Great Lakes Grand Prix Once Again Injects Millions into Local Economy
Michigan City, Indiana (Sept. 7, 2011) – For the third year in a row, the Great Lakes Grand Prix offshore powerboat race, hosted by the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau and sanctioned by Super Boat International, injected several million dollars into the local LaPorte County economy.
According to Jack Arnett, Executive Director of the CVB, the combined economic impact from all race related events- held the week of Aug. 3-7 – was over $7 million, up a bit over the $5.3 million recorded in 2010 during the second annual event.
The economic impact of the event was drawn from the nearly 125,000 people who attended the event, which began on Tuesday and lasted through Sunday. The event’s largest crowds – estimated through trained crowd counts and numbers provided by shuttle bus officials – came on Saturday during the downtown boat parade, block party/Taste Of Michigan City, and activities at Washington Park, as well as crowds on Sunday, during the race.
The CVB also utilized hotel occupancy numbers to estimate crowds. Some 45,000 people were estimated to have attended Saturday activities and an additional 80,000 were estimated to have packed Washington Park Beach on Sunday for the race.
“We’re very happy with the way the numbers turned out,” said Arnett. “This event has blown up in just three short years and turned into something that provides great, positive notoriety to Michigan City and LaPorte County, as well as a really great fiscal shot in the arm.”
Economic impact for this year’s race was derived by applying crowd estimates to direct spending formulas provided by the company Certec Inc., as well as the National Association of Sports Commissions.
For more information please contact Arnett or Race Director Jason Miller at 219.872.5055 or at Jason@michigancitylaporte.com.
