CVB Director Chuck Jones, along with The Classic Center's Executive Director Paul Cramer and Sales Director Maureen Baker, recently returned from the Religious Conference Management Association's (RCMA) annual conference, held in Tampa
January 25 - 28.  Representing over 800 diverse religious organizations, RCMA members are responsible for planning 14,000 conventions, meetings, assemblies, retreats and cruises which annually attract more than 11 million participants.  The CVB/Classic Center booth generated 110 leads and 25 RFPs.  Chuck Jones remarks, "We were very gratified at the warm response we received from these religious meeting planners.  Athens is well-suited to host large religious groups, as we've proven with the North Georgia Methodist Conference, and we're a more viable choice with the planned Classic Center expansion.  It's a strong potential growth market for us, and we intend to work and nurture these new contacts and  leads to bring new business to Athens."