Super Bowl Expected To Generate $150 Million In Spending For Indianapolis

A Pricewaterhouse Coopers analysis projects this year's Super Bowl in Indianapolis will generate $150 million in spending by the NFL, businesses and visitors on lodging, transportation, meals, entertainment, business services, and other hospitality and tourism activities. According to the analysis, spending at this year's Super Bowl will be on par with spending at recent Super Bowls in Tampa and Miami in 2009 and 2010. Spending will be below the $200 million level estimated to have been spent on last year's game in Dallas.

"To successfully host the Super Bowl, a destination must not only be capable of providing quality venues, hotels, restaurants, transportation and entertainment, but must also be willing to invest in security, special events, recruitment and volunteer training as well as clean-up and sanitation," said Robert Canton, director, sports and tourism sector, PwC US. "Indianapolis has a history of strong commitment by its leaders to create and sustain a tourism industry based largely on major sporting events and conventions."

With a newly renovated convention center, a concentration of quality hotels downtown, and a great history of hosting events like the Indy 500 and several NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four games, Indianapolis has shown it is an ideal location to host major sporting events," Canton said.

The analysis does not factor in the added costs the state and local community is incurring in order to host the event, or the millions of dollars in foregone tax revenues the state and local government gave up from the event as a consequence of a special tax break enacted by the state legislature to entice the NFL to hold the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, taxes that would have been collected for hosting other similar events. The city is also giving the NFL free and exclusive use of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center and about 6,000 downtown parking spaces, representing an additional loss of revenues that would have been collected from other similar events. It should be pointed out that post analysis of two most recent Super Bowls in Dallas and Miami showed a negligible change in tax revenues collected by state and local governments during the big event over prior year's revenue collections.