Posted August 29, 2024 in Press Releases
CLEVELAND – Aug. 29, 2024 – Greater Cleveland Sports Commission announces the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four which was held April 4-7, provided Northeast Ohio with $32.9 million in direct spend, per the Destinations International Event Impact Calculator.
For four days this past April, Cleveland was the epicenter of the sports world – tens of thousands visited, 36,584 attended the two sold out sessions and millions of viewers watched the historic weekend of women’s college basketball. 2024 was the first year the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game garnered more viewers (18.9 million) than the NCAA Men’s Championship game (14.8 million) (via Nielsen).
Destinations International Events Impact Calculator (EIC), an industry standard measurement of the economic value of an event, calculated the economic impact attributable to the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four. Updated annually, the calculator draws on ten different data sources to provide an industry-wide standard. Sample inputs include (but are not limited to): length and category of the event, approximate number of spectators per athlete/participant, approximate number of spectators from outside the region, average daily hotel rate.
“Hosting the Women’s Final Four was a proud moment for the city of Cleveland. Our city has earned a reputation for being one of the top cities in America for hosting events, and it took us a long time to get there. We’ve hosted a lot of great events, including a Women’s Final Four back in 2007, but this one was special” said David Gilbert, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland. “We are incredibly lucky to have been selected to host this event during the rise in women’s basketball. The influx of visitors significantly boosted our local economy during this historic weekend.”
The success of the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland is rooted in a combination of detailed preparation, creative thinking and support from the community – particularly the strong partnership with the Cavaliers/Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Mid-American Conference, Destination Cleveland and the City of Cleveland.
"The 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland was an example of what can be achieved through strong community partnerships and a shared commitment to women’s sports,” said Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. “This historic event not only celebrated the rise of women’s basketball but also brought significant economic benefits to Northeast Ohio. The collaboration between the MAC, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission was crucial to its success. We are proud to have led this experience and look forward to future opportunities to work with our partners to host major NCAA Championships, while providing an exceptional experience for the student-athletes and fans.”
“The opportunity to welcome and host tens of thousands who traveled to Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the Women’s Final Four alongside the millions who tuned in from around the globe was a truly special experience and momentum-driver for Cleveland, our community and our organization,” said Nic Barlage Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO. “It was an honor to champion our city and women’s basketball alongside the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland for this great event. The tournament had an immediate and significant impact on Northeast Ohio, and we look forward to supporting the long-lasting positive outcomes it will continue to have for our community.”
In addition to economic impact, the numbers associated with many of the free community events – each of which set benchmarks not seen in many years – provide further proof of how well the local community embraced this event:
- Downtown Cleveland hotels had the best April on record.
- 11,291 fans packed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for Super Saturday Practice; doubling the previous attendance record.
- 20,624 fans visited Tourney Town, the free festival at the Huntington Convention Center.
- 2,500 youth signed up for Bounce, a unique parade from Public Square to Tourney Town.
- Connecting Cleveland, a brand-new community event, welcomed more than 150 college age attendees from 61 college/universities (19 different states), and 40 C-Suite mentors for a full day of keynote speakers, panels and networking. The Cleveland local organizing committee was the first to bring this opportunity to the NCAA, and it was so well received that it is now scheduled to be an official program of future Women’s Final Fours.
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About Greater Cleveland Sports Commission: Since 2000, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) is responsible for attracting over 260 sporting events which provide more than $986 million in economic activity to Northeast Ohio. GCSC serves to measurably improve the economy of Greater Cleveland and enrich the community by attracting, creating, managing and enhancing significant sporting and competitive events. For more information, visit clevelandsports.org.
About Mid-American Conference: The Mid-American Conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio as the Conference office serves 12 full-time members and offer championships in 22 sports. Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 22 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York and Ohio. Visit GetSomeMACtion.com.
About Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse: The newly transformed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is Northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment facility and major attraction for top-tier concert tours, family shows and signature events, as well as home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Monsters and the annual MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. Each year, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse hosts more than 200 diverse ticketed events and 1,400 private events that draw over 2 million patrons to downtown Cleveland. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is established as a successful host site for high profile events of international and national scope, including the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, as well as the recent 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 2022 NBA All-Star Game and 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Final Four. Other major upcoming events include the 2025 Division I Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds and 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. In Pollstar Magazine’s 2021 Year-End Report of Top 200 Arena Venues Worldwide for Entertainment Ticket Sales, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ranked No. 27 worldwide in ticket sales for top touring attractions. Visit RocketMortgageFieldHouse.com.