Downtown foot traffic surges around tournaments, DSP and Spokane Sports report major economic impact

Leaders from the Downtown Spokane Partnership and Spokane Sports told the Urban Experience Committee the city’s event calendar — especially sporting tournaments and signature downtown events — is a major driver of visitation and retail sales.

Emily Cameron, president and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership (DSP), opened the report by describing a steady pipeline of downtown activations and asked the committee to consider events “through the lens of urban experience.” Kevin Campbell, DSP economic vitality specialist, presented foot-traffic and visitor-origin data showing the importance of events to downtown businesses.

Campbell said the DSP tracked about 1,100,000 visits to the Business Improvement District during the winter holiday season (from Nov. 23 through New Year’s Eve) from roughly 500,000 unique visitors; about one in three came from more than 30 miles away and one in eight came from more than 250 miles away. He told the committee that an above-average day in the BID was roughly 30,000 visits in 2024 and that some combined-event days produced more than 50,000 visits.

Spokane Sports’ Ashley Blake described an especially strong March sports season, noting the organization typically hosts 50–70 championship events per year and highlighted marquee events including NCAA Division I women’s regionals, USA Volleyball qualifiers and statewide middle-school championships. Blake said Spokane Sports’ economic-impact analysis for 2023 showed about 549 full- and part-time jobs supported and $86,700,000 in sales across the region.

Why it matters: Committee members and presenters stressed that event-driven visitation delivers taxable sales downtown — a significant share of the city’s retail economy despite downtown’s small land area. Campbell noted downtown represents about 0.7% of the city’s land area but produced about 18% of taxable retail sales in 2024.

The DSP and Spokane Sports managers also discussed planning and operations: DSP noted its clean-and-safe program and coordination with city contractors to prepare gateways and entrances for large events; Spokane Sports said it works with state and national sports bodies and regional partners on facility advocacy and bidding to bring more tournaments to the city.

A council member raised downtown cleanliness and visible open drug use outside the core, and presenters acknowledged that large events place a premium on city-wide maintenance and safety. Cameron said DSP and partners are working with city staff and contracted teams on “gateway” cleanliness and safety in the run-up to March events.

Closing note: Presenters asked the committee to treat large-sport and cultural events as sustained economic generators for downtown and highlighted upcoming programming and facility discussions that may affect the city’s ability to host more multi-day, regional tournaments.