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The organization behind the Junos says Hamilton saw $17.2 million in local economic impact from hosting the annual Canadian music awards.
Hamilton hosted the 55th Juno Awards in March. In addition to a televised ceremony at TD Coliseum, there were multiple official Juno and Juno-related events throughout the month.
Ahead of the Junos, Tourism Hamilton told CBC News it expected thousands of visitors to come to the city and for Hamilton to experience a $12-million spending bump at local hotels, music venues, bars and restaurants.
Lisa Abbott, the city’s tourism and culture director, said Thursday her team was “absolutely thrilled” by the higher end result, which she said is “indicative of Hamilton’s strong music scene.”
Abbott told CBC Hamilton the figure came from a consultant commissioned by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which runs the Junos, Canadian Music Hall of Fame and music education program, MusiCounts.
In a Thursday news release, CARAS said this year’s Junos had “the highest measured economic impact recorded for a JUNO Awards host city.” It also said the impact went beyond Hamilton, with the event contributing to an estimated $23.1 million in total economic activity across Ontario.
Abbott described economic impact as a “ripple effect,” including people attending Junos events spending at local restaurants, fuelling their cars and shopping at local stores.
CARAS said the week of the Junos, more than 16,250 people attended events, which also “attracted over 3,000 music industry delegates, artists and media.”
It said the Junos supported $3.6 million in local wages, 62 jobs and $3.7 million in visitor spending.
Whole city came together, tourism director says
It’s important to note that the Junos went beyond downtown, Abbott said, noting her team worked with Business Improvement Areas throughout Hamilton and with the tourism team at Six Nations to plan programming.
This year, Hamilton is running a branding campaign emphasizing that it’s a city of music.
Abbott says that while her team is looking ahead to major sporting events with two new hockey teams starting up this fall, they’re not about to drop that title.
“The city of music is something that Hamilton is not going to let go of because I think it’s part of our DNA,” she said.
