Major events across the area are rivaling or exceeding the number of attendees.
Hamvention broke its record this year, drawing 33,861 amateur radio enthusiasts from across the globe, according to the bureau. Held at the Greene County Expo Center in Xenia, the largest Ham radio convention in the world exceeded its previous record by over 1,300 people, and had more than 2,000 more attendees than last year.
For comparison, in 2019, Hamvention brought in 32,472 attendees, with an economic impact of $15 million to $18 million, according to the bureau.
Trans Am Nationals, which draws automobile enthusiasts of the entire Pontiac Firebird line, will be Aug. 26-28 at the Holiday Inn in Fairborn, 2600 Presidential Drive. The event smashed its own attendance record in 2022, and may do so again this year, Wright said. Trans Am Nationals is one of the largest single model car shows in the country, and features a swap meet, vendors, cruise-in and entertainment, food vendors, along with nearly 500 Trans Am Firebirds on display.
Though event attendance across the region returned robustly in 2022, the return of international travelers has spurred this year’s numbers, Wright said.
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
“International travel was pretty much dead during the pandemic. And even last year, in 2022, there was very few,” she said.
Because of the proximity to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the area is a popular destination for military reunions.
Greene County is also a major destination for youth soccer, between major events held by the Beavercreek Soccer Association and Xenia-based Athletes in Action. Five youth soccer tournaments held over the course of the year bring teams from all over the Midwest, and each generate over a million dollars in economic impact annually, Wright said.
Both event types have worked as a litmus test for the industry’s pandemic recovery.
“When we started seeing the youth sporting events coming back, the military reunions coming back, that was really good,” Wright said.
While inflation and the threat of economic downturn have made pulling off events more difficult, demand for community events has remained strong.
“I think people are still eager, people still have a good positive outlook. People still have that need to be together,” Wright said. “You hate to make plans, because we had big plans for 2020. But I think as long as things keep going smoothly, I think we’re going to have a really good year.”
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
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