THUNDER BY THE BAY SUCCESSFUL FOR LOCAL CHARITY & ECONOMY
THUNDER BY THE BAY SUCCESSFUL FOR LOCAL CHARITY & ECONOMY
Thunder By The Bay’s relocation to the Sarasota Fairgrounds, $5 gate admission, and a date change to mid-February proved to be very successful this year raising over $180,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children. This is the most money the event has ever raised for the charity which supports five local non-profit agencies in Sarasota County (Children First, The Florida Center, Loveland Center, The Haven, and Sarasota County Special Olympics).
A report received from Research Data Services indicated that the three-day music and motorcycle festival yielded an economic impact of $7.1 Million and supported 5,900 room nights in area lodgings. Total combined expenditures of out-of-county visitors and donors to the event totaled $3.8 Million, with over 93.8 % of attendees surveyed indicating that they plan to attend next year’s Festival. Of the out-of-county (non-Sarasota resident) attendees, 83.6% came from other parts of Florida and 16.4% came from outside of Florida.
“Thunder By The Bay has always been about raising money for children, teens, and adults with special needs in our local area. Each year the necessary costs to run the Festival increase. By charging a first time $5 gate admission we were able to finally move the needle on the net proceeds going back to the charity which was our primary goal for this year,” indicated Festival Director Lucy Nicandri.
Since the Festival first began, over $1.9 Million has been raised for charity. Next year’s Festival is scheduled to take place Feb. 14-16, 2020 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. For information visit: thunderbythebay.org
2019 Thunder by the Bay Music and Motorcycle Festival Visitor and Economic Impact Study
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
This study of the 2019 Thunder by the Bay Music and Motorcycle Festival was implemented to document its economic impact on Sarasota County. Attendance estimates provided by the event’s organizers suggest some 50,000 people attended events related to Thunder by the Bay from February 14 – 17, 2019. The Sarasota City Police Department and Suncoast Charities for Children generated these crowd estimates. Fully 94.5% of out-of-county attendees of Thunder by the Bay came to Sarasota because of the event. The total estimated economic impact of out-of-county attendees and donors to the 2019 Thunder by the Bay Music and Motorcycle yielded $7,117,300 and supported 5,900 room nights in area lodgings.
PROFILE OF VISITORS ATTENDING THE 2019 THUNDER BY THE BAY EVENTS
- Of the estimated 50,000 people who attended the 2019 Thunder by the Bay events, some 43.8% live in Sarasota County year-round or seasonally {Q1}.
- Non-resident attendees (56.2% of total) distribute as follows {Q1}:
% of Total
Day-Trippers 43.1%
Overnight Visitors 13.1 - Of the out-of-county (non-Sarasota resident) attendees, 83.6% traveled from other parts of Florida and 16.4% came from outside of Florida. {Q1 and Q2}.
- The typical overnight visitor party attending the 2019 Thunder by the Bay had an average party size of 2.5 people and spent a median of 3.0 nights in the local area {Q3 and Q5}.
- Day-trippers traveled with an average party of 2.8 people {Q3}.
- Better than half (60.8%) of 2019 event attendees are Harley-Davidson owners {Q8}.
- Non-residents traveled to the area using the following transportation modes {Q7} (multiple response):
Motorcycle 74.2%
Personal Car 27.1 - Out-of-town visitors cite the following information sources about Thunder by the Bay {Q11} (multiple response):
Previous Visits to the Event 46.3%
Internet 42.7
Recommendation 28.2
Magazines/News Stories/TV/Radio 26.8
Posters/Flyers 14.5
Other Bike Events 12.1
Motorcycle Club/Organization 10.8 - A majority of attendees (93.8%) plan to attend
next year’s Thunder by the Bay event {Q13}. Specifically:
Plan to Return
Residents/Seasonal Residents 97.4%
Day-Trippers 95.4
Overnight Visitors 76.2
Estimated Attendee Economic Impacts
Direct Economic Expenditures
Day-Trippers $993,100
Overnight Visitors $2,658,400
Total Attendee Impacts $3,651,500
Multiplier: 1.8978 US Bureau of Economic Analysis. RIMS II Output Multipliers
Direct Economic Impact
Day-Trippers $1,884,700
Overnight Visitors $5,045,100
Total Attendee Impacts $6,929,800
Multiplier: 1.8978 US Bureau of Economic Analysis. RIMS II Output Multipliers
Additional Economic Impacts * Impacts
Value of In-Kind Out-of-County Media Coverage $110,900
Suncoast Charities Donations 76,600
Total Direct Expenditures $187,500
* Source: Lucy Nicandri, Suncoast Charities for Children
The total combined expenditures of out-of-county visitors and donors to the 2019 Thunder by the Bay are $3,839,000. The direct and indirect economic impact yields $7,117,300. Additionally, Sarasota residents spent an estimated $841,200 at the event. The event supported an estimated 5,900 room nights in area lodgings.
Attendees average 49.6 years of age and report a median household income of $106,276. The age distribution is: 23.7% 40 years or younger, 26.0% 41 – 50 years of age, 34.3% 51 – 60 years of age, and 15.9% 61 years of age or older. Fully 88.1% of Thunder by the Bay attendees are Caucasian. Some 67.9% of attendees are male and 32.1% are female.
The findings of the study are based on 285 face-to-face interviews conducted with randomly selected visitors at the 2019 Thunder by the Bay. Research Data Services, Inc. is responsible for the design and analysis of this project. The research was implemented by staff interviewers, trained, and supervised by RDS professionals. The study questionnaire, processing softwares, optical scanning programs, and related materials developed and used in and for this project, as well as this report are protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America.