There will be 20 more events in the Quad-Cities in 2014 and even more out-of-town people here to participate — all creating a $7.5 million boost to the local economy.
That’s according to the Quad-Cities Convention Visitors Bureau which, on Thursday, released its projections for the coming year.
More than 25,000 people have booked hotel rooms for the new events alone, bureau representatives said.
While 2013 numbers have yet to be calculated, data from the U.S. Travel Association estimates more than 1.6 million visitors to the Quad-Cities collectively spent $810 million in 2012.
Lynn Hunt, the bureau’s vice-president of sales, said new events put on the books by sales staff and area partners, include conventions, conferences, amateur sporting tournaments and group tours.
“Historically, the (bureau) generates an annual $9 million in group business to the Quad-Cities hospitality community, so we are on track to meet and hopefully exceed that goal with the events that are still in the sales pipeline to be confirmed,” she said.
“Smith Travel Report, which measures average occupancy, daily rates and other hotel related statistics, reports that the Quad-City hotel market is running 1.4 percent higher in occupancy in 2013.”
Among the new events are the Iowa Ready Mix Concrete Association annual meeting and the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour.
“All of this is the results of the sale team seeking new business in an effort to find new events not traditionally held here. For the most part, most of these listed are new events,” Hunt said. “On a day-to-day basis, we are trying to find new events.”
Hunt said the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour is June 12-13 with an estimated 5,000 attending and 800 hotel rooms booked. She said the annual car tour has been on the bureau’s radar for years. Organizers have agreed to reroute the tour to include the Great River Road, or Illinois 84, which runs along the Mississippi.
“We started talking to Hot Rod Magazine a few years ago,” Hunt said. “Once the Great River Road was chosen as the route, we took a bid from them and found the appropriate 15 acres of space they needed.”
She said the last legs of the tour go from Crown Point, Ind., to this area, up Illinois 84 and then finish at Wisconsin Dells. Included in the Quad-City stop will be an all-day event at the Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf.
The bureau also was able to secure a spot in the first-ever Hot Rod Bike Tour, a new event from Hot Rod Magazine. It will involve custom motorcycles, to be held Aug. 19 with an estimated 500 motorcycles participating.
Another big draw will be the North American Fast Pitch Association Men’s Fastpitch World Series. The first-ever Quad-City event will take place on two consecutive weekends, Aug. 7-17, at Greenvalley Sports Complex in Moline. Hunt said an estimated 7,700 participants and fans are expected with 2,375 hotel rooms already booked.
“Not only do meetings and sporting events have an economic impact on our area, but also annual festivals and events that are an integral part of our destination offerings,” said Joe Taylor, bureau president and CEO. “Our festivals each year have a combined economic impact of over $20 million.”