This is part of a series of articles written in partnership with the University of Minnesota Community Development. Look for more articles in this series in the coming months.
What do Boxelder Bug Days, the Ely Winter Festival, King Turkey Day, and the Defeat of Jesse James Days all have in common? They all draw large numbers of visitors to small Minnesota communities. In some cases, these annual functions represent the community’s largest visitor attractions.
While many communities throughout Minnesota hold annual festivals that bring in visitors and boost the local economy, the actual economic impacts of these events are often unknown. Traditionally, measuring this impact requires surveying the attendees and collecting other data—time-consuming and costly efforts that may not be justifiable for a weekend festival.
To provide a more accessible option to communities, the UMD’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) and the University of Minnesota Extension Department of Community Development partnered to create the Community Impact Snapshot report series. These reports offer community leaders a streamlined, cost-effective way to estimate the economic impact of their local festivals and events.
How It Works
The Community Impact Snapshot reports are developed using the location analytics platform Placer.ai, as well as average visitor spending data from past U of M economic impact reports. Then the economic impacts are estimated using the IMPLAN input-output software.
- Attendance Estimates: Placer.ai uses mobile location data to estimate visitor counts at a specific location, allowing for estimates of both local and non-local visitors to a festival or event.
- Visitor Spending: By aggregating visitor spending data from past U of M economic impact reports, we can estimate spending patterns for the typical festival attendee in Minnesota.
- Trends and Visitor Insights: The Snapshot reports also include trends in attendance, and other information on visitor behavior, obtained using Placer.ai.
While the Community Impact Snapshot provides valuable high-level estimates of economic impacts, visitor spending, and attendance trends, it may not be the right fit for every event. Because these reports rely on aggregate data and mobile analytics rather than direct surveys, they provide a snapshot rather than a deep dive. For communities or organizations that require more granular details about visitor demographics, motivations, or specific behaviors, a traditional, full-scale economic impact study remains the gold standard. Additionally, because the Snapshot utilizes Placer.ai data, it is most effective for events with large enough attendance to ensure accurate reporting and privacy.
A Recent Example
As an example of the insights these reports can provide, the Community Impact Snapshot report created for Worthington, Minnesota—a town in Nobles County with a population of roughly 14,000 people—found that Worthington’s annual Windsurfing Regatta and Music Festival attracted around 3,600 out-of-town visitors in 2025. Additionally, the report estimated that out-of-town visitor spending during the event generated nearly $90,000 in additional wages and benefits and nearly $300,000 in total spending to the county.
For more information about the methodology used to create the Community Impact Snapshot reports, or if you are interested in initiating a report, contact the BBER ([email protected]) or the University of Minnesota Extension Community Development Department ([email protected]).
For those interested in attending any of the events noted in the first paragraph, you’ll find Boxelder Bug Days in Minneota, the Ely Winter Festival in Ely, King Turkey Day in Worthington, and the Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield.
Photo by Parker Johnson on Unsplash