Quote:
Originally Posted by Realtor 1
Off the top of my head
- Madona
- One Direction
- Taylor Swift
- Rhianna (not 100% on this one)
It is not just the small percentage of hotel tax. It is that hotel room actually being booked or that restaurant being eaten at. In the grand scale, such a project would make inner city business more successful which translates to a long chain of positive economics for the city.
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That's all nice, but again I'll argue that a nice little bump for Earl's, or a multi-national hotel group doesn't necessarily translate into as much local benefit as we might hope. I don't dispute that there may be some missed opportunities here, but I think it's possible that dumping a half billion out of a helicopter into this city might have more impact.
Also important to remember that AEG and Live Nation are used to booking these mega-acts in only a few PNW and Western Canadian cities. A new building is no guarantee that they will actually come here. I'm sure they would try doubling up YEG and YYC a few times, but if the numbers aren't strong enough you can bet it will return to an either/or situation.
The other thing to consider if this whole missed-opportunities thing is meant to be such a factor, is that a west arena could spell the end of Stampede-time concerts (usually ~5/year), which tend to include some country acts...which probably have a stronger 'one-night-visit' draw for rural Albertans. This of course depends greatly on what happens with the 'Dome. Calgary is an anchor date for many of those shows (i.e. among the first dates booked for a tour, with other venues scheduled around it). It's a very complicated and interesting relationship, as Stampede (actually a subsidiary of Stampede) manages those bookings...Stampede essentially gets to run the 'Dome for those 10 days, and I'm not sure it's a typical 'tenant' situation. All very speculative, but no more than the potential benefits.