Sports & Events Authority's TOP20 Clients to attract 370,000 visitors and generate $124 million for the local economy in 2017. 

Harrisburg, PA (May 10, 2017) – Local tourism officials today issued a comprehensive report on the impact of the Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority's (HHSE) TOP20 Clients for 2017.

Today’s report includes both new business secured for 2017 and annual or long-term clients. The list reveals the largest sports tournaments and special events in the Hershey Harrisburg Region in 2017 will attract approximately 370,000 visitors, support nearly 27,000 jobs and generate $124 million for the regional economy.

To determine the economic impact of each event, HHSE uses the Event Impact Calculator program developed by Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) and Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. The program uses localized tax rates and additional personalized data sources to calculate a variety of statistical information beyond the overall direct and indirect economic impact of a particular client event. It can estimate federal, state and local taxes generated, and the number of local jobs supported by each event.

“So many us know what it's like to dedicate time and money to travel for our children's sports tournaments, or to mark the calendar for a road trip to attend a special event," says HHSE Executive Director Gregg Cook.

"We build this report to remind the local community that hundreds of thousands of people are doing those same things each year with the Hershey Harrisburg Region locked into their GPS. People outside of the tourism industry may not think about how gas money, meal tabs and hotel bills add up to impact the economy they're visiting, so it's important for us to remind our community that the work we're doing to attract large scale sports & events business has a tremendous impact on our area."

HHSE is a division of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB). This report does not include the millions of dollars in economic impact made possible through the efforts of HHRVB's International, Meetings & Conventions and Groups & Tours sales teams.

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MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Mary Smith, President & CEO of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau is available for media interviews regarding the contents of this news release. (*HHSE Executive Director Gregg Cook is in Colorado Springs on a Sales Mission this week.) Please try to make interview requests at least 12-hours in advance. The bureau will make every effort to accommodate all interview requests. Contact HHSE Marketing & Communications Manager Allison Rohrbaugh at Allison@hhsportsandevents.com or cell 717-580-9396.

 

REPORT

TOP20 CLIENTS 2017
Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority


SOURCE
The official source of the results in this report must be attributed to The Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority (HHSE). HHSE is committed to promoting sports tourism and events initiatives in the Hershey Harrisburg Region, forging mutually beneficial partnerships with new and existing clients, supporting locally produced events to expand audiences, and driving economic development as it relates to sports and events tourism. HHSE is a division of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB). HHRVB serves as the official non-profit partnership-based Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Dauphin and Perry Counties located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Questions related to the contents of this report should be directed to Allison Rohrbaugh, HHSE Marketing & Communications Manager at Allison@hhsportsandevents.com or 717-580-9396.

ABOUT THIS DATA
The results for Estimated Economic Impact and Jobs Supported within this report have been calculated by HHRVB using the DMAI Event Impact Calculator developed for the travel & tourism industry by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. Jobs Supported: includes the employment supported by all event-related business sales. It includes indirect (B2B supply chain purchases) and induced (incomes spent in the local economy) business sales. This is a more complete view of the impact of an event as dollars flow through the local economy.

The following events list is arranged from the highest overall economic impact to the 20th largest impact in the Sports & Events tourism category for 2017.


Great American Outdoor Show (GAOS)
Annual (since 2014) February 3-12, 2017
PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 180,000 (Includes 1,200 exhibitors)
Jobs Supported: 8,000
Estimated Economic Impact: $75 million

PA National Horse Show
Annual - October 12-21, 2017
PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center
Estimated Attendance: 15,000
Jobs Supported: 1,362
Estimated Economic Impact: $8.7 million

PIAA State Championships
Giant CenterSM, Hersheypark® Stadium, Hershey Parkview Course & Hershey Racquet Club | Hershey, PA

Event Breakouts:
Girls & Boys Basketball (Jobs: - Impact: $2 million)
Individual Wrestling (Jobs: 760 - Impact: $1.6 million)
Team Wrestling (Jobs: 359 - Impact: $870K)
Competitive Spirit (Jobs: 469 - Impact: $1 million)
Football (Jobs: 239 - Impact: $524K)
Boys & Girls Cross Country (Jobs: 260 - Impact: $456K)
Boys & Girls Soccer (Jobs: 141 - Impact: $247K)
Boys Tennis w/Singles, Doubles, Team (Jobs: 40 - Impact: $70K)
Girls Tennis w/Singles/Doubles/Team (Jobs: 38 - Impact: $67K)
Estimated Attendance: 65,700 (*Includes athletes for all sports listed above and attendees)
Jobs Supported: 3,112 (*Includes all sports listed above)
Estimated Economic Impact: $8.7 million (*Includes all sports listed above)

Mecum Auto Auction
Annual - August 3-5, 2017 - 4th annual
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 16,000
Jobs Supported: 1,746
Estimated Economic Impact: $6.2 million

US Junior Nationals Hershey Showcase (USJN Girls Basketball)
Annual - June (June 24-27, 2017 - 16th annual)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center (+ various high school gyms)
Estimated Attendance: 7,875 including 250(+) teams
Jobs Supported: 967
Estimated Economic Impact: $3.4 million

Standardbred Horse Sale
Annual – November (November 6-10, 2017)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 8,200
Jobs Supported: 688
Estimated Economic Impact: $3.1 million

Hogan's Hershey Lacrosse
Annual – Summer (July 8-9, 2017)
Central Dauphin East High School, Lebanon Valley College and additional locations
Estimated Attendance: 6,000
Jobs Supported: 1,217
Estimated Economic Impact: $2.7 million


Reflections Synchronized Skating Invitational
Annual – February (February 19-20, 2017)
Giant CenterSM | Hershey, PA
Estimated Attendance: 9,000
Jobs Supported: 1,474
Estimated Economic Impact: $2.6 million


IMLCA National Cup | Lacrosse
June 16-18, 2017
Lebanon Valley College
Estimated Attendance: 9,800
Jobs Supported: 1,464
Estimated Economic Impact: $2.6 million

Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships
January 26-28, 2017 (3rd time hosting – 2012, ‘14, ‘17)
Giant CenterSM | Hershey, PA
Estimated Attendance: 6,000
Jobs Supported: 1,178
Estimated Economic Impact: $2.6 million

Keystone Regional Volleyball Assoc. (KRVA) Boys Atlantic Northeast Tournament
February 25-26, 2017 (3rd annual)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 5,022 (Includes 200+ teams from California to Canada)
Jobs Supported: 969
Estimated Economic Impact: $1.7 million

Keystone Regional Volleyball Assoc. (KRVA) Girls Bid & Club Challenge
March 25-26, 2017 (3rd annual)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 4,500
Jobs Supported: 995
Estimated Economic Impact: $1.7 million

Keystone Regional Volleyball Assoc. (KRVA) Girls Open & Club Challenge
May 6-7, 2017 (3rd annual)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 4,500
Jobs Supported: 995
Estimated Economic Impact: $1.7 million

Youth STEP USA National Championships
Annual – Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-27, 2017)
Harrisburg High School | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 2,700 (Includes 40+ teams from 17 states)
Jobs Supported: 523
Estimated Economic Impact: $1.2 million

Harrisburg City Islanders Capital Cup Tournament (Youth Soccer)
Annual – June (June 17-18, 2017)
Central Dauphin East High School & Middle School | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 4,500
Jobs Supported: 783
Estimated Economic Impact: $1.1 million

Antiques Road Show
One-time event – June 3, 2017
Noteworthy: Popular PBS show will film in June and air sometime in fall 2017
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 4,000 (Includes 3,500 winners from ticket lottery plus staff)
Jobs Supported: 430
Estimated Economic Impact: $955,000

Enders Harrisburg Marathon
Annual – November (November 12, 2017)
Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 1,800
Jobs Supported: 323
Estimated Economic Impact: $731,000

Artisan Guitar Show 
April 7-9, 2017
The Best Western Premier, the Central Hotel & Conference Center | Harrisburg, PA
Estimated Attendance: 1,625
Jobs Supported: 273
Estimated Economic Impact: $586,000

The Color RunTM
Annual – June  (June 17, 2017)
Giant CenterSM / Hershey Parkview Course
Estimated Attendance: 10,250
Jobs Supported: 326
Estimated Economic Impact: $565,000

Big 33 Football Classic
Annual – Summer (June 17, 2017)
Landis Field | Harrisburg, PA
Noteworthy: 2017 marks the 60th anniversary of this high school football tradition
Estimated Attendance: 5,200
Jobs Supported: 336
Estimated Economic Impact: $557,000

 

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