As sternwheelers line the levee at Charleston’s Haddad Riverfront Park, the capital city is revving up its economic engine in hopes of another strong year. The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta has made a significant impact on the local economy since its reintroduction in 2022.
“It is the most significant economic tourism activity in the state of West Virginia every year,” Charleston Regatta Commission Chair Andy Richardson said.
Each year that number is calculated by the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB works with data companies to use zip codes, credit card information and cellphone data to see who is coming in and how they are spending money during Regatta.
CVB President and CEO Tim Brady said while they do talk to local businesses about their profits, this method gives a scope of the regional impact and beyond.
“I know it sounds very Big Brother-ish, but it’s really anonymous tracking to just give us an idea of where people are coming from, what they are doing while they’re here, and generally speaking, how much money they spend. We take all of that, and we look at attendance numbers provided by Regatta for the event itself, and we can make some estimates to calculate economic impact for the event,” Brady said.
Brady said it’s anonymous, but it does help the CVB see what areas are most interested in the event. Those cities are then targeted heavily with advertising.
“Pittsburgh was a really good market for us. Cleveland, Columbus, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia are all strong markets for us for this event and generally for Charleston tourism in general. Those are markets that we have identified as receptive to our message. Also in the state of West Virginia, we’re very strong in Clarksburg, Morgantown, Fairmont, Parkersburg and Wheeling, and in Bluefield, Beckley,” Brady said.
Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin, who was behind the Regatta’s resurgence, has been thrilled with the event’s impact in the city and beyond.
“This event brings in a quarter of a million people, over a four-day span, that brings in an economic impact of $38 million. By the way, 22% of that number – 250,000 folks – come from 50 miles and out. Our hotels, our restaurants, our shops are absolutely packed,” Goodwin said.
As everyone converges on Charleston, local businesses such as Adelphia on Capitol Street are gearing up for a big week.
“We staff up, extra staff. The economic impact is huge. We see our numbers usually spike about 30%,” owner Deno Stanley said.
The Charleston Regatta Commission facilitates the event, and they budget it for around $1 million. Any surplus is then put into a fund to keep the event going in the future.
“We’ll assess how much resources we have, how much cash flow we need for operations, and then we’ll make a contribution into this special account we’ve created to basically keep our hands off and let it earn money,” Richardson said.
Richardson said the goal is to keep the Regatta going for years to come.
“We’re trying to ensure that in the future we don’t have the risk of the Regatta ending again,” he said.
— news from (WCHS)
— News Original —
Sternwheel Regatta serves as an economic engine for Charleston
As sternwheelers line the levee at Charleston’s Haddad Riverfront Park, the capital city is revving up its economic engine in hopes of another strong year. The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta has made a significant impact on the local economy since its reintroduction in 2022.
“It is the most significant economic tourism activity in the state of West Virginia every year,” Charleston Regatta Commission Chair Andy Richardson said.
Each year that number is calculated by the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB works with data companies to use zip codes, credit card information and cellphone data to see who is coming in and how they are spending money during Regatta.
CVB President and CEO Tim Brady said while they do talk to local businesses about their profits, this method gives a scope of the regional impact and beyond.
“I know it sounds very Big Brother-ish, but it’s really anonymous tracking to just give us an idea of where people are coming from, what they are doing while they’re here, and generally speaking, how much money they spend. We take all of that, and we look at attendance numbers provided by Regatta for the event itself, and we can make some estimates to calculate economic impact for the event,” Brady said.
Brady said it’s anonymous, but it does help the CVB see what areas are most interested in the event. Those those cities are then hit hard with advertising.
“Pittsburgh was a really good market for us. Cleveland, Columbus, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia are all strong markets for us for this event and generally for Charleston tourism in general. Those are markets that we have identified as receptive markets to our message. But also in the state of West Virginia, we’re very strong in Clarksburg, Morgantown, Fairmont, Parkersburg and Wheeling, and in Bluefield, Beckley,” Brady said.
Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin, who was behind the Regatta’s resurgence, has been thrilled with the event’s impact in the city and beyond.
“This event brings in a quarter of a million people, over a four-day span, that brings in an economic impact of $38 million. By the way, 22% of that number – 250,000 folks – come from 50 miles and out. Our hotels, our restaurants, our shops are absolutely packed,” Goodwin said.
As everyone converges on Charleston, local businesses such as Adelphia on Capitol Street are gearing up for a big week.
“We staff up, extra staff. The economic impact is huge. We see our numbers usually spike about 30%,” owner Deno Stanley said.
The Charleston Regatta Commission facilitates the event, and they budget it for around $1 million. Any surplus is then put into a fund to keep the event going in the future.
“We’ll assess how much resources we have, how much cash flow we need for operations, and then we’ll make a contribution into this special account we’ve created to basically keep our hands off and let it earn money,” Richardson said.
Richardson said the goal is to keep the Regatta going for years to come.
“We’re trying to ensure that in the future we don’t have the risk of the Regatta ending again,” he said.