POTSDAM, N.Y. — The Bassmaster Elite Series Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown at St. Lawrence River was a huge success. Brandon Palaniuk, fresh off a disqualification that cost him the previous event, made an incredible comeback. The Governor of New York visited, as well. But one aspect of Elite and Classic events that you may not think about is how the local economy is impacted. Six students from Clarkson University spent the weekend of the event collecting data, and released their conclusions recently.
The event brought in millions of dollars to the area surrounding Waddington, and according to their study, it wasn’t all fishing gear.
The students’ study estimated that of the $1.03 million to $3.38 million in expenditures by visitors to the tournament about 25.04 percent was spent on non-fishing-related shopping, 24.31 percent on accommodations, 23.02 percent on food and beverages, 17.01 percent on fishing gear, and 11 percent on gas station expenses.
This report was presented to the Waddington Chamber of Commerce so that they can study how big events like this one help their community. The students involved in this project had only been in the United States for a week, and most were from India and China. So this was a learning experience in both business and culture for them. Below is a video produced by Clarkson University about the project. You can read more about their findings here.