to move your brain around."
Course designers will arrive in Roanoke in April to begin planning what events participants will face in October, he said.
"Teams from all over the U.S. will converge in Roanoke and go head to head," he said.
Some teams will be competitors in the business world too, he said, but in the U.S. Challenge "they see the whites of each other's eyes."
The team entry fee is $8,800, a price that includes food and accommodations. Finan said the challenge would welcome teams from companies in the region.
"The way the companies measure the value of their participation is the productivity they get out of these people for the rest of the year," he said.
