TRYON – The Town of Tryon is starting a special steering committee to prepare for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) to be held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in September 2018.

Tryon Town Council approved setting up the committee during its June meeting.

Tryon Town Manager Zach Ollis said he hopes for the committee to begin meeting this month and start discussing what the Town of Tryon needs to do to prepare for the games. The games will be held over two weeks at TIEC in 2018. Other games held in the United States have brought in 500,000 spectators over the two-week period.

Ollis said the committee will be composed of representatives from the town’s elected officials and staff, the Tryon Downtown Development Association, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Harmon Field, the Tryon Police Department, 2-3 Tryon business owners, the Polk County Community Foundation and potentially a few other at-large residents or equestrian-related individuals and organizations.

Tryon officials have discussed in the past how to capitalize on the WEG coming to the area and how to draw spectators to Tryon during their visit.