Organizers at the World Men’s Curling Championships are expecting a windfall profit after the gold medal is handed out on Sunday afternoon.
Fans from all over the world have descended upon Regina, opening up their wallets each and every day. From the time the on site beer gardens open the doors, to when they’re closed at night, people are lined up for the lunch buffet in the afternoon or a post game drink in the evening.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” said event Chair Derek Boe. “But, based on the 50-50 numbers I’m certain that we’ll be giving a pretty nice cheque to each of the curling clubs in the city.”
50-50 pots have grown steadily over the week, with the total pot surpassing $36-thousand on Thursday night. Fans have also lined up in the merchandise area, keeping volunteers scrambling to keep up with the demand.
“We got twelve boxes this morning and we’re still trying to unpack,” said Doreen Smith, a volunteer in the merchandise area. “People are lined up wondering what is in the box, and as fast as you can hang it up it’s gone.”
The spending also reaches outside the walls of Evraz Place. With teams, fans and officials from all over the world, businesses in Regina are also feeling the impact.
“They’re picking up about 4,500 room nights this week,” said Tracy Fahlman, CEO of the Regina Hotels Association. “That’s probably revenues of, I would say, $625-thousand.”
“We anticipate the economic impact for this one at approximately $15-million,” added Larry Hiles with the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission. “Overall, there’d be about $45-million spent by all levels of people that are involved in the actual games here.”
All music to the ears of organizers, who know that the success of events like this one helps get everyone on side to bid for more events down the road.
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