STUDY REVEALS $70 MILLION IMPACT ON STATE ECONOMY FOR THE DODGE TOUR DE GEORGIA
ATLANTA, Ga. (June 17, 2004) – The impact of the Dodge Tour de Georgia on the state's economy was close to $70 million, as determined by an impact analysis conducted by the Research Services group with the Economic Development Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The 2004 Dodge Tour de Georgia, the country's premier, professional cycling stage race, attracted 748,000 spectators as 120 pro cyclists raced through 23 cities in six days this past April, covering 653 miles.
As a vehicle to promote tourism and create positive economic impact, the Dodge Tour de Georgia commissioned two separate studies to gauge the attitudes, composition and spending patterns of visitors. The Economic Development Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted intercept surveys with spectators in five host cities gathering data on hometown location, expenditures, and length of stay, among other things. McKinsey & Company conducted, on a pro bono basis, a Crowd Profile Study in four of the 11 host cities of the 2004 Dodge Tour de Georgia that included questions about the event, cycling related activities, general fitness/nutrition and basic demographic information.
"In only our second year, the Dodge Tour de Georgia has surpassed all expectations for its positive economic impact on the state, and its philanthropic impact for the Georgia Cancer Coalition. This event showcases the best professional cyclists from North America and around the world, but also entertains a significant number of media and visitors, and employs a wide variety of Georgia vendors. The event is now proven to benefit all Georgians," said Stan Holm, executive director of the Dodge Tour de Georgia. The event is owned and operated by the Georgia Partnership for Economic Development (GPED), a non-profit foundation. GPED partners with the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism to conduct the event. Tourism is Georgia's second largest industry behind agriculture.
Significant findings from the Georgia Tech research showed $39 million of direct impact on the state economy by analyzing visitor expenditures from intercept surveys in five host cities and extrapolating these findings to the other host cities. The higher number of $70 million is an estimate of the event's total impact on the state economy from recirculation of the direct impacts. Intercept surveys were conducted in Alpharetta, Brasstown Bald Mountain, Dahlonega, Dalton and Macon; each of these locations hosted a start or finish location (Macon had both).
"The Dodge Tour de Georgia exceeded our expectations in a number of areas, including lodging, retail sales, restaurant sales, fan support, and media exposure," said Chip Cherry, president of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, whose city was part of both studies. "The economic impact of over $3.1 million in Macon/Bibb County, coupled with the long-term benefits of healthy lifestyles education and health screenings, made this an outstanding event for Macon and Middle Georgia!"
The Georgia Tech study found that 31% of respondents traveled from outside the state of Georgia, representing 36 states across the country. 58% of all respondents had booked at least one overnight stay in a Georgia city. And among the day-tripper audience, they averaged two days spent traveling to watch the Dodge Tour de Georgia.
In addition to professional bicycle racing, which featured Lance Armstrong (USPS Pro Cycling) as this year's winner, hundreds of thousands of spectators were provided entertainment and educational experiences from local sponsors and the Healthy Georgia Expo, presented by GE Healthcare. 60% of individuals surveyed by Georgia Tech said they were interested in healthy lifestyle information; another 32% expressed an interest in cancer information for themselves or a family member or friend.
"The Healthy Georgia Expo is our centerpiece to spread the message of cancer prevention, early detection, awareness and treatment at the Dodge Tour de Georgia, known as Georgia's Race to Defeat Cancer," said Bill Todd, president and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition. "We were thrilled to have huge crowds every day at the Expo. The overall value provided to the GCC with media exposure is expected to surpass $2.5 million, doubling the number from 2003."
According to the McKinsey survey, which was conducted in Athens, Columbus, Macon and Rome, 90% of spectators surveyed exercised at least two times each week. While 61% of them cycled themselves at least one time per week, either recreationally or competitively, the next highest participant activity named was walking. This parallels a study done by the National Association of Sporting Goods Retailers, which found recently that the two greatest participant sports activities across the country were walking and cycling. This study found 64.3 million people participate in road or off road cycling each year. Of these recreational cyclists, the median age was 32 with a household income of $95,000.
With the USPS Pro Cycling team and many international squads participating in the race and enhanced activities at host cities attracting huge crowds, the Dodge Tour de Georgia experienced increased demand for corporate sponsorships and hospitality in 2004. For Dodge, the title sponsor, the results of both studies were similar in the overall demographics, and verified the significance of the event for their local dealers. Both studies showed spectators had an average income between $70,000 to $90,000, and a majority between the ages of 25 to 54.
"For Dodge, the Georgia Tech study findings serve as an important barometer and further validation for our support of this great event," said Craig Fisher, director of marketing and product planning at Dodge. "In addition to supporting the state's efforts in the fight against cancer, we were particularly pleased to see that 82% of spectators questioned in the study liked the fact that an automobile manufacturer cared to do more than sell cars. Equally satisfying, a majority of spectators said they had a positive opinion of the Dodge brand, and that is very important to our overall strategy."
McKinsey Crowd Profile Study * Highlights:
Questions related to the Dodge Tour de Georgia event, cycling related activities, general fitness/nutrition and basic demographic information. Crowd surveys averaged 120 respondents in each of 11 host cities.
Spectator Demographics:
ð 59% male
ð median age 40
ð average gross annual income $90,000
ð 57% of all respondents (male and female) were parents of children
Cycling Related Activities:
ð Majority of respondents like watching cycling races or wanted to see U.S. stars (53%)
ð Only half of the respondents had been to at least one other bicycle race in the past year
ð 61% of respondents cycle competitively or recreationally at least one time each week
ð 80% said they cycled for fitness/health reasons
ð Average respondent spends over $570 each year on bicycles and accessories
ð 69% of respondents expected to spend that much or more on bicycle parts/accessories or clothing/shoes in the next 12 months.
General Fitness and Nutrition:
ð 90% of respondents exercise at least two times each week
ð The top two participant sports listed (44% or more listed these activities) were cycling and walking; the next two sports listed were weights (strength training) and running.
ð 58% consume sports drinks several times a week or daily
ð 55% eat low fat snacks several times a week or daily
ð 66% consume fortified juice several times a week or daily
Georgia Institute of Technology Impact Analysis * Highlights:
This study's primary goal was to determine economic impact of the race. However 1,080 respondents from five cities were interviewed for general demographic and tourism information. Potential respondents who didn't represent impact attributable to the event were eliminated from the interviewing process. Criteria for elimination included:
• Those who were attending the Tour de Georgia in their home county; those who stated they would have made the trip anyway, even if the Tour de Georgia were not being held; and, those who did not intend to view the race or participate in any of the surrounding events.
Primary purpose of trip: Would return to this event next time:
ð See the race 84.7% Agree/strongly agree 93.0%
ð Business 7.4% Neutral 5.3%
ð Combined business/pleasure 2.2% Disagree/strongly disagree 1.7%
ð Visit friends/relatives 2.1%
Reason Attracted to Healthy GA Expo: Gender of Respondent:
ð Wanted healthy lifestyle info 59.4% Male 65.3%
ð Wanted cancer info for self 15.1% Female 34.7%
ð Wanted cancer info for family/friends 16.5%
ð Cancer survivor 6.5%
ð Other 30.2%
"I like that an automobile manufacturer cares to do more than sell cars."
ð Agree/strongly agree 81.5%
ð Neutral 13.6%
ð Disagree/strongly disagree 4.9%
"Having visited Tour de Georgia, my opinion of Dodge has changed for the better."
ð Agree/strongly agree 59.0%
ð Neutral 32.0%
ð Disagree/strongly disagree 8.9%
Visitor Origin (excludes local county residents)
Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA) 3.1%
North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, IA, MO, NB, ND) 5.4%
South (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV, AL, KY, MS, TN, LA, OK, TX) 89.6%
FL 7.1%, GA 54.3%
NC 6.9%, SC 4.0%
AL 4.0%, TN 8.1%
West (CO, NV, UT, CA, OR) 1.9%
ABOUT THE DODGE TOUR DE GEORGIA
The Dodge Tour de Georgia is America's premier, professional cycling event and rolling festival of community events that is held over six days each year. In 2004, the event attracted 750,000 spectators for the week, who watched 15 international teams compete across 653 miles for $100,000 in prize money. The Dodge Tour is sanctioned by the UCI (2.3) and USA Cycling (2.1) as a premier event for elite athletes around the world. The Tour's official beneficiary is the Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC), raising funds and proactively promoting the objectives of cancer education, prevention, early detection and treatment. The Dodge Tour de Georgia is owned and operated by The Georgia Partnership for Economic Development (GPED). The official website is www.dodgetourdegeorgia.com.
ABOUT GCC
THE GEORGIA CANCER COALITION leads Georgia's comprehensive cancer initiative, uniting people and organizations to work together to save lives and reduce suffering from cancer. As a public-private partnership, the Coalition works to strengthen existing cancer related programs and create new initiatives that accelerate cancer prevention, early detection, education, and leading edge research and treatment to make the highest level of care accessible to all Georgians. Through leadership and funding, the Georgia Cancer Coalition provides guidance and assistance for using Georgia's resources in the fight to reverse the cancer mortality and incidence rates. The Coalition is the first of its kind in the nation and is fast becoming a national model. MOBILIZING GEORGIA. IMMOBILIZING CANCER.
ABOUT GPED and GDITT
The Georgia Partnership for Economic Development is a non-profit foundation which operates as a public-private partnership with the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism in attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, promoting the state as a location for film and video projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.
ABOUT DODGE
Dodge has an extensive history of power and diversity that only being "Ram tough" can bring. A member of the Chrysler Group and part of the global DaimlerChrysler family, it is backed by strong research and development and its products are at the cutting edge of technology in their respective segment, offering its customers the best there is in terms of innovation, design, safety, quality, service and the sheer enjoyment of owning one of their products. The company has undergone many changes through the years, but two things remain constant – innovation and leadership. Representing the best car and truck values in America, it has the rich heritage of one of America's finest entrepreneurial legacies. From its line of performance cars to its commercial vehicles, all Dodge cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans combine performance, design ingenuity and inventive function