December 01, 2008
by
Jay Gabler •
What do Vatican splendors have to do with Minnesota history? For $3.42 million,
everything. That's the amount by which the local economy has benefited from the
Minnesota History Center's show of Papal bricabrac, says Amanda Draxton of Risdall McKinney Public Relations.
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How did Risdall McKinney arrive at that figure? They started with
a study by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, which concluded that in fiscal year 2005, the average attendee at a St. Paul cultural event spent $22.83 beyond the price of admission. (That's $10.39 on refreshments, $5.54 on souvenirs, $3.16 on transportation, $2.73 on overnight lodging—maybe if you drop Benedict's name at the Kelly Inn, they'll cut you a heavenly deal—and $1.01 on clothing, child care, and everything else.) Multiply that by 149,802.89 visitors to the MHS exhibit, and voila! It's as if R. Kelly spent the entirety of his
tour promoter's settlement check on a Town Square shopping spree.
One could raise an eyebrow at the logic here—did all those visitors come to town purely to see the sceptres?—but when you're dealing with the Holy See, you don't ask questions. Especially in St. Paul.
Published on 12/1/08. Photo by Sharyn Morrow, Creative Commons.
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