Last weekend, sports fans gathered in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to witness a much-anticipated event: Wrestlemania 30. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) chose to hold their 30th anniversary Wrestlemania event here in our city, and it was a raging success. We know that sports tourism is incredibly valuable to New Orleans, with big sporting events bringing a huge boost to our local economy, but with an event like Wrestlemania, some may wonder – just how big was it? The numbers are in and as far as entertainment events in New Orleans go, Wrestlemania was massive.
Wrestlemania in New Orleans brought 125,000 fans from around the world. (photo from Erik Anderson on Flickr)
According to WWE’s recent press release, the sold-out Wrestlemania 30 broke the record for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s highest grossing entertainment event ever! More than 125,000 fans from all 50 states and 37 countries were here visiting New Orleans for the event, which means 125,000 additional brand ambassadors are now out there promoting our beloved city. The event was broadcast live in more than 100 countries and 20 different languages. Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans is now included in the top five attendance records for WWE’s annual event.
The economic impact of a big sporting event like Wrestlemania on our city s cause for celebration. (photo from Erik Anderson on Flickr)
Leading up to this event, we knew that the out-of-town attendance and economic impact for New Orleans would be significant, but as we reflect back on the success of the week of Wrestlemania, this has truly proved to be another feather in our cap. New Orleans was named the leading sports tourism destination in the country and this solidifies our place at the top.
All of those visitors that came for Wrestlemania spent good money in our city; each one of those dollars is spent several times over within our local economy before leaving, eventually touching all of our varied industries.
Events like Wrestlemania 30 create excitement and energy, but they also give our city an important economic boost. Whether you are a WWE fan or not, you can appreciate the value of an event like this to the city of New Orleans.