Weekend events add millions of dollars to coffers

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Saturday, July 19, 2008 |

A new wrinkle �” to the delight of runners, walkers and spectators alike �” was a flyover by an Army National Guard Chinook helicopter at the beginning of the 2007 Quad-City Times Bix 7. (Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES FILE PHOTO) Buy this Photo

They arrive to take on the Brady Street hill, to tap their toes to the sweet jazz and to reunite with families and friends, but the thousands of visitors drawn to Bix Weekend events also leave something behind — their valuable tourism dollars.

From hotels filled to capacity to restaurants and bars bustling with business, Bix Weekend provides a huge financial boon to the Quad-Cities. A first-time survey by the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau has estimated that weekend activities spur $2.1 million in direct spending as well as another $4.2 million in indirect economic impact.

Joe Taylor, the bureau’s president and chief executive officer, is quick to point out that this is not a scientific survey but a first-time attempt at quantifying the impact. He said the effort came about as the result of a partnership between Quad-City Times Bix 7 race director Ed Froehlich and the tourism bureau.

“We’ve always talked about what the economic impact the race would have,” said Froehlich, who has been its director for nearly three decades. “The numbers we show are very commendable for a smaller community in the Midwest. It’s helpful to let everyone know just how important the Bix race is to the community and what it actually does for the community.”

The survey, conducted by the bureau’s staff, was e-mailed to 1,000 random participants of last year’s Bix 7. It drew just more than 100 responses.

Those surveyed reported spending an average of $278 per travel party, or $27,000 collectively. Using those figures, Taylor said “That’s $2.1 million right out of their pockets.”

The hidden economic impact comes when visitors stay in the Quad-Cities and pay hotel or restaurant bills or visit other attractions — which all generates payroll dollars. “Then those workers spend money in the Quad-Cities,” he said, adding that the $4.2 million indirect impact is very conservative.

Of the survey group, 58 percent indicated they stay with family and friends in the Quad-Cities, 27 percent stay in hotels and 15 percent do not stay overnight. “With 85 percent staying here, that makes this a tourism event,” he said. He attributed the high percentage of non-hotel guests to the fact that Bix Weekend often is an opportunity for family or friends to get together. “For many, it’s a family reunion with a road race thrown in the middle.”

But the hotels are benefiting as are other businesses, especially if guests extend their stay. The survey found that 41 percent of the respondents stayed two nights. Another 26 percent stay one night, 10 percent stay three nights and 3 percent stay five or more nights. About 16 percent report not staying overnight.

“We’re always full but we may have one or two rooms from no-shows,” said Danny Holmes, general manager of the Radisson Quad-City Plaza in downtown Davenport. “We’re full a number of times during the year. But this is one of our busiest, no question.”

Although Holmes’ hotel has the advantage of being near the Bix 7 starting line, the weekend brings plenty of guests to go around.

“We’ll need all 5,400 Quad-City hotel rooms for that night,” Taylor said. Years ago, when the area’s inventory was about 3,400 hotel rooms, he recalls “Bix would fill them all. But what has happened is we’ve built more hotels and as more rooms have come on line we’re not filling all of them from Bix.”

This year, however, finding an available hotel room could be more challenging. In addition to the Bix 7, RAGBRAI wraps up its weeklong bike ride Saturday in nearby LeClaire, Iowa. The Amateur Softball Association (Girls Under 18) also will converge on the Quad-Cities next weekend with 130 teams set to compete at Green Valley Sports Complex in Moline.

Taylor estimates the Quad-Cities will be overrun by 100,000 Bix Weekend participants, including 15,000 runners and walkers, 15,000 RAGBRAI riders and 10,000 to 20,000 supporters. The softball tournament brings 130 teams and 3,000 to 4,000 family members.

“We’re approaching sold-out,” Isle of Capri spokeswoman Jill Haynes said of the company’s Bettendorf hotel property, which has 514 guest rooms. “But that is typical of weekends this time of year.”

A full hotel does not necessarily equate to more gaming. “Although the festival is a fabulous community event, it is not a significant driver of revenue,’’ she said. The sister gaming boat, Rhythm City, does offer a front row view of Bix-related activities near the Mississippi River.

“When it comes to a lot of festivals, whether it is Bix or something in The District, you don’t see a huge impact; at least we don’t,” said Bill Renk, spokesman for the Casino Rock Island. However, with construction of new land-based casino and hotel under way in south Rock Island, he said “ask me the same question next year.”

Although the focus is on downtown Davenport, many visitors find their way to other Quad-City communities for entertainment. “The festival is a big draw but I think people crisscross the river if we make it easy for them to do it,” said Glenn Kass, the marketing and fundraising director for Moline Centre Partners, an association of downtown Moline businesses.

He predicts the Centre Partners venues — from its restaurants and bars — as well as the ongoing 100 Days of Music event will draw their share of Bix traffic. “Ultimately, people will find their way down here and we are making sure the word gets out,” Kass said.

Taylor said the bureau’s survey shows that 70 percent of Bix 7 participants attended two or more activities and attractions while in the Quad-Cities. With 91 percent planning to return again this year, he said the attractions should be ready because company is coming.

“Tourism is a key economic activity,” he said. “We not only need to keep doing it, but we need to do more of it.”

His goal is that the area show off its best side next weekend as runners and walkers, jazz fans, bicyclists and softball players and families get a taste of all that is Quad-Cities. “This should be a dream come true for anyone in the Quad-Cities,” he said of all the visitors.

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.

Bureau survey to help track visitors to Q-C

An initiative by the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau aims to help the area’s attractions and events identify their visitors.

During a marketing retreat last winter, the bureau asked its members to bring demographic information on their customers. “What we found is a lot of people don’t have a real good understanding of who their visitor was,” said Charlotte Morrison, the bureau’s marketing and communications vice president.

She said many attractions keep solid attendance numbers, but they did not have data on where visitors are coming from or other demographics. To assist, the bureau developed a research tool through Survey Monkey software that included a set of 10 questions. The survey was sent to the various attractions to share with their e-mail databases or post on their own Web sites. Attractions also have been asked to conduct on-site surveys at random. The survey runs through July 30.

Morrison said more than 730 people have taken the survey to date — providing information on their residence, income, occupation, education and areas of interest. The survey also quizzed respondents on how they heard about a particular attraction. “It’s not only important to know who they are but how to reach them so you’re more effectively spending your marketing dollars,” she said.

The new data will help the bureau as well as attractions, hotels and restaurants make decisions about local advertising as well as know what external markets to focus efforts in, she added.

In addition to the survey, the bureau has hired Ruf Strategic Solutions, a destination marketing consultant in Olathe, Kan., to study the demographics of the bureau’s own visitors. “We have sent them every address of visitors who have requested information from the convention and visitors bureau in the last five years,” she said.

The company will conduct a profile analysis on the area’s visitors. “You want to know what their main interests are so you can reach more of the same visitors because that becomes your target market,” she said.

The findings of the study will be presented to the bureau’s membership in the fall.

— Jennifer DeWitt