Garth Brooks sellout is a perfect opportunity to give us the real numbers
l3wis It didn’t take long for the usual mouthpieces to come out talking about the economic impact of the Garth Shows, which is no surprise;
Teri Schmidt, executive director of the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, said anytime a concert sells out it means an infusion of money to bars, restaurants, hotels and gas stations in the city. But a household name that draws people from all over the country like Brooks raises the bar even further.
“Even if we said the average person would spend an average of about $100, that’s another $4.5 million in economic impact — just in a blink of an eye,†she said. “Throw in the possibility of an overnight stay, going out to eat, maybe they do a little shopping, fill up their car with gas — it’s going to be a great week in Sioux Falls.â€
That’s good news also for local governments that find themselves dealing with sluggish sales tax revenues.
Which comes to about $135,000 in sales taxes to the city coffers (if you count all 3 pennies the city takes in). But let’s say everyone spends double that, that’s a whopping $270,000.
I won’t dwell on that.
As I have said all along, I would like to know the amount of money that is spent at the Denny (not at other businesses citywide) that leaves town. In other words how much goes to Garth, SMG and Ovations, and how much of that gets recirculated in Sioux Falls?
People have argued with me that the Denny is bringing in MORE money to the community, yet;
1) The city and SMG won’t show us the actual sales numbers AND
2) sales tax revenue has been slowly declining in SF since the Denny opened YET most shows are sellouts.
With all the additional sales at the Denny and people coming to Sioux Falls for this extra entertainment, why haven’t we been seeing a boom in sales tax growth?
You know I know the answer why, but will the city have the nads to admit it?
