A study completed by the Seidman Research Institute of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University determined that Super Bowl XLIX and the 2015 Pro Bowl and related events produced a gross economic impact of $719.4 million. Anthony Evans, a senior research fellow at the Seidman Research Institute, will explain the numbers.
TED SIMONS: A study released today shows the economic impact of the 2015 Super Bowl and Pro Bowl held in Glendale. The report was conducted by the Seidman Research Institute at the ASU W.P. Carey School of Business. Here is Anthony Evans he have advantages, good to have you here.
ANTHONY EVANS: Thank you for having me.
TED SIMONS: $720 million, how was the study done?
ANTHONY EVANS: We have a primary survey data, a team of surveyors out looking, speaking to people who claimed they had come to the Super Bowl and its related events. That took place over nine days. There were over 2,000 useable surveys and we put those into a widely recognized commercial model, and the number was $720 million.
TED SIMONS: Was it $500 million for the last Super Bowl?
ANTHONY EVANS: That was the last Super Bowl back in 2008. In 2008 that the dollars would be very different to 2015. There was a 31% increase in economic impact for the money.
TED SIMONS: As far as ripple effects, how do you city something like that?
ANTHONY EVANS: Well, obviously once somebody spends a buck at a bar, restaurant, hotel, that only goes to the business itself. It then feeds down to the employee in terms of wages, feeds itself down to suppliers and they go out into the community themselves and spent money. There are a number of indirect facts. We estimate the visitors to the event itself, be they ticketed or nonticketted, probably in the region of $486 million of impact.
TED SIMONS: And these are people, A, that would not have come here otherwise, B, would not have spent otherwise.
ANTHONY EVANS: Correct, yes. We certainly excluded any residential spending, local business spending. We're looking purely at visiters from out of state and the money they invested me. Also the media spend, as well.
TED SIMONS: I've noticed as far as out-of-town media, 5,000 folks.
ANTHONY EVANS: They generate around $15 million impact.
TED SIMONS: Media is good for something, huh?
ANTHONY EVANS: Media is very good.
TED SIMONS: As far as costs, I know you didn't necessarily look at the costs but that has to be factored in, doesn't it?
ANTHONY EVANS: We looked purely at visitors and organizations from outside the state. Yes, I would say if you wanted a net study you should factor that in. We haven't looked at those figures. I believe the host committee, we're talking around a $30 million investment which had to be raised. I think $5 or 6 million was spent on public safety and other events. Even when you add those up, $35, $40 million, I think you'd be hard pressed to find something of that nature in nine days.
TED SIMONS: We should mention the study was commissioned by the commerce authorize and the Super Bowl committee.
ANTHONY EVANS: It was.
TED SIMONS: Give us some numbers regarding what these people were, how long they stayed, how much they spent when they were here.
ANTHONY EVANS: We believe that the average visitors stayed for around four days at the event itself. The media stays for seven days, the event -- the time was extended because we had the Pro Bowl and obviously culminating. We saw major expenditures at hotels and bars and restaurants. We saw some retail uptake, as well. If you look purely at sales tax figures, I believe sales tax in Scottsdale is up 51% over a normal year, restaurant and bar increase in sales tax around 29% in downtown Phoenix area. Even at westgate in the region of 10% hire sales for the same time period. It's a hell of a lot of money these guys would have been spending in the area. We had 300 celebrities in the area at that time, sports people, actors, various different people. They were spending a hell of a lot of money again in parties. I believe one of the hotels claimed in Scottsdale to take over a third of its revenue during one week, average.
TED SIMONS: My word. People say yes, bud, but Joe and Mary didn't do X, Y and Z because of the crowds and pricing or they were locked out of this or their favorite restaurant wasn't doing that. How does that factor in? How can you factor something like that?
ANTHONY EVANS: The factors are normally based upon two principles. Local people do not spend. Having looked at the spending patterns of local people, we looked at the influx of new money into the Arizona economy. Perhaps people would have traveled to Phoenix at that time and decided against it. We're talking about a nine-day window, not really that long of a window. Quite honestly within Phoenix, people came before or after the Super Bowl. If you looked at the hotel rates at that time, the average hotel rates were a record high for the area. Most people wouldn't have paid that money. 1300 celebrities and their various parties, you would not have brought that money into this community.
TED SIMONS: Super Bowls and these big events, some say they aren't worth it, they don't bring it as much as people say they do.
ANTHONY EVANS: I say it's been a certain boon for the local economies. We have a fine facility at the Glendale stadium, it's important that it gets utilized properly.
TED SIMONS: Good have you here, thanks for joining us.
ANTHONY EVANS: Thank you.
TED SIMONS: Wednesday on "Arizona Horizon" we'll hear how educators are trying to keep kids on track during the summer months. And we'll meet the author of a new novel that focuses on the drug wars in Mexico. That's next on "Arizona Horizon." That's it for now, I'm Ted Simons, thank you so much for join us, you have a great evening.
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Anthony Evans:Senior Research Fellow at Seidman Research Institute
