Mandy Pitts Hildebrand, CEO, Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau

In an interview with Invest:, Mandy Pitts Hildebrand, CEO of the Hickory Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, talked about how the tourism authority is working to attract more visitors to Hickory. She also described the new branding strategy the organization is working on to showcase what Hickory is and the many tourism opportunities it has to offer.

What were the most important accomplishments of the Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau in the past year?

A lot of our leaders in the 1980s knew that the meeting industry was growing and noticed that Hickory’s location on I-40 and U.S. 321 and close to I-77 and I-85 made it perfect for a convention center. That center opened in 1997, and we recently completed its fourth expansion. That will be paid through the occupancy tax and event revenue. Our board has been focused on the $18 million renovation and expansion of the convention center. We had a ribbon-cutting for that on Nov. 25 in 2024 and will host the first Visit North Carolina conference held in Hickory in April 2025.

A recent news article compared the Hickory Metro Convention Center to major landmarks like the Panther Stadium or Grandfather Mountain because it is a destination itself. If we bring people for meetings and events, they will spend the night in hotels, eat at local restaurants, shop in our stores and explore our community. When the convention center was built, there was one hotel on the block, whereas there are now six, another one on the way, and more hotels across the street. The latest addition to the center is a sports complex that has four basketball courts, eight volleyball courts, and 12 pickleball courts. The space can also be used to host expos or concerts if the floor is covered, so we have 132,000 square feet of rentable space. 

How does Hickory’s thriving furniture manufacturing sector shape the local tourism landscape?

Furniture is what Hickory is known for. We have a lot of furniture manufacturers and outlets in our community, with the Hickory Furniture Mart being a destination on its own. The Hickory Furniture Mart attracts people across the country and world. The mart is open to the public and there is furniture for any style at the mart.

What kind of experiences are tourists looking for when they visit the metro Hickory area?

Sports tourism has grown quite a bit, especially on Lake Hickory and Lake Norman. We have attracted more fishing tournaments because we have great places to fish. Lake Hickory has become the location for bass anglers to hold tournaments. We will need to rebuild the marina because a storm tore it up. Nevertheless, we can expect to have more visitors renting out kayaks and paddle boards there soon. 

Our community, county, and city are working on more ways to have public access to our lakes, including the new Riverwalk along Lake Hickory. We also aim to work closely with the city of Hickory and with public-private partnerships to promote our tourism industry. We are fortunate to have all sorts of entrepreneurs as well as a city and citizenry that want to invest in infrastructure, from sidewalks to walks along the river to our Aviation Walk. Lake Hickory is important for sports tourism but also for leisure, and that will grow in the future. Many visitors are potential residents as more people in every age group are moving here because the Hickory metro is great for young adults to raise a family or for older people to retire. 

What partnerships has the CVB developed to promote Hickory as a tourism destination?

We have great parks, including Mountain Creek Park, which is close to Charlotte. Our county has invested in these parks because they are important to both residents and visitors. Those parks bring visitors and attract businesses. Additionally, people will not want to move here unless there is something to do, so our municipalities and our county are working on park infrastructure trails, such as Blue Trails in the water. We are also working with The Carolina Thread Trail that runs through Charlotte.

We aim to promote what our community has, which is easy because we have so much going on. The region’s investments in the community have attracted entrepreneurs to the point that our culinary scene is exploding. We have everything from sushi to steak, biscuits, barbecue, Tex-Mex, farm-to-table, and high-end dining. Several restaurants have flourished because of the infrastructure that the city and the county have put in.

What is the importance of Hickory’s arts and culture offering to engage the community and attract visitors?

Our arts and culture scene is phenomenal. Arts and culture are something that residents want, but that also attract a lot of regional visitors. We have two major theatres: Hickory Community Theatre and The Green Room Community Theatre. We also have one of the best symphonies in the Western Piedmont Supply, the Hickory Museum of Art, which is the second oldest art museum in North Carolina, and our Science Center that is around 50 years old. Our role in the tourism industry is to market to people from outside our region. 

What types of experiences can visitors expect when they decide to visit Hickory?

There are all kinds of sports, arts, culture, and food. There is something for everyone in Hickory. We have a very inclusive area, including everything from charming downtowns to boutique and furniture shopping and outdoor events in the amphitheaters across the county. When people come here for business meetings, they often want to know what there is to do at night. We have many restaurants from farm-to-table to distilleries and wineries and local places. 

If people want to ride a bicycle or hike, our mountain trails are amazing. We also have various sporting events for families. Hickory FC is our first professional soccer team, but we also have the Hickory Crawdads, a minor league baseball team, the Hickory Motor Speedway, The Science Center and art museum are also kid-friendly. We also have a historic bridge and historic museums. You can also see a concert thanks to our concert venues. 

What technologies is the organization implementing to market Hickory as a tourism destination?

Our Google Analytics numbers continue to increase tremendously. We look at our media analytics to track our growing audience. Welcome centers and visitor centers are important, but social media has become our main welcome center. If you keep up with the social media of Visit Hickory, you can find out about everything that’s happening in our community.

What initiatives does the Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau have in place to attract more visitors?

We updated our strategic plan. As the tourism development authority, we oversee the convention center but also work to attract visitors. Our goal as an organization is to roll out a new brand. We have never had a visitor brand like Charlotte’s “Charlotte’s got a lot” tag. We have a new fun, cheeky, and different brand that is rolling out in 2025. The goal moving forward is to let visitors know who we are now.