| Pigeon
Forge, TN – December 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / Pigeon Forge’s
events center in its first year pumped multiple millions of dollars into
the local economy and had an estimated attendance of more than 250,000
people.
Independent research on just
three of the 25 events to date – the National Quartet Convention, the Celebrators
Conference and the Fall Rod Run – estimated $24.2 million in local spending,
primarily for lodging, dining, attractions and shopping.
Those three events delivered
an estimated $2.4 million in taxes to Pigeon Forge, Sevier County and the
state of Tennessee.
The first major event in
the LeConte Center
at Pigeon Forge was the International Gift Exposition in the Smokies/Souvenir
Super Show, a five-day show in November 2013.
It was followed by a mix
of events that included religious conferences, other tradeshows, concert
events, city-sponsored special events and athletic competitions.
“The purpose of the LeConte
Event Center is to attract people to Pigeon Forge who will stay overnight
and patronize businesses in many sectors of our economy. It is fulfilling
its mission in a grand fashion,” said Leon Downey, executive director of
the Pigeon Forge Department of
Tourism.
Downey pointed to the wide
variety of events in the building as another indicator of success.
“The LeConte Event Center
is flexible and adaptable to many types of events. Show producers have
sought us out, and many booked multi-year contracts right away,” Downey
said.
Downey labeled the National
Quartet Convention as the “blockbuster event of the year.”
That event, known by its
NQC initials, filled the LeConte Event Center for seven consecutive days
of gospel music concerts. NQC executives said approximately 40,000 individuals
came to Pigeon Forge for some part of that week.
|
LeConte Center at Pigeon
Forge recently hosted the National Quartet Convention
|
Majority Opinion Research,
an Atlanta marketing research firm, will study 10 events from the facility’s
first year to determine their estimated economic impact.
Findings from just the first
three completed studies estimate event attendee spending at $24.2 million,
which generated more than $453,000 in Pigeon Forge taxes, more than $585,000
in Sevier County taxes and more than $1.4 million in state taxes.
“We asked NQC attendees whether
they planned to return, and 47 percent of them said they planned to visit
us again independent of NQC,” Downey said.
Facility manager Phil Campbell
said more events will be researched in 2015.
“The cumulative picture will
help us identify the types of events to pursue for open dates,” Campbell
said.
The LeConte Event Center
is a 232,599-square-foot facility located along the Little Pigeon River
and beside the Pigeon Forge Greenway in the middle of Pigeon Forge.
Its primary feature is a
100,500-square-foot, clear-span hall. It also includes a 12,000-square-foot
multi-purpose hall and up to 14 multi-purpose rooms that range from 500
to 2,000 square feet. It has adjacent parking for 1,600 vehicles.
Information about the LeConte
Event Center and all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is at LeConteCenter.com
and MyPigeonForge.com.
|
Media Contact:
Tom
Adkinson, APR
for Pigeon Forge Department
of Tourism
615-341-8796 |
