  Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 480 Registered: 03-2007 |
So in less than 2 years, Detroit will decend on another huge event that will take us furthur into normality.. | ||
Vintagesoul Member Username: Vintagesoul Post Number: 36 Registered: 06-2007 |
I think that would be just super. =) | ||
Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 481 Registered: 03-2007 |
its gonna be huge,, thousands of college fans and millions of dollars in more development | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3239 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Please explain how the Final Four is going to lead to more development. In the six years I've lived in DC, we've hosted a portion of the NCAA tournament twice. The waiters and bartenders ended up having a good weekend, but I don't know that any new development has been attributed to three lousy college basketball games in the course of one weekend. You guys get excited about absolutely nothing. | ||
Tkelly1986 Member Username: Tkelly1986 Post Number: 407 Registered: 01-2004 |
Compared to the Superbowl how big is this? Moneywise and impact wise....I am asking because I have no idea. | ||
Rockcity2windycity Member Username: Rockcity2windycity Post Number: 251 Registered: 11-2005 |
Good question Tkelly, i'm not sure exactly how big of an impact it will have compared to the superbowl. As a sports fan i will say it's not nearly as huge as the superbowl. The Final Four teams playing also have a big impact because some teams fans travel better than others. My advice is to just enjoy the weekend and maybe even volunteer to help the city prepare and put on a good show when it comes. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1582 Registered: 04-2006 |
Does the host city even get as much press as would happen in other events like a Super Bowl or an All Star (MLB and NBA) game? | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 781 Registered: 03-2006 |
Nothing is as big as the Super Bowl, but the final 4 is bigger then any all star game. The media will be in town from Monday before the games until the following Tuesday. There is a lot of hype and exposure for the host city. There will be a lot of money brought in and contrary to what Danindc said, it is a big deal. And comparing DC to Detroit, and then comparing a tournament game to the final 4 is absurd. | ||
Rockcity2windycity Member Username: Rockcity2windycity Post Number: 252 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thats true Kenp, we've been hosting tournament games at the palace for a couple years now. The Final Four is the big kahuna | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2049 Registered: 06-2006 |
Se we've had the Superbowl, All-Star game, World Series (incidentally), and now the Final Four... Are there any other major events are out there that Detroit can compete for? It will probably be at least another decade before we get the Super Bowl again...and I don't see Detroit realistically hosting the Olympics in my lifetime... What else is out there? | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1583 Registered: 04-2006 |
>Are there any other major events are out there that Detroit can compete for? The NBA All Star game... but honestly, I think Detroit should stay away from that one. It's turned into a Spring Break social event, and has been surrounded by security issues in the past few years. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3242 Registered: 10-2003 |
You're entitled to you opinion, Kenp, but hosting these events doesn't improve the city. It's idiotic to sit and wait for the Next Big Event to push Detroit to the next level. Balancing the annual budget would do Detroit a lot more good than the Final Four. Is Detroit in the business of being a city, or being Party Central? Focusing on these events as some kind of Godsend and generator of economic development is a childish and immature perspective, and shows very little cognizance of what drives investment in cities. Ooooh! Look how nice Ford Field looks from the Goodyear blimp! Let's move to Detroit! (Message edited by DaninDC on September 10, 2007) | ||
Southen Member Username: Southen Post Number: 264 Registered: 08-2006 |
Although its dumb to think these events will save the city its just as foolish to dismiss the impact they have had and will continue to have. Soo many projects were started in anticipation for the Super Bowl and it was used as a rallying cry for the city. Noone is saying that people are going to be moving to Detroit cause it hosted the Final Four, but when Detroit pulls off successful national events like this it helps to change the city's perception for the better. | ||
Rockcity2windycity Member Username: Rockcity2windycity Post Number: 253 Registered: 11-2005 |
I remember we had a couple world cup games at the Pontiac Silverdome back in '94 and i think that may have been bigger than the Superbowl. We had a couple early round games but i remember partying for atleast a week straight. And soccer fans travel well. If the world cup ever comes back to the U.S. Detroit has to host a couple games. A political convention would be nice. | ||
Alan55 Member Username: Alan55 Post Number: 528 Registered: 09-2005 |
Las Vegas hasn't done too badly for itself by becoming "Party Central." If the tournament pumps 75, 100, or 150 million into the local economy, that translates into jobs and tourism business. How exactly is that "childish and immature"? | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3243 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Those projects could have been undertaken without a Super Bowl coming to town. If you want to alter perception, the best place to start is by changing reality. Economic Impact of the Mens and Womens Final Four: www.holycross.edu/departments/ economics/vmatheso/research/nc aa.pdf | ||
Southen Member Username: Southen Post Number: 265 Registered: 08-2006 |
Your argument is 'could have'? A lot of things 'could have' happened sure, but truth is the large events were a catalyst for downtown. They are changing reality to alter perception. Downtown has been transformed the last few years in part due to these events and the exposure. From the streetscape improvements, the riverwalk, and all the redevelopment people are changing reality. Getting the city ready for the national stage played a huge part in that and it has kept going since then. For some reason you dont want to give any credit to these events for helping Detroit along. They certainly arent the only thing responsible for downtown coming back but they certainly are a catalyst and have given the city some great exposure. | ||
Yelloweyes Member Username: Yelloweyes Post Number: 185 Registered: 02-2007 |
As stated before on a previous thread, there seems to be a lot of events and building openings in 2009. I keep hearing that year over and over again as it relates to development news. So in a way maybe the 2009 Final Four has already had an impact. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3246 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Population continues to decline, the budget is a perennial disaster, sprawl continues unabated, city services suck, the City's bond rating is shit, and the regional economy is a mess. Where are the positives? Yes, downtown looks a lot better than it used to. But Detroit has been sinking tons of money into that one small area of the city for the past 20 years. I would HOPE it looks better than it used to. Waiting for a Big Event to provide significant motivation is the crux of the problem. The City of Detroit seems to think it can function as nothing more than a theme park, and it is sadly mistaken in this regard. If the City worried more about functioning as a CITY (God forbid!), it might be able to start resolving the real issues. Detroit didn't decay because of a lack of postcard-quality shots of the skyline on national television. It's high time the leaders of the metropolis get their collective heads out of their asses and start worrying about things that MATTER to the average person. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1587 Registered: 04-2006 |
Yeah, there is no denying that Detroit really needs to keep it's name in the spotlight right now. These big events do a decent job of it, and so does plain old development projects like the Riverwalk and Book Caddy redevelopment. The city got a great deal of exposure because of these projects this past summer. So anything that can bring in a potentially big good-press spotlight, on a national and international stage, should be sought after as much as reasonably possible. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3247 Registered: 10-2003 |
A bit of perspective: http://wwj.typepad.com/michiga n_future/travel/index.html quote: If we're to believe this data, Super Bowl XL can be accountable for a whopping 1.1% of overall regional visitor spending. If you look at the entire regional economy, then the spending attributable to this one massive (and massively subsidized) event is peanuts. Good work, Detroit! Maybe if you can get a P. Diddy party, people will start to Say Nice Things About Detroit. (Message edited by DaninDC on September 10, 2007) | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1589 Registered: 04-2006 |
^Actually, he had a White Party there in July... | ||
Cgunn Member Username: Cgunn Post Number: 104 Registered: 01-2004 |
^and the black party too. But these major events do help with development of the city, and it helps paint a better picture of Detroit. The cities rep is still damaged by the riots, these mega events have helped paint positive images in peoples heads of the city. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3249 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: If that were true, Detroit would be an economic juggernaut right now, not lacking behind every other major U.S. city. | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 492 Registered: 11-2006 |
Keep in mind its not just the city that is hosting the Final Four, the University of Detroit Mercy is the host school. Being the host city and school create a captive audience to advertise to. No these events in themselves won't change the city but they do make progress. Also the city can't stop some of the things you mentioned Dan, the city can only lobby the state to prevent sprawl for example. Now on the city service side that is not acceptable, but all things in mind events are good for the city. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3250 Registered: 10-2003 |
I don't have anything against the events, per se, but there are two important considerations that tend to get lost in all the hoopla: 1. public subsidy. If you read the paper I linked to above, net economic benefits are likely marginal, at best. 2. It becomes a crutch. In other words, the City isn't motivated to do the things *it already should be doing* until it has a big party to throw. Then it becomes a question of who the City exists to serve. If Detroit put as much effort into balancing its budget and getting people to jobs as it did chasing Big Events, it would be a completely different city than it is now. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 725 Registered: 12-2006 |
How can anybody possibly be making a negative about this? It's a good thing, and the benefits can't be totally quantified in advance (it's hard enough to do it afterward). Also, I have not seen any evidence of a public subsidy for this particular event. Does anyone know of one? Or are people just assuming that since some events are subsidized this one will be? For Christ's sake, can't we have something good happen just one time without people bellyaching about it? | ||
Vintagesoul Member Username: Vintagesoul Post Number: 37 Registered: 06-2007 |
dan your negativity and cynicism make me very sad. i'm glad you don't live here. i think that we as detroiters know what *should* and what *could* be done and if we all had a million dollars we would probably do it ourselves. yes the city government should be doing these things all the time and yes they could be doing these things without the motivation, but the fact is they're not. that being said, i know i don't speak for everyone but i know that when something big comes to our town it means development. bottom line. that's the fact, it's not a should or a could it really happens and if that's what it takes than that's what it takes i'm not choosy. i will take positive development in any way shape or form it chooses to come. i hate wal-mart but if they decided to build one downtown i would be just fine with that. i think we have to take what we can get. these events either haven't been hosted here in 20+ years or haven't been hosted here at all. ever. and i think that we lack where other big cities have had them all along so of course they don't see any major impact. you can quote all kinds of articles and studies all day but the fact remains that we are not the same as those other big cities because we've been off the map for 20 years. i think now is the time we are finally, slowly but surely coming back. 20 years from now you can say all these things that you're saying and then maybe you'll be right. | ||
Jtw Member Username: Jtw Post Number: 160 Registered: 06-2005 |
dan, you're sure in rare form today! who pooped in your wheaties this morning? | ||
Eric Member Username: Eric Post Number: 921 Registered: 11-2004 |
quote: They could but you wouldn't of had the level of coordination and urgency that we saw in prep for SBXL. The city may have have been throwing money downtown 20 years, but in terms of actual improvement the greatest amount took place in the lead up to the Super Bowl. Should it have taken the Super Bowl for the city to do streetscaping, to be more proactive redeveloping empty building and setting goals for increasing downtown population? No, but that's what happened and we still feeling the positive effects thanks to the effort to redo the east riverfront for SBXL you now have a great new public space and millions of dollars in housing investment in the works for the area. Without the SB and city push for more hotel rooms I wonder if the Book-Cadillac let alone for the Fort Shelby would be under renovation Of course, things like the new neighborhood tax cuts will be far more beneficial to city as a whole than the Final Four. I don't think find anyone that crime and city service are more important, but these events has created things that will have a long term positive impact on the city. |
