Ironic Note About the Final Four

[Prizefight]

While I'm sure the people of Indy are happy to have Butler there, a lot of the local business and hotels are upset about the loss of 1/4th of the potential revenue with an outside teams fanbase traveling to Indy.

 

Couple that with the effect that Michigan State is easily within driving distance and I'm betting Indianapolis' industry is going to see nowhere near the boost it was hoping for.

 

 

Interesting to think about for sure

 

 

 

http://www.ibj.com/the-score/2010/03/29/butlers-march-could-cost-city-businesses-75-million/PARAMS/post/18956

 

There’s lots to celebrate about Butler’s improbable run to this year’s Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

It’s the first time a team will play a Final Four in its home city since UCLA played in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The Bulldog nation is going hysterical, and for good reason.

 

Not only is this Butler’s first trip to the Final Four, it is already having a massive positive impact on the tiny, private liberal arts college nestled near Broad Ripple. Last week, Butler officials told IBJ that merchandise sales at the school’s book store is up 500 percent. Can you imagine the sales hike Butler will see this week? And there are already indications that enrollment interest is up.

 

There’s no denying that the men’s NCAA basketball tournament is a powerful marketing tool. That’s one reason why even small schools like Butler pay out healthy six-figure salaries to their men’s basketball coaches.

 

But there’s also one other fact that can’t be denied. Butler’s mad march through this tournament likely will cost city businesses $5 million or more in direct visitor spending.

 

The economic impact for most tourism events and conventions is easy to calculate. Take the number of visitors, figure how many will be flying in versus driving, consider the demographics of the congregation and the history of the event and basically multiply the number of attendees against the computed X factor. OK, it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much.

[soapy]

Yeah, there's a fair amount of chatter about that around here. UK being there would have impacted it even more. There will be an increased number of local people hanging out downtown that never would if Butler wasn't playing, but the loss in hotel revenue alone is going to be pretty huge.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

[Prizefight]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

 

 

Right, but I think the number of fans who won't spend the night in Indy is a lot higher than say if a UConn or someone made it. I don't know, was just thinking and editorializing out loud.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

 

 

Right, but I think the number of fans who won't spend the night in Indy is a lot higher than say if a UConn or someone made it. I don't know, was just thinking and editorializing out loud.

And I'm obviously generalizing based on previous interactions with their fans over the years. I think most would probably stay at hotels if the games were in Detroit.

[Derwood]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

 

 

Right, but I think the number of fans who won't spend the night in Indy is a lot higher than say if a UConn or someone made it. I don't know, was just thinking and editorializing out loud.

And I'm obviously generalizing based on previous interactions with their fans over the years. I think most would probably stay at hotels if the games were in Detroit.

 

They may bus people in and bus them home afterward (re: MSU). They did that for PSU fans last year at the NIT, and NYC is a 5 hour trip from State College

[UMFan83]

I bet the bars around the Butler campus aren't complaining about down business. There are a few very nice watering holes down there.

[CubColtPacer]

From what I heard, when the Sweet 16 started here's what businesses wanted:

 

Midwest: Michigan State or Ohio State (not Northern Iowa)

West: Syracuse (not Xavier)

South Duke (not Purdue or St. Mary's)

East: Kentucky or West Virginia (not Cornell)

 

Butler will hurt the receipts from this year's Final Four but many businesses are still ok with them going. They're hoping that the storyline that is being hammered all week about Butler playing in Indianapolis gives the city a higher profile than it otherwise would have in this process. That may lead to increased dollars in the future.

[CubbieBum]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

 

 

Right, but I think the number of fans who won't spend the night in Indy is a lot higher than say if a UConn or someone made it. I don't know, was just thinking and editorializing out loud.

And I'm obviously generalizing based on previous interactions with their fans over the years. I think most would probably stay at hotels if the games were in Detroit.

 

They may bus people in and bus them home afterward (re: MSU). They did that for PSU fans last year at the NIT, and NYC is a 5 hour trip from State College

 

That and a lot of people I wold assume make a weekend of the Final Four. MSU fans will likely have a much higher number of people only book one night, go home for a couple days and come back for the championship if MSU is in it.

[jersey cubs fan]

Of all the people I know that have been to a final four, exactly zero of them went because their school was in it. Isn't the final four attendance more or less determined in advance? People go to be there.

[CubbieBum]

Of all the people I know that have been to a final four, exactly zero of them went because their school was in it. Isn't the final four attendance more or less determined in advance? People go to be there.

 

To an extent yes. I would say a pretty large percentage of those who attend the game are there for the experience but the team who are in it tend to have their fanbase migrate to the host city. From what I know the city is literally filled with fans of the teams but only a small percentage will get to go to the game. The est are there to support and experience it because their team is in it.

[jersey cubs fan]

I think the main hotels and restaurants are going to be packed regardless. Perhaps the spillover hotels on the outskirts that jack up $59 rates to more than double that for big events will see fewer people. But by and large, the people that were going to go and spend money are still going to go and spend money.

[rawaction]

East Lansing is still about 4-5 hours from there. I find it hard to believe their fans are going to be driving 9 hours to see 2-4 hours of basketball without staying.

 

That's assuming all MSU fans are from East Lansing. I can see a lot of the college kids driving back after the game(s). But a lot of alumni are scattered throughout the country and the state of Michigan more specifically. There are several parts of Michigan that are within 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Indy.

 

But yeah, like CCP said, Butler being in the final 4 helps create a buzz for the city and the school. It is a very good school academically that many don't know about and an underrated campus. I think the loss from out of town fans will be made up in by those visiting Indy in future years.

[tfarks]

Growing up in Indianapolis I used to go to Butler's gym (Hinkle Fieldhouse I believe) and shoot around like once a week. I even have a couple autographed team pictures from late 90's early 00's. Then as I got older I found going to the bars in Broad Ripple to be about the best thing to do in Indy. I'm definitely gonna be there just for the atmosphere and hang around downtown since I can't afford tickets. Always been a fan of Butler, very happy to see them make use of their autobid and get past the sweet 16. I know there will be a lot of people like me that are either still living in Indy or that have moved away and come back to hang around and spend money during the weekend.