TRYON – The Tryon Tourism Development Authority (TTDA) and Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) held an information session on the upcoming World Equestrian Games (WEG) planned for TIEC in 2018 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Sharon Decker, chief operations officer of Tryon Equestrian Partners, was the guest speaker and she answered audience questions following her presentation.

A temporary stadium designed to hold 20,000 people is in the process of being built on the derby field at the TIEC, according to Decker. She added that the current 5,000-seat stadium could be expanded to hold 12,000 people but said these games would bring in more than that.

The WEG will include eight disciplines ranging from dressage and para-equestrian dressage to cross country events, according to Decker. Although admission to the TIEC is free, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) plans to charge for general admission to the WEG and Decker said ticketing packages would be available in January at tryon2018.com, the website set up for the WEG.

She added people are getting ready for the games primarily online by looking at hotels and amenities offered in the area.

Hiring employees for the WEG will begin during the middle of next year, according to Decker, and building on their competitive site at the Arnold Palmer golf course is nearly complete.

On mass transit

Attendee Richard Ruben asked Decker about what she meant by mass transit in her presentation and asked if bus stops are going to be set up so that individuals going to the games can enjoy the towns along the way.

Decker said flexibility is part of the planning and the center is looking at places like the baseball stadium in Forest City with large lots to accommodate groups of cars.

The center will utilize the transportation systems in Polk and Spartanburg Counties, according to Decker. The center also needed to prove to the FEI how many hotel rooms are available for accommodations in the area.

On the I-26/U.S. 74 interchange

Ron Pankey asked Decker what is happening with the surveyors working on the U.S. 74/I-26 interchange. Decker answered that TIEC is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to speed up their plans to add future ramps to connect U.S. 74 and I-26.

On volunteers and volunteer parking

A volunteer form is available online at tryon2018.com, according to Decker. She added a new volunteer coordinator for parking would be hired next year and young volunteers as well as multilingual volunteers are needed for the games.

Decker said nonprofits have come together in the past that have offered parking areas for volunteers. Limited parking would be available at the center in general.

On bringing locals in to the games

Dan McFerrin asked Decker about how the center plans to bring in more people from the region, adding 70 percent of attendees at the Kentucky WEG in 2010 came from out of the country.

Decker said the center wants to “explode regional interest.” The reason the center chose to announce the WEG in Charlotte rather than at TIEC, according to Decker, was because the center wanted to get some “visibility in that market.”

On bringing children to the games

Decker said the games are being held in September and bringing kids from schools presents “a different view of the world.” She said schools could integrate going to the games into their curriculum.

On security during the WEG

Due to “the international nature of the event,” Decker said “public safety plan conversations” have begun between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office about issues ranging from public safety on property to air safety.

The TIEC is working on a budget with the FEI for security and this does not need public support, according to Decker. The center will ask the state for funds at their next legislative session to include in their budget for items like public parking, and Decker said the center has very little public money in the budget.

On how to highlight Tryon

Jeff Byrd asked if a Tryon sign could be placed on Pea Ridge Road near TIEC next to U.S. 74 to bring people to the town. He said he had been driving around with people from Florida and the two signs currently standing on U.S. 74 are directional signs for Charlotte and Columbus.

Decker said the NCDOT has rules about how close the attraction is to a town and the sizes of signs that are placed next to the highway. She said the center needs the same thing at the intersection of I-26 and U.S. 74 because signs for Tryon and Columbus are the only signs that currently exist. She explained the attraction signs cannot be placed at the intersections of four-lane highways.

On having better Wi-Fi accessibility for the WEG

Decker said TIEC is working on trying to increase visibility along U.S. 74 in terms of Wi-Fi accessibility. Marche Pittman, Polk County manager, said a broadband survey is being worked on for providers to pinpoint areas of high concentrations of potential users. The survey is to be released in the coming months.

When it comes to the WEG, Decker said a “bump up” in Wi-Fi accessibility has to happen if TIEC is going to live-stream the games and said issues with the Wi-Fi in the county is not just affecting the center but small businesses and entrepreneurs as well.