Rock 'n Roll Daze 1999 Visitor Characteristics And Expenditure Study Research Report 67 September 1999 Rock n Roll Daze 1999 Visitor Characteristics and Expenditure Study Prepared by Michael A. Hamley & Norma P. Nickerson, Ph.D. Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research School of Forestry The University of Montana Research Report 67 Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research School of Forestry The University of Montana Missoula, MT September 1999 Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research School of Forestry The University of Montana Missoula, MT (406) 243-5686 www.forestry.umt.edu/itrr Title of Report: Rock ‘n Roll Daze 1999: Visitor Characteristics and Expenditure Study Report Number: Research Report 67 Author: Michael A. Hamley & Norma P. Nickerson Month Published: September 1999 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study examines demographics, satisfaction levels, reasons for attending, and expenditures by attendees to Rock ‘n Roll Daze (R&RD) 1999, a music and cultural festival celebrating the 1950s and 1960s held in Missoula, Montana, July 9-11, 1999. Purpose The purpose of this report was to examine reasons for attending the event and satisfaction with the event to aid the development and marketing of future Rock ‘n Roll Daze. An additional purpose was to explore attendee characteristics and expenditures to further the understanding of who is coming to the event and their direct dollar impact on Missoula. Methodology This study was conducted in two parts: 1. A population count of all visitors to Rock ‘n Roll Daze 1999, including an inquiry into their place of residence, was conducted at the gates to the two sock hops and the Saturday daytime events. 2. A random sample of attendees was asked to participate in a survey and was mailed a questionnaire three days after the event was completed. An additional random sample of car registrants was mailed a questionnaire. Results - Population Count Based on the population count: Based on the car registrant database: q Average group size was 2.16 q The average number of people per car was two q 56% were from Missoula County q 26% of car people were from Missoula County q 34% were from the rest of Montana q 62% of car people were from Montana q 10% were from out-of-state q 10% of car people were from out-of-state Two methods were used to estimate the total number of people attending Rock ‘n Roll Daze. Method one used the 9,800 tickets sold as the base with a result of 5,611 attending the events. Method two relied on the population count as the final number with the result of 6,283 people attending the events. Results - Survey Demographics ¨ Average age was 46. ¨ Average education was 14.47 years or at least 2 years past high school. ¨ Most common occupation was professional and/or self-employed. ¨ Annual household income for Missoula and Montana was most commonly between $25,000-$49,999 while out-of-state attendees were more likely to have an income of $75,000-$99,999. ¨ Washington, Idaho, California, and Wyoming represented the highest number of out-of-state residents. ¨ People attend R&RD with their family or with family and friends. Attendee characteristics ¨ People attended R&RD to hear ‘50’s and ‘60’s music, to be entertained, for nostalgia, and to escape routine. ¨ Missoula County attendees heard of R&RD through radio, word-of-mouth, newspapers and TV while other Montanans heard of R&RD through word-of-mouth, radio, and newspapers. Out-of-state attendees heard through word-of-mouth or radio. ¨ 35% of Missoula County attendees made their decision to attend 1-4 weeks ahead, 27% planned 1-7 days ahead and 24% planned 1-6 months ahead. ¨ 45% of other Montana attendees made their decision to attend 1-6 months ahead and 31% made their plans 1-4 weeks ahead. ¨ 46% of out-of-state attendees planned 1-4 weeks ahead to come to R&RD and 24% planned 1-6 months ahead. ¨ Those people who attended contests found the car burnout competition to be very satisfying while the other contests were satisfying. However, the majority of survey respondents (69-80%) did not attend any of the contests. ¨ A little over half of the respondents were satisfied with the entrance and sock hop prices. Those who were not satisfied mentioned that children should be free or have a reduced rate and that Montanans in general cannot afford such high prices. ¨ 89% were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the bands, 87% were satisfied or very satisfied with the authenticity of the event, and 82% were satisfied or very satisfied with the crowding concern. Expenditure Impact to Missoula and Montana ¨ The average group expenditure for Montanans residing outside Missoula was $322 of which $277 was spent in Missoula. ¨ The average group expenditure for out-of-state attendees was $598 of which $457 was spent in Missoula. ¨ Out-of-state and other Montana residents dropped between $320,265 to $407,492 in Missoula. ¨ An additional $45,825 to $46,671 was expended in Montana. ¨ The total direct impact of Rock ‘n Roll Daze on Montana was $366,090 to $454,163 of which nearly 90% was spent directly in Missoula. Conclusions Attendees liked Rock ‘n Roll Daze 1999 and are looking forward to the event next year. The bands and entertainment were the highest crowd pleasers. Attendees came from all over however, 90% were from Montana. If R&RD can draw more out-of-state attendees, dollar impact on Missoula and the state will increase. Missoula gained between $300,000 and $400,000 in attendee spending over the weekend. Please refer to full text for details and further explanation Acknowledgements This report benefited substantially from the contributions of the following individuals. In no special order, we would like to thank: Kim McMahon, ITRR Research Associate, for her masterful knowledge of computers and software, and for constructing the database used in this study; the ITRR office staff, for a great work environment and often-needed levity; surveyors Lisa Deforge, Katie Heimgartner, Janna Jenkins, Darin Law, Amanda Lowe and Ryan Ulvin, without whom this research would not have been possible; and all those who took the time to respond to this survey. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 PART I: THE POPULATION COUNT ...................................................................................................................................................2 PART II: THE SURVEY........................................................................................................................................................................3 RESULTS OF POPULATION COUNT........................................................................................................................................ 5 Method 1 ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Method 2 ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 RESULTS OF SURVEY..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Importance of Reasons for Attending Rock ‘n Roll Daze (Tables 4 & 5).......................................................................... 8 Where Respondents Heard about Rock ‘n Roll Daze (Table 6) ........................................................................................11 Plans for Attending Rock ‘n Roll Daze (Table 7)................................................................................................................12 Satisfaction with Rock ‘n Roll Daze (Tables 8, 9, 10 & 11).............................................................................................12 Number of People in Group (Table 12).................................................................................................................................16 Expenditures (Table 13)...........................................................................................................................................................16 Primary Purpose of Trips to Missoula (Table 14) ..............................................................................................................18 Nights Spent in Missoula and Montana (Table 15).............................................................................................................18 Group Types (Table 16)...........................................................................................................................................................18 Age of Respondents (Table 17) ...............................................................................................................................................19 Gender of Survey Respondents (Table 18)............................................................................................................................19 Education Level of Respondents (Table 19).........................................................................................................................20