Royal expansion will breed economic show horse, report says
Statistics indicate Kansas City is not much of a cow town, and it's struggling to remain more than a one-horse town.
The Houston Livestock Show draws 10 times as many visitors as the American Royal in about half the number of days, and the National Western Stock Show in Denver has four times Kansas City's attendance, according to a study the Royal released Oct. 20.
But the study argued that agriculture can get back in the saddle at Kemper Arena after the Sprint Center arena is completed in 2007.
The Royal will be seeking $60 million to $100 million in upgrades to facilities it leases from the city to improve its ability to draw horse show competitors and crowds, American Royal Chairman Neal Patterson said.
"It's a decent-sized project, but it's a very important project," said Patterson, chairman of Cerner Corp.
The American Royal is among the city's top five brands, he said, behind the Chiefs, baseball's Royals, Hallmark Cards Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp.
The plan would expand the American Royal brand to events year-round. It also would add at least 500 permanent horse stalls and an equine lawn in Kansas City, Kan.; build 65,000 square feet of indoor space where the Wyoming Street ramp now slices past Hale Arena and the Governors' Exposition Building; and create a restaurant-and-retail zone called the American Royal District.
Show attendance could grow from 162,000 to 317,000, and total local revenue generated by participants and spectators could grow from $62.3 million to $115 million annually, said the report from Washington-based Economics Research Associates.
A new-and-improved American Royal might even lure back the annual FFA convention with its 55,000 visitors, the study said. Three new cattle shows averaging five days each also could come.
But the study's main focus is rebuilding the equine events that have left Kansas City because of inefficient and overscheduled space at the American Royal Complex.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/
The Houston Livestock Show draws 10 times as many visitors as the American Royal in about half the number of days, and the National Western Stock Show in Denver has four times Kansas City's attendance, according to a study the Royal released Oct. 20.
But the study argued that agriculture can get back in the saddle at Kemper Arena after the Sprint Center arena is completed in 2007.
The Royal will be seeking $60 million to $100 million in upgrades to facilities it leases from the city to improve its ability to draw horse show competitors and crowds, American Royal Chairman Neal Patterson said.
"It's a decent-sized project, but it's a very important project," said Patterson, chairman of Cerner Corp.
The American Royal is among the city's top five brands, he said, behind the Chiefs, baseball's Royals, Hallmark Cards Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp.
The plan would expand the American Royal brand to events year-round. It also would add at least 500 permanent horse stalls and an equine lawn in Kansas City, Kan.; build 65,000 square feet of indoor space where the Wyoming Street ramp now slices past Hale Arena and the Governors' Exposition Building; and create a restaurant-and-retail zone called the American Royal District.
Show attendance could grow from 162,000 to 317,000, and total local revenue generated by participants and spectators could grow from $62.3 million to $115 million annually, said the report from Washington-based Economics Research Associates.
A new-and-improved American Royal might even lure back the annual FFA convention with its 55,000 visitors, the study said. Three new cattle shows averaging five days each also could come.
But the study's main focus is rebuilding the equine events that have left Kansas City because of inefficient and overscheduled space at the American Royal Complex.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/
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