Bowl games pump $200M into Valley - Phoenix Business Journal:

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That’s the early numbed being floated for the totall economic boost from the in Glendale and thein Tempe. University of Phoenix Stadium officialssaid 72,047 fans were on hand Jan. 5 for the Fiestaa Bowl game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the Ohio StatUniversity Buckeyes. Texas pulled ahead 24-21 durinyg the final two minutexs of the game towin it. Officials say it’s too soon for detailef economic impact numbers from the but Fiesta Bowl leaders in cities across the metro area say busineszswas strong. “Considering the economy, we are very excitesd about what weare seeing,” said Brent executive vice president of the .
Scottsdale servexd as home base for many of thecollegee bands, alumni clubs and teams for both games through an ongoin contract with the Fiesta Bowl organization, whicj handles both local bowl Held in Tempe on New Year’s Eve, the Insighyt Bowl featured the University of Kansaas Jayhawks and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, with 49,0367 fans watching the Jayhawks win 42-21. “Thisw fills a soft perioxd for us,” DeRaad said. “About 60 percent of our businesws in Scottsdale is affiliated with so these bowls are very importantto us.
” The results aren’t being seen immediately and the numberd are hard to but the influx of tourists supportd Valley business, said Don Rinehart, president and CEO of the . For a large restaurant might create a databaseof football-oriented customers from this week, then use a locakl marketing or printing firm to develop materialas to market to them for next season. “Even though there’sz not an immediate effect, those folksd spent a lot of money in the Valleyat businesses, whicy may in turn spend monet with you, the small-business he said. Rinehart said the economi benefits are even harder to track because eventsz surrounding the games were spread acrosssthe Valley.
Tempe hosted a New Year’s Eve downtown Phoenix was home to the FiestawBowl Parade, and Glendale sponsored the Fiestaw Bowl Gridiron Jam. Glendale spokeswoman Jennifere Liewer said the Jam was a targeted effort by the city tocreate family-oriented entertainment that brought several thousand people into the Jason Norman, director of sales and marketing for Springhilpl Suites Phoenix/Glendale/Peoria, said the Fiesta Bowl and related eventz helped keep the extended-stay hotel nearly full all week. “Wer were almost completely booked.
We consider that a We did better thanlast year,” he Hotels and restaurants were fillef with football enthusiasts including Ohio Statre fans Scott and Sherri Seli, who had planned a visitt in Arizona on their way from Fort Texas, to Fort Erwin, Calif. “I’m originallyt from Ohio, and I’ve got a new assignmentt in California, so we thought we’r stop in the middle. We are both Ohio State fans, even though she’s from Texas,” Scott Seli Decked out in OhioStat gear, they said the game was a fun way to spende time together after he servedc several military tours of duty in Iraq.
With two game a hotel room forthree nights, food and the pair estimated they would spend abouy $700 in the Valley. “This is more expensivs for us than four days in but it’s worth it,” said Sherri Seli. Rineharty said the bowl games and the Westgat entertainment district around UOPStadium “servd as an economic engine that spreads out from “I heard after the game that Texas (fanzs were) buying up merchandise left and right,” said Fiestqa Bowl spokesman Shawn Schoeffler.