Buffalo�s reputation for hosting successful athletic events received another boost with the news that the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, in cooperation with HSBC Arena, Canisius College, Niagara University, and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, submitted another winning bid for the 2007 NCAA Division I Men�s Basketball first and second rounds.

�We�re thrilled that the NCAA has once again selected Buffalo to host this prestigious event,� said Richard Geiger, President, Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau. �All of the planning and hard work that went into hosting this year�s tournament obviously paid off.�

�The CVB aggressively pursued the first and second rounds of the tournament, because those events attract a greater number of participants and spectators which means more visitors and a greater economic impact for our region,� added Geiger.

The 2004 NCAA Division I Men�s Basketball first and second rounds, which were held in Buffalo�s HSBC Arena in March of this year, attracted 12,000 out-of-town participants and spectators, accounted for 1,300 hotel room night bookings, and a $3.5 million impact on the local economy.

�The NCAA�s selection of Buffalo to host this event for the third time, in addition to the Frozen Four, validates and solidifies the CVB�s dedication to marketing amateur athletics,� said David Hart, President, Hart Hotels and Chairman, Board of Directors, BNCVB. The Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the marketing leader of the Buffalo Niagara hospitality industry, promotes our region worldwide as a convention, amateur athletics, tourism, leisure, cultural tourism and business destination for the economic benefit of the community.

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Media Contact: Nancy Vargo +1 716-852-0511 nvargo@buffalocvb.org