Tourist town
continued from page 13 nomic revenue, he says, but conventions have the largest effect on the capital city.
“We draw people from outside Springfield, they stay at our hotels, eat at our restaurants, shop at our stores, and then go back home,” Oaks says. “The economic impact from a convention can be in the millions of dollars.”
Associations like the Illinois Reading Council and the Future Farmers of America hold annual conventions in Springfield, bringing members who spend their time and money around the city.
Last November, Beth Moore, a Christian writer and the founder of Living Proof Ministries, stopped in Springfield and spoke to a crowd of 8,750. She sold out every hotel room in the city, Oaks says, forcing the SCVB to send attendees to hotels in Lincoln and Taylorville. The two-day event had a $1.5 to $2 million economic impact, he adds.
Other convention center events have positively affected Springfield’s economy in the past year. The National Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association World Horseshoe Pitching Championships attracted more than 1,200 competitors and thousands more spectators during the two-week event last July and August. Similarly, the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association Championships drew 11,000 people over a two-day period in February.
The PCCC has also continued to draw large crowds to specialty events. In January, the Harlem Globetrotters set a box-office record at the convention center, and in February, a World Wrestling Entertainment show sold the third most tickets in PCCC history.
“Things have been very stable for the convention center,” Oaks says. “We’ve probably had one of our best years in a long time in terms of attendance, when you factor in conferences and ticket events.”
Oaks attributes the success to the SCVB’s marketing of Springfield as the cost-competitive state capital, as well as to the PCCC’s ability to book conventions several years in advance. The convention center is always looking for new events to fill open dates, Oaks says, but so far, its calendar is booked until May.
Playing the field
Move over Lincoln, there’s a new game in town.
In recent years, the SCVB has partnered with the Capital Area Sports Commission to promote and assist with sporting events that attract visitors to Springfield.
“The whole sports marketing and hosting business is a lot bigger business and dollar generator than I ever dreamed,” says Tim Bramlet, chairman of the 15-member volunteer commission. “We’re playing a little bit of catch-up here, but we’ve made some great strides in the past couple of years.”
The SCVB’s role is to find sporting events that fit into one of Springfield’s facilities and its schedule. In addition to the PCCC and the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the city offers soccer, baseball and tennis facilities in its parks and universities and Lake Springfield for boating events, fishing tournaments and triathlons.
Once a sporting event chooses Springfield, Bramlet and the sports commission act as a local liaison. They secure hotels, sponsorships and advertising for event hosts, who are usually headquartered elsewhere.
The sports commission recently partnered for the first time with the University of Illinois Springfield to host the Great Lakes Valley Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II conference brought more than 300 players, coaches and staff and at least $100,000 to Springfield last weekend. In addition to pre-conference preparations, the sports commission provided beverages for the teams and recruited volunteers to take tickets at the door.
