Local officials overestimate interest in tourism after reading online posts
According to records obtained by Indiana Public Media, Indiana University, which is funded by taxpayers, lost $1.3 million on the eclipse event.
The Big Ten university in Bloomington spent $1.6 million on the “Hoosier Cosmic Celebration,” and about 33 percent of that money went toward entertainment.
Indiana Public Media reported that the entertainment included “Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Janelle Monae, Emmy-winning Star Trek star William Shatner and astronaut Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in space.” “Also featured were local performers like the Marching Hundred, Jacobs music students and IU dancers.”
The university ended up giving away free tickets to students. Even after distributing more than 9,000 tickets, the event only attracted between 3,000 and 4,000 attendees.
The school earned $268,190.25 on tickets, parking, and sponsorships. But it spent $771,496.88 on the event, plus facilities, stage, and staff. It spent more than $135,000 on “campus grants,” “staff meals,” and signage.
The university isn't the only one hyping up the eclipse phenomenon. There are plenty of places across Indiana where you can see the eclipse for free, as long as you go outside.
“We’re going to have anywhere from 75,000 to 200,000 people coming to Monroe County on or around April 8 to see this event,” Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington, previously told Indiana Public Media. He said more than 2 million people could travel to Indiana for the event, making it “the largest tourism event in the history of the state of Indiana.”
Instead, about 50,000 people came to Monroe County.
When asked where the original estimate came from, McAfee said, “I don't know.”
“I'm just reading online reports and things like that. So it might have been a mistake to take estimates from reading other articles, from media reports and things like that on the Internet.”
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