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Austin Marathon Honored as a 2018 Champion of Economic Impact

Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism awarded by Sports Destination Management

The Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour is proud to be named a 2018 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports tourism by Sports Destination Management. The Austin Marathon, produced by High Five Events, one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States, injected $37.5 million into the Austin economy during race weekend, a $3.1 million (8 percent) increase from 2017. High Five Events partnered with the expert faculty at St. Edward’s University’s Bill Munday School of Business to calculate the findings.

“The Austin Marathon’s annual multi-million dollar economic impact benefits Austin and stimulates our local economy,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler. “We’re proud to host one of the country’s top marathons, one that annually attracts runners from all 50 states and more than 30 countries. More runners are realizing there’s no better city to recover in!”

Other large-market champions include 2018 NCAA Final Four, 2018 NFL Draft, and The Honda Classic. Sports Destination Management is the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market. They announced the 2018 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism in a special feature in their November/December issue. This year’s winners are responsible for contributing more than $700 million to the national economy over the past year.

Austin Marathon contributed $37.5 million to the Austin economy in 2018

“The Austin Marathon is an excellent example of a sports event that showcases the City of Austin and offers multiple options that appeal to everyone, from the veteran endurance runner to the person who is dipping a toe into the waters of racing for the first time,” Mary Helen Sprecher, Managing Editor, Sports Destination Management. “The fact that this event has such a positive economic impact only reinforces the value of these events to the city and to the greater fitness community as a whole.”

The Austin Marathon will celebrate its 28th year running in the capital of Texas in 2019. Austin’s flagship running event annually attracts runners from all 50 states and 30+ countries around the world. Having start and finish locations in the heart of downtown Austin puts participants and spectators near all the action and within walking distance of restaurants, hotels, and shops. Finishing with the picturesque Texas State Capitol as your backdrop is icing on the cake for the perfect running weekend destination. Registration is open for all distances.

2018 Austin Marathon Contributes $37.5 Million to Austin Economy

Race weekend once again proves financially beneficial for Austin economy

The 2018 Austin Marathon® injected $37.5 million into the Austin economy during race weekend. Click To Tweet The Austin Marathon was able to better calculate its economic impact by utilizing the faculty expertise at St. Edward’s University’s Bill Munday School of Business for the second year in a row. This year’s economic impact on the City of Austin is a $3.1 million (8 percent) increase from the 2017 event.

“The increase of this year’s economic impact report highlights the growth of Austin’s flagship running event, the ever-increasing financial impact it has on the city, and the belief that Austin is a destination for runners from around the world,” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events.

An ever-growing partnership

Dr. Ali Dadpay conducted the research for the 2018 Austin Marathon economic impact report. He is a professor of Economics for The Bill Munday School of Business. This year, Dr. Dadpay also looked at High Five Events’ localized spending, volunteer contributions, and jobs created, to measure the direct, indirect and induced economic impact. Dr. Dadpay expects the Austin Marathon’s economic impact to continue growing with the increase of out-of-state and overseas participants and the addition of new routes and new airlines at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

“The Austin Marathon is becoming a driver of sustainable development in Austin’s metropolitan area and we can see its continuity is paying dividends for our economy,” said Dr. Dadpay. “The Austin Marathon’s economic impact is widespread, benefiting the tourism and hospitality industries the most.

In 2019, High Five Events and St. Edward’s will work to better understand spectator contributions, the value generated by social media, digital marketing, and digital brand recognition. This is an understudied aspect of such events. Other cities are looking into ways to measure the true impact of marathon events. The Austin Marathon is excited about the continued growth of their partnership with St. Edward’s University.

2017 Austin Marathon Contributes $34.4 Million to Austin Economy

Findings stem from enhanced community collaboration with St. Edward’s University experts

High Five Events is proud to announce that the Austin Marathon® presented by NXP pumped $34.4 million into the Austin economy during race weekend. The Austin Marathon was able to better calculate its economic impact by utilizing the faculty expertise at St. Edward’s University’s Bill Munday School of Business. This year’s economic impact on the City of Austin is an $8.7 million increase from the 2016 event.

“This year’s economic contributions by the Austin Marathon showcase the growth of Austin’s flagship running event, the staggering financial impact it has on the city of Austin, and the idea that Austin is a destination for runners from around the world,” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events.

Dr. Ali Dadpay, associate dean, MBA director, and professor of Economics for The Bill Munday School of Business, conducted the research for the 2017 Austin Marathon economic impact report. Dr. Dadpay achieved the report’s primary goal of incorporating more data, including High Five Events’ localized spending, volunteer contributions and jobs created, to measure the direct, indirect and induced economic impact.

“The Austin Marathon is an example of a sports event which vitalizes the local economy and creates significant revenue for the city and the local business community,” said Dr. Dadpay. “We have used estimated spending and estimated averages to aggregate total spending. The multiplier effect for this event is significant, and we can believe it impacts all economic sectors in our region.”

Moving forward, both parties will work to understand spectator contributions and the value generated by the Austin Marathon in social media, digital marketing, and digital brand recognition. This is an understudied aspect of such events, and other cities are looking into ways to measure the true impact of marathon events. The Austin Marathon is excited about the direction of the St. Edward’s University partnership.

“The Bill Munday School of Business focuses on supporting the Austin community with practical research that facilitates economic growth,” said Dr. Nancy Schreiber, school of business dean. “Our partnership with the Austin business ecosystem is a central force to providing relevant 21 st century business education.”

Austin Marathon and St. Edward’s University Broaden Partnership

Collaboration will focus on enhanced economic impact and highlight St. Edward’s University experts

High Five Events is proud to announce the expanded partnership between St. Edward’s University and  the Austin Marathon® presented by NXP. Two of Austin’s more recognized entities will work together to showcase the marathon’s economic impact on Austin by engaging faculty expertise at The Bill Munday School of Business.

“The Austin Marathon’s economic impact has always been a stimulator for the local economy” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events. “Strengthening our relationship with St. Edward’s will magnify what we’re doing and provide a report that better represents the true economic impact.”

By expanding the partnership with St. Edward’s University, the Austin Marathon will have access to some of the top economic experts in the country, including Associate Dean, Ali Dadpay, who is leading the research for the economic impact report. The 2017 report will include High Five Event’s localized spending, volunteer contributions, jobs created, vendor and supplier additions, and sponsors’ spending. Like previous reports, how much money was spent by participants on hotels, travel, entertainment, and meals will be included.

“This economic impact study allows The Bill Munday School of Business to continue its mission driven work by engaging Austin’s business community in finding answers to important questions for our regional economy,” said Ali Dadpay, MBA director for The Bill Munday School of Business. “As Austin continues to grow as a hub of innovation and economic activity, it is important to generate knowledge locally – about local challenges and opportunities – using globally accepted methods and benchmarks.”

The 2016 Austin Marathon contributed $25.7 million to the Austin economy.

About NXP Semiconductors: NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security and privacy, and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has 45,000 employees in more than 35 countries and posted revenue of $6.1 billion in 2015. Find out more at www.nxp.com.

About St. Edward’s University: St. Edward’s University is a private, liberal arts college in the Catholic, Holy Cross tradition with approximately 4,600 students. Located in Austin, Texas, it is one of the top universities in Texas and offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including MBA programs and a master’s degree in counseling. With a network of partner universities around the world, St. Edward’s is a diverse community with programs designed to inspire students with a global perspective. St. Edward’s University has been recognized for 14 consecutive years as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report and ranks in the top 20 Best Regional Universities in the Western Region. For more information on St. Edward’s University, visit stedwards.edu/about.