The temperatures are hot, and so are the projections for the economic impact of visitors headed to the Augusta River Region for meetings, reunions, and other events. More than 7,000 visitors will be in town, generating almost $6,400,000 in the month of August.
The largest boost comes from the TechNet conference to be held in mid-August. This will be the 12th year TechNet has been hosted in Augusta. It brings in at least 6,000 attendees, with more than half coming from outside Georgia and South Carolina. That conference alone is estimated to generate more than $6.2 million in economic impact.
“Since 2013, Augusta has been proud to host this esteemed event, which brings together some of the brightest minds in technology, defense, and cybersecurity,” said Bennish Brown, Destination Augusta President and CEO. “TechNet Augusta has become a cornerstone of our city’s annual calendar, not just for the wealth of knowledge exchanged, but for the significant connections made right here in our community.”
Aside from TechNet, other events and meetings in August are listed in the chart below. These are groups Destination Augusta, or the Augusta Sports Council, has worked with at some point in the site selection and/or planning phase.
Recruiting and hosting these various activities play a critical role in sustaining the nearly 30,000 jobs that are part of the Leisure and Hospitality Industry, the fourth largest employment sector in the metro area.
Total EEI is calculated based on research commissioned by both Explore Georgia and Destinations International in conjunction with globally recognized research vendors, the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Tourism Economics, a partner company of Oxford Economics, created the industry standard in event economic impact analysis using localized metrics that are updated annually.
Editor’s Note: Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia, as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
