Downtown Hartford volleyball tournament to generate $6.3M economic impact
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The New England Winterfest regional volleyball tournament debuted at Hartford's Connecticut Convention Center in 2010.
Downtown Hartford's Connecticut Convention Center is hosting a regional youth volleyball tournament over the next two weekends that organizers say will generate $6.3 million for the local economy.
An estimated 5,100 male and female volleyball players and nearly 20,000 visitors are expected to visit the city’s top convention space over five days beginning Saturday, Jan. 11, and ending Jan. 20, according to the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB).
During the opening weekend, CTCSB said organizers will welcome roughly 2,400 athletes, between ages 12 to 18, on 236 teams from across the Northeast in six age group divisions for girls and four age divisions for boys. Another 2,700 athletes, between ages 16 to 18, from 240 teams are also expected to compete in Hartford next weekend.
A dozen matches a day will be held on 28 courts in the Convention Center’s exhibition hall, CTCSB said.
That level of activity will help support more than 39 hotels and some 2,000 jobs in Greater Hartford’s steadily growing hospitality industry, according to CTCSB President Robert Murdock. Area restaurants, shops and other tourist attractions will also benefit from the annual sports events being held downtown, Murdock added.
In total, the extra business will generate more than $430,217 in sales tax for the state of Connecticut, CTCSB projections show. That’s slightly higher than $401,000 in sales tax projected for last year’s event.
Organizers will be charging visitors between $12 to $35 for single-day and all-tournament passes.
The New England Regional Volleyball Association (NERVA) has held the tournament annually at the convention center since 2010.
NERVA Commissioner Dave Peixoto said the event has nearly tripled in size as it now includes male athletes on the first of the two weekends.
“The city of Hartford and its surrounding towns really make our Winterfest players and fans feel welcome,” Peixoto said. “Restaurants extend their hours and customize the menus, the downtown dash shuttle bus adds hours of operation, and everyone is terrific about accommodating our group.”
The volleyball tournament isn’t the only sporting event driving revenues for the 15-year-old meetings-events facility.
Last March, the convention center held Connecticut’s first state-sanctioned pro mixed martial arts (MMA) event, and has hosted several fights since.
Meantime, a consulting firm hired to develop future opportunities at the venue in recent months listed a new downtown hotel among its recommendations to spur activity there.
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