City able to throw ’pretty good party’
"We're very, very happy," president Jim Haskins said after 60,508 fans turned out Sunday for the Champ Car and Atlantic races at the City Centre Airport. "Edmonton showed the world we're able to throw a pretty good three-day party … it couldn't be better."
After attendance dropped dramatically, from more than 200,000 in 2005 to 171,391 in 2006, organizers were glad to see a much smaller decline this year, an indication they may be finding the level it will ultimately settle at in the future.
"This is only our third year, so it's tough to get a handle on what your fan base is going to be," he said. "We were confident people were going to be here and we were right."
He was particularly pleased with the turnout because of the busy summer in Edmonton, with events like the FIFA Under-20 World Cup of soccer, the Eskimos, the Street Performers Festival and Taste of Edmonton.
"There's only so much disposable income — no matter how much people talk about us being the most robust province in the country."
Haskins said he couldn't provide an attendance figure that would create a break-even point financially because of all the variables involved in revenue, from suite sales to merchandising and beer sales, to percentages from the different vendors on site.
"It's too early to tell because we won't know those numbers for a couple of weeks. But we have a real good business plan for 2008, where we're confident we're going to be at a break-even or a cash-positive position." More at Edmonton Journal