Mark Hopper, chair of the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, was on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the local economic impact of hosting dance competitions at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

With nine weekends of national dance competitions scheduled this year, crowds of 1,800 to 2,700 per event are expected to converge on McGregor Hall and Vance County, according to Hopper.

“These are Friday afternoon through Sunday evening stays that involve a traveling team and their family members in much the same way as traveling athletic teams,” said Hopper.

Ultimately, this weekend of travel means the dancers, their family members and friends support the local economy by purchasing hotel accommodations, meals, gas, entertainment and more.

“We had one of the dance competitions a couple of weeks ago and two hotels in town were completely full because of the competition,” Hopper said. “We’ve heard anecdotal stories of downtown restaurants that literally ran out of food on that Saturday night because they had so much business.”

Such an economic impact is just what McGregor Hall’s forefathers hoped for when planning the venue.

“The primary mission of McGregor Hall is one of economic redevelopment. Part of Sam Watkins’ dream was to improve life in the community by bringing people in to spend money in Vance County, particularly in downtown Henderson,” Hopper explained.

The second part of that mission, to provide an outlet for young people to practice their art on stage while also providing entertainment for the community is the “vehicle that drives the economic redevelopment vision.”

Hopper said the affordable rental fees coupled with the personal service provided by McGregor Hall staff, and the Henderson business community as a whole, are a major part of the reason the venue has gone from booking two dance competitions last year to nine this year.

“Matt Nowell, the technical director and point person for rental events at McGregor Hall, knows how to make people feel welcome. He’s a hometown boy and he’s exactly what we want as far as encouraging our best and brightest to stay here to contribute to make Vance County a better place.

When people come in and they get treated well and pay less, then naturally we’re going to get a lot of business.”

Hopper also had high praise for the work Pam Hester, director for the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, has done and continues to do to support the community and McGregor Hall.

“Pam has been a fantastic friend to us and has worked diligently as a partner in everything we’re doing.”

Phil Lakernick, a former director of downtown development, and dance studio Ballet Arts were also mentioned as being “instrumental” in making McGregor Hall a contender in the dance competition game.

“Phil has been an indispensable partner to us since the day we opened and was very influential in helping us get the nine companies lined up for these events.”

Community partners working together to network and make economic opportunities like this a reality demonstrate that Vance County is committed to revitalization, according to Hopper.

“We truly are all in this together: from businesses, to tourism, to government, to volunteers; we are committed to this dream.”

To hear the Town Talk interview with Mark Hopper in its entirety, click here.