NASCAR hall crowds don't meet estimates
For several years, NASCAR Hall of Fame supporters have said they were hopeful that 800,000 people would visit the racing shrine in its inaugural year. But the hall's first operating budget, released this week, and attendance numbers from its opening weeks indicate thinner crowds can be expected.
Quote from the article:
Source: NASCAR hall crowds don't meet estimates
Quote from the article:
This week, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which manages the hall, released its coming-year budget and details on the first month for the $200million hall. "'Concerned' is not the word I would use," hall of fame executive director Winston Kelley said of the May figures. "But we are very aware, cognizant and diligent in learning about those numbers and who we market to and how we market to them to draw guests in." Still, officials say, the center city hall is on sound financial footing. A special hotel room tax is raising enough money to cover the construction of it. And its operations are expected to run a surplus of $793,000, after expenses of $15.3 million, according to the budget. The hall accounts for the largest portion of the visitor authority's budget, followed by the Charlotte Convention Center, which has an operating budget of $13.4 million. The hall's first month, arguably, should be one of its best. Those weeks included opening ceremonies, local NASCAR races and the Food Lion Speed Street festival uptown. The events drew more than 400,000 race fans to the region, according to the tourism authority. The hall attendance average was 10,000 visitors a week. For a full year, that would equate to 520,000. As recently as last month, Kelley and CRVA chief executive Tim Newman said they remained optimistic that the hall could attract 800,000 fans, despite the weakened economy and flagging interest in stock car racing. They have said they expect attendance to fall to about 400,000 annually after the first year. |
Source: NASCAR hall crowds don't meet estimates
