The 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will welcome its millionth fan this weekend, marking the 21th consecutive year that the league championship has been held in St. Louis, and the 17th year in a row at Scottrade Center.
In a just-concluded economic impact study conducted by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), Chief Economist Ruth Sergenian, notes, “The Missouri Valley Conference events will have a projected overall economic impact on the St. Louis region of up to $15.1 million, with an estimated $7.8 million in direct spending by visiting fans on admissions, concessions, hotels, meals and in-town travel, and an additional $7.3 million in indirect impact, as those dollars circulate through the St. Louis economy.”
The analysis assumes that approximately 50,000 fans, 65% to 70% of whom will be from out of town, will attend the games over the four-day period.
CBS will televise the championship game nationally on Sunday, March 6th. All of the other games will be televised by Fox Sports and Comcast Chicago regional sports cable networks.
