Quote:
Originally Posted by HowardL
As my 135 crossed Michigan and Wacker yesterday, I was thinking about the economic impact on Chicago but not the direct impact.
I am so fatigued by the consistent depiction of Chicago as a crime ridden, gang infested, struggling Rust Belt has-been that it was refreshing to see the city put in a positive spotlight due to the story of the Cubs.
This World Series has been some damn fine PR for the city.
How many high school seniors considering a Chicago university were watching? How many college seniors thinking ahead to their first job were watching? How many business leaders who had been considering Chicago for expansion or relocation were watching? How many trade show decision makers were watching?
And on and on.
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I think this is a very good point. The positive PR is almost never measured by economic experts that love to poo poo the economics of professional sport teams.
In the Short term Cleveland my have gained more in the local economy than Chicago but in the long term The winners take the spoils. I do indeed believe there is long term economic benefits of this WIN.
http://fox8.com/2016/11/03/millions-...-series-games/
Millions spent in downtown Cleveland during World Series games
POSTED 6:56 PM, NOVEMBER 3, 2016, BY MATT WRIGHT
CLEVELAND - The World Series wasn't a total loss for Cleveland. From bars and restaurants to hotels, local businesses cashed in on tens of thousands of fans watching the Indians face the Chicago cubs in downtown Cleveland.
The Indians estimated each postseason home game pumped $3 million into the downtown Cleveland economy, and that number could be even higher for the four World Series games.
Flannery’s Pub operations manager Nikki Sullivan said sales at the East 4th Street hot spot tripled during World Series games, in line with the NBA Finals.
“It's been great, not just for bartenders, managers, restaurant owners. It's been great for all of the downtown economy,” she said.
Part of the reason could be the number of Cubs fans that traveled to Cleveland.
“One Cubs fan told me it's cheaper for them to come to Cleveland, buy a ticket, get a hotel room, party, than it is to go to a game back in Chicago,” Sullivan said.
Two thousand hotel rooms were added downtown ahead of the Republican National Convention in July and all of them were booked for the World Series, with
some charging three times their normal rates.
“The Cubs brought a lot of travelers into downtown. We saw significant occupancy, significant in terms of daily rates for hotel rooms. Our restaurants were packed. Our parking lots were packed,” said Joe Marinucci, Downtown Cleveland Alliance President and CEO.
“All of the hotels downtown and many of the hotels within the system outside of downtown were fully booked.”
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The long-term impact due to increased visibility for Cleveland is hard to measure after a remarkable year for events downtown.
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