West Virginia capital popular faith-based convention site

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

West Virginia’s capital has become a popular site for faith-based conventions, hosting 16 events this year.

The gatherings include three conventions scheduled this month. The Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the total economic impact is $11 million.

“At some point in the past, the CVB decided that faith-based business was a business to go after,” President and CEO Alisa Bailey told the Charleston Daily Mail. “And it was a good idea.”

Bailey credits Todd Morris, a convention sales manager and associate pastor at Abney Street Church of God in St. Albans. Morris focuses on faith-based events and the military.

Morris said Charleston is an attractive convention site because of its size, low crime rate and easy access to amenities. Downtown hotels are within walking distance of the Civic Center and the Town Center mall. Yeager Airport is a five-minute drive from downtown.

All downtown hotels offer a free shuttle service to and from the airport, which also makes Charleston attractive to convention planners. In other cities, convention attendees might pay $40 for a taxi ride to the convention center from the airport, Morris said.

Free events and friendly residents help retain conventions once they are held in Charleston, Bailey said.