Club Sport National Tournament: Economic Impact of a Small Event on a Mid-Size Community

Abstract

Recreational sporting events are big business and cities throughout the United States are competing fiercely to host events (Saayman, & Saayman, & du Plessis, 2005). March (1984) suggested that the reason why smaller sporting events have received relatively little attention is because it is assumed that they are economically less significant. The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic impact of hosting a club sport national tournament on a midsize community. The current study estimates the economic impact of hosting the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II National Championship. The survey consisted of 105 questionnaires that were completed during the three day tournament of which all 105 were used. The findings of the survey indicated that hosting a national tournament can have a positive effect on the local economy. It was estimated that nearly $2 million of new money may have been injected into the community of Fort Collins, Colorado. This research provides midsize cities with information to justify hosting one-time events and working favorably with the community university.

Estimating the Economic Impacts of a Small-Scale Sport Tourism Event: The Case of the Italo-Swiss Mountain Trail CollonTrek

“…These studies often focus their attention on mega events-i.e., the Olympic Games [29,30]-or the so-called "hallmark" events-i.e., the Super Bowl [31]-paying attention also to the social impacts of the events [32]. Other authors, however, turn their attention to the smallmedium dimension events [2,23,33], starting from the assumption that the so-called small events (the afore-mentioned category E) may have more positive repercussions on the host community than the mega ones [34,35]. Furthermore, some studies underline that a small-scale sport tourism event can be a viable form of sustainable tourism for a local community [36,37].…”

Peer-to-Peer Accommodation Networks

“…Events raise awareness for a destination and give people a reason to visit (Veltri et al, 2009). One of the most striking examples is the Burning Man festival, an event bringing more than 60,000 people to the middle of the desert, a place they would otherwise not have visited.…”

Essays in event leverage: the strategic use of event leverage in host destinations

“…A universal definition of small-scale event is not available. However, several authors have used varying metrics or descriptors in an attempt to categorise small-scale events Gibson, Willming, & Holdnak, 2003;Gratton, Dobson, & Shibli, 2000;Veltri, Miller, & Harris, 2009). Small-scale events have teams that are made up of a small core of paid event practitioners.…”

“…The meagre event budgets of small-scale events make them reliant on sponsorship, advertising, grants, and other forms of income to sustain the operations. Small-scale events are usually held in small to medium sized locales (so more local or regional communities) and are said to provide proportionately greater economic benefit than if they were held in a larger city (Veltri et al, 2009). Gibson et al, 2012 in agreeing with Wilson (2006), they note that small-scale events generate little media interest nationally and perhaps even less globally, often held annually, with relatively small spectator and/or competitor numbers.…”

“…Notwithstanding, small-scale events play a significant role in generating economic activity for the local community and costs are kept low as local facilities are utilised . Small-scale events can deliver social benefits of improving the quality of life (Walo et al, 1996) and increased community spirit and pride (Horne, 2000;Veltri et al, 2009;. Finally, small-scale events provide a useful opportunity for training in event hosting, thus developing the competence to host major events in the future (cf.…”