Local entries are up, and the city - even with the price tag - wants the event to remain here for years. (financial excerpts below.):
The Chamber pays $75,000 every year in sponsorship fees for the event. To help cover that cost, it tacks on a $10-per-room-per-night hotel fee for hotels willing to participate. But with the growing popularity of residents opening up their homes to athletes coming in town for the race, that pot has shrunk. In the early years, it brought in $44,000 a year. Last year it brought in $27,000, and years prior it’s dropped as low as $18,000. “It’s savvy,” Wilson said of residents earning extra income because of the event. “There’s an opportunity to make a couple of months mortgage in one week.” But at the same time it leaves the chamber’s $800,000 general fund footing the rest of the race’s biggest bill. This year, Wilson suggested Ironman add a user fee, similar to an Ironman tax, to help pay for sponsorship costs, but Ironman turned down the idea. “They have the bigger stick,” Wilson said. “What does the chamber have to negotiate?”
The 10th anniversary race launches from Independence Point on June 24. But for the race to continue in Coeur d’Alene past this year, Ironman, the city of Coeur d’Alene, The Coeur d’Alene Resort and Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce must agree to a five-year contract extension.
For its part, the city provides EMT, police, street and park services. Last year, it paid $15,800 in overtime hours for its fire department, 20 percent of its overtime total for the year. The city added $10,000 in overtime police hours, according to city records.
But providing medical help isn’t an easy undertaking for Kootenai Health. Julie Hoerner, director of critical care and captain at the medical tent for Ironman for three years, said the provider has pitched in “thousands of dollars” of medical supplies over the years, in addition to roughly 100 medical staff for a makeshift emergency room along the course. “The first year there was a great deal of excitement, and we had lots of volunteers,” she said. “Over time, the interest has waned a little bit. It’s been much more difficult to fill the volunteers.” Last year, Kootenai Health aided 543 athletes. Only 10 were sent to the hospital, but healthcare providers are a pivotal service to provide. While Kootenai Health works with local race directors, it isn’t a part of the contract negotiation. Hoerner said it’s created a significant financial impact for the hospital. “That’s a pretty big expectation,” she said of the medical care. “But it is the hospital’s job to ensure care is provided for the community, and the athletes are a part of that.”
Still, some feel the financial impact may be hard to gauge considering it’s a summer weekend in Coeur d’Alene, which is prime tourism season anyway. “I think the economic impact of Ironman is somewhat overstated when you use that number,” Wilson said of the $7 million to $10 million estimate. “There’s no question that it is a positive economic impact. But without Ironman would the hotels be empty?” The Idaho Department of Labor does not have its own estimate, according to the department. AmeriTel Inn is one Coeur d’Alene hotel that doesn’t pay into the Ironman fee. General Manager Nick Rahlf said that’s because the 118-room inn doesn’t seem to gain more reservations Ironman weekend any more than on other summer weekends. “There never was incentive to pay it,” Rahlf said. He said downtown’s annual outdoor art show in August is a busier time. “All things considered, Art on the Green is a busier weekend,” he said.
But this year Ironman has turned its bike course south along U.S. 95, partly out of neighborhood and business concerns, Cavasar said. Ironman is paying around $70,000 for road extensions along the highway to make travel safer for the cyclists.
-------
Full article here:
-------------
COEUR d'ALENE - On the 10th anniversary, everyone agreed: Five more years. The city of Coeur d'Alene inked a five-year deal to keep Ironman in Coeur d'Alene, approving the contract Tuesday. "I think it's been a great asset to the community," said Mayor Sandi Bloem on Wednesday, four days from Sunday's race. "If you add up the value, all the things they do - we know the economic impact and its influence on our values and our physical (well being) and we know a lot of youth, nonprofits for youth activities have benefited ... It's a good partnership, a very healthy partnership." The partnership includes the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, which pays $75,000 every year in sponsorship fees for the event. The economic impact the event brings to the region has been estimated between $8 to $10 million. The extended deal mirrors agreements from the past 10 years, with the one major change accounting for the change in the bicycle course going south on U.S. 95. In March, as the sides were closing in on deal, World Triathlon Corporation, which owns Ironman, said Coeur d'Alene is a host city with which the organization wanted to continue to work. "Ironman would be thrilled to continue the event pending everything works out with the discussions and community support continues to be strong," Shelby Tuttle, WTC public relations specialist, told The Press in March. "Ironman's relationship with the city of Coeur d'Alene has been wonderful." Costs for the city to host the major tourist and athlete attraction is estimated at $50,000, with $21,000 for police and $24,000 for Fire/EMS. WTC also donates around $50,000 back into the community. The endurance race that challenges athletes over 140.6 miles of biking, swimming and running has taught the region about setting goals that seem beyond reach, striving for them, and celebrating when you get there, Bloem said. "I think that's a cultural change that's hard to measure," she said.
-------------
Also see Ironman Texas Article - Woodlands IronMan event provides financial boost (excerpts)
Prior to last year’s event, World Triathlon Corp. provided a financial analysis to the State Comptroller’s Office on the economic impact the event would have on a community. The report estimated an $8 million “direct economic impact,” which included hotel stays, food and beverage sales, retail sales and impact to airlines.
Jim Hallers, president-elect of the Greater Montgomery County Restaurant Association and owner of two Tailgators Pub and Grilles, said many association restaurants saw no sales increase, with some even experiencing a loss. “[IronMan was] not bad, it just was pretty much a big nothing for us,” Hallers said. “Those people (the competitors) coming in are on a pretty specific regimen. Because of the traffic closures, it actually lowered some of the business. Did they really go out and eat at area restaurants? Not that we saw.” He said local businesses often receive a bigger sales boost from other events.
No comments:
Post a Comment