NASHVILLE – The NFL Draft on April 25-27, 2019 in Nashville generated a record $133 million in direct spending, a 79 percent increase over the $74 million at the 2018 Dallas event, the NFL and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today. The economic impact was another record-breaker at $224 million, also a 79 percent increase over the $125 million in 2018.
The NFL Draft was broadcast around the world in a record 115 countries. As previously announced, the three-day event drew a record crowd of 600,000 and a record 47.5 million in television viewership.
“The NFL Draft in Nashville outperformed even our lofty expectations and set the bar for future NFL events,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business and League Events. “We are grateful to the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, the City of Nashville, the volunteers and the fans who made this unforgettable event the most-watched and most-attended Draft ever.”
“Nashville has become a worldwide travel destination and just hosted the biggest NFL Draft ever, with record highs in attendees and TV viewership,” said Mayor David Briley. “The economic impact of the event has set a record as well. I want to again thank everyone who came together to make the Draft such a safe and successful event.”
“The 2019 NFL Draft exceeded all expectations,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Nashville had record spending, record attendance, record viewership and a record number of credentialed media — the biggest and best NFL Draft ever. The overall success is due to the tremendous spirit of collaboration within the city, including the Tennessee Titans, and our great Metro departments.”
Other key findings about attendees and event impact include the following:
- Event generated $10.6 million in taxes and fees for Davidson County.
- 54 percent of attendees surveyed were visitors, and 46 percent were local.
- Average visitor party size was 3.2 people with an average length of stay of 2.8 nights.
- 16 percent of parties brought children to the event.
- 75 percent of visitors attended multiple days of the NFL Draft, compared with 50 percent of locals.
- 33 percent of visitors said they flew, while 67 percent drove.
- 81 percent of visitors surveyed cited the NFL Draft as their primary reason for visiting Nashville.
- 97 percent of attendees said they were likely to recommend the event.
About one-fifth (21 percent) of visitors surveyed stayed at Airbnb and VRBO rentals, a large percentage for the home rental category. Some 51.1 percent stayed in hotels, 16.6 percent with friends/family and 11.3 percent had other accommodations or took a day trip.
Visitor spending included the following categories:
- Lodging: 32.1 percent
- Recreation (attractions, museums, etc.): 21.5 percent
- Food and Beverage: 17.7 percent
- Retail: 16.2 percent
- Transportation (excludes plane tickets): 12.5 percent
As to hotel performance, April 2019 was a strong month for the city. It was the third best month ever in Nashville’s history in the number of hotel rooms sold.
These results were generated using onsite surveys, STR hotel data, NFL data and the Event Impact Calculator, the industry standard tool developed by Tourism Economics & Destinations International. The methodology is in line with how Dallas calculated the 2018 results, giving an apples-to-apples comparison. Inputs for the calculator included the number of overnight visitors, local share of day visitors, length of stay, hotel room rate, number of people per room, etc.
More than 20 Nashville-based acts representing diverse genres of music performed during the NFL Draft. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, in partnership with the Tennessee Titans, led the bid process for the NFL Draft on behalf of the city.
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at www.visitmusiccity.com and follow us on social media: