Bonnaroo cheered back for 2nd year
According to a Middle Tennessee State University survey, last year’s festival “created an unprecedented level of activity in Manchester, surrounding counties and along Interstate 24,” while noting most economic impact occurred on-site.
Including operations and off-site attendee spending, the report noted, the festival generated an estimated $6.1 million in spending in Middle Tennessee and payments to state and local governments by Bonnaroo promoters was more than $700,000.
With McMinnville only 23 miles from Manchester, local business owners and managers were hoping for residual traffic and some were actively pursuing business from the festival.
The Inn at Harvest Farms Lake owner Diane Morton reported an increased number of reservations there Thursday. Being located only 12 minutes from the event is helpful, she said, and Morton noted she made a concentrated effort to let concert-goers know the inn was available by making advertising materials available to Manchester’s Chamber of Commerce.
“Specifically, this particular weekend, I get a lot more traffic from Bonnaroo than normal, but as far as a percentage, it would be hard to say,” she said of reservations, adding many of this year’s clients booked rooms after staying there last year.
At the Kroger at Three Star Mall, employees there reported people from Toronto, Vermont and New York patronized the store yesterday. Those were just a few of the out-of-state customers.
Managers of various hotels in McMinnville were not reporting a major increase in reservations when polled Wednesday. However, one manager said last year’s lodgings increased not through reservations made in advance, but because of people just passing through.
“Last year, we didn’t have anything and all of a sudden, they just came in,” Scottish Inns on Sparta Street manager Anil Bhakta said. “This year, only three people so far from Bonnaroo have reserved a room. There is a chance that somebody might not have reserved a room but they might drive around and stop by.”
At McMinnville Inn, formerly the Best Western, manager Aanal Evans hoped for increased traffic this weekend at an affiliate inn, the Best Value Inn, which is just opening.
“I think we’ll get a lot of traffic coming this weekend, starting Friday, because just from what I’ve heard about it, they start booking up all the way down the highway coming this way,” she said Wednesday.
Holiday Inn Express manager Ruth Griffith said that while last year the inn was booked, she wasn’t sure what would happen this year.
“Last year, yes, I had extra people. This year, I really and truly haven’t seen any extra,” she said Wednesday. “Last year, we had a full house. This year, I don’t have one.”
McMinnville/Warren County Chamber of Commerce president Lea Chrisawn said local businesses are definitely benefiting from Bonnaroo, although no figures were available.
“We have been getting calls everyday for hotel numbers. I know ABC Ice has put on extra people because they supply ice to Bonnaroo and last year, the convenience stores ran out in about four hours,” Chrisawn said. “They’re stopping in our convenience stores. They’re buying gas. They’re eating at restaurants and they’re staying in our hotels. We definitely feel an effect.”
Chrisawn added the Chamber is interested in learning more about the financial impact of the festival on Warren County.
“We will calculate and try to get an estimate of how much economic impact it has on the community once the event has completed,” said Chrisawn. “Next week, we’ll start calling our retailers and getting some input from them. But we know that last year, it did make a big impact.”
Asked if the anyone from the Chamber is pointing Bonnaroo traffic this way, Chrisawn admitted she is fairly new to the job and the Chamber board got a late start in capitalizing on promoting Warren County this year.
“We have not been advertising, but that’s one of the things we want to do next year, is get a link to their Web site so we can get people hitting on our Web site and making reservations and say, ‘We’re 30 minutes from Manchester and you can stay with us,'” she said. “Next year, we’re going to be much better prepared for Bonnaroo.”
Chrisawn noted tourism dollars from an event like Bonnaroo not only provide local businesses with an extra surge of clients, but help local governments as well in the form of hotel or motel taxes and sales taxes.