GSCVB Releases Economic Impact of Red Sox Winter Weekend and Hoophall Classic

SPRINGFIELD — More than 10,000 people attended Red Sox Winter Weekend and the Hoophall Classic in Greater Springfield in January, and their economic impact on the region was significant, according to the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), which calculated that approximately $7 million was injected into the local economy as a result of these events.

Economic impact is calculated using a tourism-industry tool, inputting spending figures in categories like the number of attendees, room nights sold, venue rental, and the cost of food and beverages during the period.

“Hoophall Classic and Red Sox Winter Weekend are high-profile events that put Western Mass. on the map,” GSCVB President Mary Kay Wydra said. “We are delighted to welcome these visitors and show them all that Western Mass. has to offer, and we know that many of these sports fans will come back and visit us again.”

Visitor rooms were booked in downtown Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, and West Springfield. Red Sox Winter Weekend occupied space at the MassMutual Center and MGM Springfield, while the Hoophall Classic was held on the grounds of nearby Springfield College.