Sheffield pockets £2.5m from World Snooker Championship
SHEFFIELD’s businesses got a £2.5m boost as a direct result of hosting the World Snooker Championships in the city.
Research revealed a direct positive impact on the Sheffield economy mainly through spending on accommodation, food and drink by visiting players, officials, media and spectators.
More than 18,000 commercial bed nights were generated. In addition to pubs, restaurants and coffee shops, the city’s entertainment, retail and travel sectors also benefited. The economic impact was slightly higher than in 2008.
Visitors to the city for the event had an extremely positive opinion of Sheffield with 82% saying that it is an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ place to visit.
More than half said they would consider a repeat visit in the next 12 months, outside the timeframe of the World Snooker Championships.
David Fletcher of Creative Sheffield, who led the negotiations with World Snooker on behalf of the city said: “The enduring popularity of the World Snooker Championships among spectators is excellent news for Sheffield.
“This study demonstrates why we have worked hard to develop a strategic relationship with World Snooker to retain the event for a further five years.”
Cllr Sylvia Dunkley, the council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism added: “Having hosted this event every year since 1977, the World Snooker Championships are now part of the city’s identity.
“And from 2010, the Championships will be staged in our ‘new look’ Crucible Theatre – now truly a world class venue for a world class event.”
The study also estimated the commercial value of the ‘place marketing’ exposure through the BBC and Eurosport television coverage.
The BBC provided 126 hours of coverage during the 17 days of the Championship. In total, the value of the television exposure is an estimated £3.12m excluding any additional coverage through the BBC website.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said the World Snooker Championships was one of the most significant sporting events staged by Yorkshire.
“In addition to the direct economic impact, it provides Sheffield and the region with valuable media exposure that positively influences the perceptions of visitors.”
Officials said that the economic impact more than vindicated efforts made to confirm Sheffield’s new five year deal to stage the Betfred.com World Snooker Championships until 2015.
The new agreement was facilitated by Creative Sheffield and the City Council, and will be funded by Sheffield City Council in partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire, the region’s new tourism agency.
