Dr. Nathan Perry: Montrose County Event Center drives millions in local spending, but metrics differ by measure

Dr. Nathan Perry presented an economic study of the Montrose County Event Center on Nov. 17, saying the facility draws roughly 38,000 visitors annually — about 17,000 of them from outside Montrose County — and that out-of-county visitors are the primary driver of new spending in the local economy.

Perry said his analysis combined promoter and visitor surveys with venue data and regional modeling. “The promoter survey…shows a high satisfaction rating for the Montrose County Event Center with an average rating of 9.6 out of 10,” he said, and noted the survey ran for approximately a full year to reduce seasonality.

The presentation provided detailed spending profiles: Perry reported average per-person, per-day spending for out-of-town visitors of $139.24 and estimated resident per-person daily spending of about $54. Using those categories, he said the study estimates direct effects of roughly 62 jobs, about $2.2 million in labor income and $3.8 million contributed to regional GDP from the Event Center alone. Including indirect (supply-chain) and induced (household spending) effects, Perry reported a total contribution measured as approximately $5.6 million to regional GDP and a larger total output (sales) figure of about $10.8 million.

Perry emphasized the technical difference between measures and when each is appropriate: GDP (value added) excludes intermediate inputs and is the standard for contribution-to-GDP statements, while total output sums sales and can be useful for promotional comparisons. “If you are trying to say what percentage of Montrose County GDP the event center contributes to, you need to use this number. If you are trying to answer the question, how much total economic activity are we creating? Then you use this number,” he said.

On methodology, Perry said he used IMPLAN regional modeling to convert survey spending into local economic measures and to account for leakages — rather than applying a single blunt multiplier. He described employment and output multipliers derived from the model and estimated the employment multiplier at roughly 1.3 (total jobs divided by direct jobs).

Perry acknowledged sample-size limits and uncertainty: the survey produced an estimated 90% confidence interval with a margin of error of about ±10%, which he said yields a plausible numeric range for output estimates (roughly $8 million–$12 million). He also said the full report — including open-ended visitor and promoter feedback — will be posted on the county website for commissioners and staff.

Chair thanked Perry, noting the study helps justify the Event Center’s economic role even if the facility operates at a deficit. The presentation concluded after questions from commissioners about multipliers, sample timing and the distinctions among the reported metrics.