Waterfront Event Brings In Beer Drinkers Of All Ages And Attracts Several Out-Of-Town Visitors
Let’s have a big “cheers” for people drinking lots of beers!
The Oregon Brewfest, an annual event that takes place the end of July at a waterfront park in downtown Portland, reports the 2012 event poured $30 million into the local economy.
Here are specifics, as detailed by Jeff Dense, Professor of Political Science at Eastern Oregon University, from a survey his Politics and Beer class conducted on the grounds of the festival:
• The $8.9 Million indirect economic impact of the Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) affects 91 local industry sectors more than $10,000.
• More than 350 jobs were created.
• The 2012 OBF generated a total added value of $11.8 million.
• Visiting OBF patrons spent an average of $649.
• Accommodations ($9.31 million) and food and drink ($7.96 million) accounted for the majority of OBF visitor expenditures.
• The majority of OBF patrons were out-of-town visitors (Bar Blogger note: This is the most interesting statistic of the survey.)
• Nearly a third (30.3%) of OBF attendees participated in beer tourism during their visit, visiting area breweries and brewpubs.
• More than half of OBF patrons (52.1%) were attending the festival for the first time.
• Women accounted for a significant percentage (33%) of OBF attendees.
• While 21-29 year old attendees constitute the largest age demographic (30.2%) of OBF patrons, the 50+ crowd has a significant presence (26%) at the festival.
The same study was conducted after the 2011 event, which estimated the economic impact at $23.2 Million.
For those attending – and the Bar Blogger has been to it – this is a great event. It annually draws 80,000 visitors and the 26th annual event will take place July 25- 28, 2013. The event’s website is: www.oregonbrewfest.com.
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