Home Economy Economic Activity NCAA hockey tourney, despite challenges, brought in $1.9M in economic impact

NCAA hockey tourney, despite challenges, brought in $1.9M in economic impact

By

James Bessette

-

04/05/2024

THE BOSTON COLLEGE men's hockey team celebrates an overtime win March 31 over Quinnipiac University in the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The hockey regional brought in $1.9 million in economic impact to the area. / COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE MEN'S HOCKEY

PROVIDENCE – Although hotel performance was weaker than what Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau officials hoped for on March 29-31, hockey “March Madness” in downtown still brought in both plenty of fans and seven figures in economic impact. According to data from PWCVB, the direct-spend value for the area when the regional rounds of

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Understanding Breast Health: The Vital Role of Annual Screenings

Breast health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, and regular screenings play a vital…

Learn More

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

PROVIDENCE – Although hotel performance was weaker than what Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau officials hoped for on March 29-31, hockey “March Madness” in downtown still brought in both plenty of fans and seven figures in economic impact. According to data from PWCVB, the direct-spend value for the area when the regional rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Tournament were held at the Amica Mutual Pavilion was $1.9 million. Additionally, 750 hotel rooms were blocked for the hockey tournament, PWCVB CEO and President Kristen Adamo told Providence Business News. Also, 12,823 total fans attended the three NCAA regional games played at the AMP that weekend, said John Diamond, assistant athletic director for Brown University – the host college for the NCAA regional. As a result, the Providence regional location was the highest-attended NCAA hockey regional in the country, Diamond said. “The ticket sales leading up to knowing who the participants were, we had a few thousand tickets sold weeks in advance,” Diamond said. “There was a strong contingent from the greater New England and Northeast hockey fans who made their plans [to go to the games].” Diamond also said there is a “financial incentive” that Brown receives for hosting the NCAA regional but did not have additional specifics. He also expects there “to be interest” in the NCAA in having the city host the hockey tournament again in the future. The city next year will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The overall economic results from March 29-31 were a bit mixed due to multiple factors. Two of the four participating teams in the hockey regional were from New England – Boston College and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. If there were more teams playing that were based further away from Rhode Island, “it would have helped [the hotel numbers] considerably,” PWCVB Vice President Thomas Riel said. Easter Sunday also fell on March 31, the day of the regional final, and Riel said there was “not a lot of leisure transient to create compression.” James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.