A Bonnaroo plan could be a cash cow
Since Bonnaroo is held on 600 acres of pasture land in Coffee County, it’s only fitting to say that devising a plan to capitalize on music festival traffic could be a cash cow for Warren County.
It doesn’t take much more than a look at the numbers to determine that.
Before this year’s Bonnaroo, promoters estimated attendance at around 100,000 people. But anyone who attended — and witnessed the endless fields of tents as far as the eye could see — knows that estimate could be doubled and it would still probably be on the low side.
With hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the Midstate, it only makes sense to capitalize on the sales opportunities. And with promoters saying Bonnaroo is a go for at least three more years, this county, its Chamber of Commerce, and area businesses have time to figure out how to make the system work for us.
ABC Ice owner Jim Carden was one of a handful of local businesses which had their product directly available at Bonnaroo. Carden sold his ice to companies who, in turn, distributed to Bonnaroo vendors.
“Bonnaroo is a boost,” said Carden, “not just for me selling a few more bags of ice, but it’s a boost for the whole Midstate area. Locally, we tend to think about what it’s doing for Warren County, but people travel through Murfreesboro, they come in and out of Chattanooga. The impact to the Midstate in just gas sales has to be incredible. I look at it as a positive event for our town and our merchants.”
What makes the news even better for Warren County is Highway 55 has been determined to be a “favorable” route for Bonnaroo travelers. It’s a four-lane road straight to the event site. Just as importantly, Highway 55 sidesteps Interstate 24 which has been a logjam the first two years of Bonnaroo.
To use another barnyard analogy, routing traffic through Warren County is like giving the county a golden goose. By comparison, travelers were directed on the Bonnaroo Web site to avoid going through Manchester this year — a fact which infuriated business owners there.
While we are all still admittedly in the learning stages when it comes to Bonnaroo, the time has come to realize what we’ve got. Without any extra advertising or effort on our part, around 200,000 tourists will be converging on our beloved town at this time next year. It only makes sense seize the opportunity and run with it.
If that means working with Bonnaroo organizers to establish local links on their Web site, it should be explored. If that means erecting large signs that say “Welcome Bonnaroo travelers,” it should be explored. If that means selling burgers on the side of Highway 55, it should be explored. If that means working in conjunction with the Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, it should be explored.
Warren County has tried to promote itself as a tourist destination — and rightfully so. This area has great beauty and a great many things to offer.
Warren County has also enjoyed success with its annual bike race, and other outdoor events such as kayaking and skydiving. For that we should also be proud.
In the case of Bonnaroo, most of the work has already been done. Thousands of travelers bound for a third Bonnaroo will almost certainly be cruising through Warren County next year. It’s instant business at the snap of a finger and we should be waiting, willing and able to capitalize.