Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle
However, there has to be some value at least. Take these scenarios. If just one person decides to come into town for just one night, to see a game or a show at a rink, that one person buying a ticket, getting a hotel room, paying for a cab, buying drinks and a meal on a trip they would not have made if the event wasn't going on, has just made an incremental positive impact to the city. Now of course, one person wouldn't justify any spend on such a facility, but how many people do that, I don't know, or how many locals spend money each night of an event that they wouldn't spend in Calgary if a game or concert wasn't on. The previous scenario happens every night there is an event on at the dome, it create value, in my mind that's not debatable, but how much value, and does it create even close to enough to warrant spend by the city.......that's very debatable for sure.
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In this case.. the same scenario happens whether the owners get a new arena or they play in the Saddledome.
Just think of the recent lockout... did the Calgary economy suffer at all because of it? The arena was sitting empty for a long while and i doubt there was much impact. The bars/restaurants around the arena may have suffered, but most of the money that would have been spent there would have been spent in other areas of the city.