Monday, April 2, 2018

Southwest Florida scores again with U.S. Open Pickleball Championships

Published April 1, 2018 - www.bonitaspotlight.com


It’s fairly easy to assess the dollar impact of a large event – like the Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championships – on the community. This is the third year in Naples for the championship, scheduled for April 21-28.

Jack Wert, executive director and CEO of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau, cites an industry standard formula used for sporting events to project that the competition will bring in $3 million. And it gets extra points with the county because it takes place well after Easter, the traditional end of snowbird season. That means more money to the area in what could have been a meager time.

The expected total for 2018 builds on about $2 million from 2016, when 800 players entered; then about $2.5 million in 2017, with 1,200 players. The 2,000 players expected this year, plus spectators, spend money on hotel rooms, dinners, souvenirs and in some cases, homes in Southwest Florida.

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