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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State University is most definitely glad to have fans back at Canvas Stadium, but the campus isn’t the only place you will find wide smiles.
Local business and hotels are celebrating, too. As Homecoming weekend approaches, available rooms in the area are nearly at 100 percent capacity, and Visit Fort Collins President and CEO Cynthia Eichler said that most definitely has ripple effects for area businesses.
“About three weeks ago, we were sold out for Homecoming in Fort Collins. I found a few hotel rooms in Loveland, so there was nothing available,” Eichler said. “It’s a good challenge to have, but it can be a challenge. But what that tells me is when people are traveling and staying in hotels, that means they are eating out in our restaurants, they’re shopping, they’re having experiences, all the things that help with a positive economic impact.
“Having fans back at Canvas Stadium has had an impact. Homecoming is a particularly special weekend, and that’s fantastic. I had one VRBO person tell me they had been booked since April for this particular date, so people really planned on getting to Fort Collins and taking advantage of so many fun things, on campus and off.”
Chris Ferris, the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sales, Marketing and Communications said there had been a record number of presales for tailgating spots on campus for the homecoming weekend, and the game, scheduled for a 1:30 p.m., kickoff with San Jose State, is expected to draw another crowd in the 30,000 range.
CSU Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Sales and Operations Matt Carson is encouraged by every metric he is seeing leading into the Homecoming game, including a stellar turnout by students this season. He’s also not surprised businesses surrounding the campus are feeling positive effects.
“Our partners Tailgate Guys and Revel have done an amazing job of selling tailgates. They’ve set record sales for any game since Canvas Stadium opened with advance sales of tailgates,” Carson said. “We’re trending toward a single-game parking sellout, so a lot of fans are excited to come and do their own individualized parking and tailgating.
“Our student numbers have been in records. We had 12,000 the first game, we had more than 10,000 vs. Vanderbilt, and that’s only been done a couple of times since opening Canvas Stadium. Those are the largest numbers we’ve seen since Hawaii in 2018. It’s all been an outstanding response coming out of COVID.”
Schuyler Gantert, owner of Road 34, is expecting a big turnout again this weekend, as has been the norm for him this season. His tavern has been filled on game days, especially before games, and he expects to be seeing fans before and after the game.
“We’ve got no complaints. We’ve been doing well,” Gantert said. “There’s a little more excitement in the neighborhood all around. The biggest thing is there is a lot of energy. It’s been almost two years since they played at home, and from the first game, we were feeling the excitement. Even people who are going tailgating come by and have a snack or a beer. Even if it’s not a long stay, they are stopping by on their way to campus.”
On game days, Eichler wears another vest, that of a Rambassador, a group of people who help direct fans to where they want to go on campus or the stadium. In the role, she said she has spoken with a vast number of out-of-town guest, some to cheer on the Rams, others the opponents. Her downtown office has also seen plenty of foot traffic for those coming to games.
From those quick chats, she knows they are spending the money all around town. In turn, she said business owners were showing their gratefulness for the wave of people on game-day weekends.
“We had fans traveling from other locations, which is great,” she said. “The folks from South Dakota, a lot of them drove in and did an extended weekend, because I talked to a lot of them. They were asking, ‘where are the great craft breweries?’ They knew enough, but they wanted to know more.
“Folks are just so delighted the university is open in the traditional way. Students are back, parents are back visiting, grandparents are back visiting, and they can tell a difference. On the business side, it’s how do we greet them and show that appreciation? We have a responsibility to the university and the students and all the things which happen on campus.”
Eichler said the exact economic impact fans returning to Canvas Stadium has had will not be known for about a month. Until then, she said she wouldn’t want to make an estimate, feeling she couldn’t do it justice, but based on what she is seeing with her own eyes and hearing from business owners, the news is nothing but positive.
“I’m worried I would undervalue it. When you have sell-out weekends, that ripple goes a long way,” Eichler said. “We’ll be watching in a variety of ways – lodging tax, look at general sales and restaurants. Downtown gets to break out how things are impacted there, and that will be another great metric for us to look at. I just don’t want to undervalue it. I know it’s there, I know it’s positive and I know we’re really at some good tipping points for businesses in town, so we’re excited and appreciative.”
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