Local Economic Impact of Great Plains Annual Conference Approaches $1 Million

It was announced recently that, after numerous calculations, the local economic impact of June's Great Plains Annual Conference was an outstanding $841,280.

"We're pleased to see that this event was beneficial for our local economy," said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. "Whether we're hosting major events, welcoming students back to campus or growing our workforce, our goal is always to make positive contributions to our community. We are proud that KWU is a hub for athletic, music, theatre, and community-based events. The annual conference was a great example of this, and we look forward to discussions regarding hosting it again soon."

More than 800 hotel rooms were reserved as part of the event, in addition to food and other expenses. Further, local retailers and vendors were involved in making this event a success. It is believed the nearly million figure marks the largest single-event local economic impact figure in KWU history.

"Our university has a long association with the United Methodist Church," said Thompson. "From the beginning, KWU and the Church have been intertwined. It's only fitting that, after nearly 140 years, the largest economic impact event our university hosted this year was a UMC event."

KWU projects several key events to have a notable economic impact for Salina this academic year, including the KCAC baseball and softball championships. In past conference championship events in those sports have approached 1,000 combined tickets sold, not including the 20-40 student-athletes involved, per team.

"All of us at KWU are excited to host numerous events on campus and throughout the region this year," said Thompson. "We hope everyone in the community makes plans to be a part of an upcoming Coyote event."