Memphis vs Tennessee Game Economic Effect on Downtown

[ponderjb]

What kind of economic impact do you guys thik that the Tigers vs Vols game will have on downtown Memphis? I think that it will not only have a positive economic impact on downtown this weekend, but all of this attention on Memphis will have benifits for a couple of months if not years to come. What are your thoughts?

[Rural King]

I think it will create a rather large increase in the overall business in downtown over the weekend , but will have a minimal long term impact as the level of this event is primarily just a pumped up regional/in-state event. However, I think you may be right in that if visitors from outside immediate region have a good experience in downtown over the weekend they may come back in a couple of months when it warms up for weekend trips, etc.

[111wall]

Come on, this is not like having the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards, it's just a game between two great teams. As with any sold-out event, people will spend money over the week-end, but this game alone is not going to produce long-term benefits for months or years to come.

What kind of economic impact do you guys thik that the Tigers vs Vols game will have on downtown Memphis? I think that it will not only have a positive economic impact on downtown this weekend, but all of this attention on Memphis will have benifits for a couple of months if not years to come. What are your thoughts?

[Clobber]

Come on, this is not like having the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards, it's just a game between two great teams. As with any sold-out event, people will spend money over the week-end, but this game alone is not going to produce long-term benefits for months or years to come.

[Memphis77]

As big of a game it is, the economical impact won't be that much noticed. There are very few Vol fans that can actually attend the game. Some of them that made the trip plan on watching around town at watch parties but nothing major. I would bet that the out of state and overseas visitors who go to Memphis basically to see Graceland would outnumber the Vol visitors this weekend. I don't live in Memphis, but 95% of the fans shown on tv and around the city are draped in blue and not orange. That should tell you right there that there's not much out of towners there.

[111wall]

There is absolutely no need for a retractable roof football facility downtown unless Memphis has an NFL team to play in it. An NFL team is simply not in the cards for Memphis.

I just don't see that much national and global hype for the city and state from this single basketball game. I think many locals, and die-hard sports fanatics are just a bit caught up in the frenzy.

The super bowl is distinct, b/c it's a football stadium event that draws more visitors than seats. But... it does raise a point about the need for a retractable roof football facility downtown.

Anyway, I think w/ respect to this game, there are a few things to ponder: 1) how many visitors to the city will this event draw? Whether they're from Nashville, Knoxville or Tokyo, if they're not from Memphis, they're a plus. So even if it's not the Academy Awards or even a Tyson fight, that's a huge plus if we get regional visitors; 2) how many downtown visitors from the outskirts of the city and region will be around to experience the atmosphere? Those are eyes and hearts that will be affected and hopefully very positively from their encounter, and seek to return; and with their proximity to downtown and the city, they will hopefully be more likely and able to return often than someone from LA; 3) the free publicity nationally and globally this game will give to the city and downtown. All of the hype around this game and attention to how much tickets are going for highlights a number of positives about the city -- from the celebrities with local ties, quality of basketball talent, and quality of professionals (i.e. Jimmy Sexton) who make Memphis their home and can afford the asking price of tickets.

This is just one game, but hopefully it's part of a trend that annually emerges in Memphis -- a high-profile game or two that draws attention to a great city.

[Memphis77]

There is absolutely no need for a retractable roof football facility downtown unless Memphis has an NFL team to play in it. An NFL team is simply not in the cards for Memphis.

I just don't see that much national and global hype for the city and state from this single basketball game. I think many locals, and die-hard sports fanatics are just a bit caught up in the frenzy.

[Hankster]

Apparently you haven't been watching ESPN, ABC, CBS, Top story in USA Today's sports section, and other news networks that have hyped this game more than the Ali/Frazier fight. A list of who's who will be in attendance. Graceland changed it's bulbs to blue just for this main event. Oh no. It along with the fact that it's in MEMPHIS isn't getting very much media attention at all.

[jmduke]

I think of the game and its economic impact as an added bonus. There are events in this city the tourism & hospitality people can plan on such as the Liberty Bowl, COGIC convention, St. Jude gold classic, the RMK Indoor tennis tournament, C-USA basketball tournament (most years), and so on. There usually isn't much going on in late February, so when this game was announced on the schedule last year, I'm sure many downtown hotels/restaurants were pleased to know they'd get a little bump in a normally slow period. As the season progressed and the matchup improved, they probably became ecstatic and the added national publicity didn't hurt either. Either way, it's a nice temporary bump in business, maybe a few good first impressions were made, and it shows what Memphis can do on a national stage.

[memp600]

This game had a huge economic impact. I got there early than usual and my usual parking spot was already sold out. People spent all day downtown. I was at the game and it was amazing. I'm a Memphis fan and give big props to UT for winning in that kind of atmosphere. Even if you did not have tickets tons of people headed downtown to take in the activities. Lots of bars on Beale St. were packed shoulder to shoulder with people. We tried to get into some of the bars after the game but we gave up after five tries.