WrestleMania Generates $175 Million for New Orleans
According to a recent study from research consultancy Enigma Research, the WWE’s premier sports entertainment event of the year – WrestleMania – generated $175 million in economic impact for the greater New Orleans region in April.
Arriving every year in April, WrestleMania is like the Super Bowl of ‘sports entertainment’ – the preferred nomenclature for the unique brand of theatrical, scripted wrestling that the WWE provides. The pay-per-view event delivers the most-watched platform for the large-and-in-charge wrestling personalities of World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly WWF).
Past stars of the organization include Andre the Giant, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – now one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. The current marquee stars of the WWE include John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Sasha Banks, and Ronda Rousey.According to a study from events research consulting firm Enigma Research, this year’s WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans generated $175 million in economic impact for the city. A record crowd of 78,133 fans from 50 states and 67 countries flocked to the Big Easy – making WrestleMania the highest-grossing event in the history of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where it was held.
The economic impact of $175 million was derived from both indirect and induced impact from visitor spending in New Orleans, with 77% of fans from outside the city staying an average of 3.9 nights. $22 million was spent on hotels and accommodation, while $9.9 million was spent by visitors at New Orleans-area restaurants. Meanwhile, the economic impact of WrestleMania Week was equal to the creation of 1,583 full-time jobs.
“Yet again, WWE delivered on its promise to offer a spectacular event in New Orleans and a boost to the local economy," commented Governor John Bel Edwards. "I would like to thank the WWE fans from around the world that descended on New Orleans for WrestleMania Week. We hope they enjoyed their visit, and more importantly, we hope to bring WrestleMania back to New Orleans in the future."
WrestleMania 34’s $175 million in economic impact outstripped the $142 million generated at WrestleMania 30, which was also held in New Orleans. According to Enigma, WrestleMania has created more than $1.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event over the past 12 years. The 34th iteration of the event also generated about $23.7 million in federal, state, and local taxes.
WrestleMania 34 is one of over 800 events Enigma has surveyed and analyzed since being founded in 1993. The NYC-based consultancy has performed more event economic impact surveys than any other research firm.