SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Sweetwater Events Complex generated an economic impact of $18,429,218 for Sweetwater County in 2023. 

Events Complex Executive Director Kandi Pendleton said that this is up 15% from 2022. She also noted that this amount is direct visitor spending only. 

“Really proud of that number, and we certainly hope to see that grow,” she said. “I know we will see a huge impact for the next two years with the [National High School Finals Rodeo] here. That number will skyrocket and that’s going to be really good for Sweetwater County.” 

Pendleton said the NHSFR will bring in 1,800 contestants, and this year they have an extra day of activities. This means the Events Complex will be a busy place starting July 10 through July 20. She also said the event will have around 500 volunteers. 

Of the $18.4 million economic impact, $9 million was generated from the complex’s regular annual events. The summer season brings in the remaining monies. They garnered $1 million with overnight stays, and up to $2.4 million from the historic horse racing. The airstream rally brought in 12% of the money, and Wyoming’s Big Show brought in 19.7%. 

“We see [the fair] grow year after year,” she said. 

Additionally, Pendleton said that they received $1.9 million from the county’s allocation of funds, and the return on investment is $9.36 for every dollar. 

Pendleton also said in her report to the Sweetwater County commissioners Tuesday that the complex had 15,366 overnight campers in 2023. Based on Wyoming Travel and Tourism numbers, Pendelton said people typically spend $215 a night, which means the complex’s campground alone brought in roughly $3.3 million. 

The Events Complex also had 1,313 rental days. The majority of those rentals include banquets, celebrations, trade shows, meetings, and weddings, while many others are for equestrian and livestock events. Of those rentals, 137 days are considered community service days which means they are donated rentals. 

Pendleton also presented data on the number of visitors the complex had, which is just around 359,000, and 82,900 unique visitors. The geo-spotting used to obtain this information only counts people who spend a minimum of seven minutes on the grounds, and this is how they avoid counting traffic from Yellowstone Road. 

For the week of the fair alone, Pendleton reported the Events Complex had 94,200 visitors on the grounds. 

The commissioners commended the Events Complex for their contribution to the county, in terms of both economic impact and community engagement. 

“I think one of the things you have going on out there is the community buy in,” Commissioner Taylor Jones said. “The folks coming from out of town are awesome, but the increasing numbers you’re seeing at the fairs and things like that, it’s got to be quite a few local people.”