FERC to show benefits of Young Auditorium on area economy
Released: November 1, 2007
The Young Auditorium has proven to be a benefit to its patrons and to the economy. People from Milwaukee to Madison come to Whitewater to enjoy the first-class performances, convenient location and reasonable ticket prices. What these attendees may not know is that they're helping improve the economy of Walworth County and the city of Whitewater.
Russ Kashian, economist for the Fiscal and Economic Research Center (FERC) and associate professor of economics, and Ben Strand, advancement officer for the Young Auditorium, are working together to conduct an economic impact study of the Young Auditorium. The UW Extension provided a grant for this study and will help FERC analyze the incoming data.
"The Young Auditorium provides more than just entertainment and education; it helps the regional economy," Strand said.
Surveys were mailed the first week of October to 1,500 randomly selected non-student patrons of the Young Auditorium from the last two years. The surveys are designed to find out how much money Young Auditorium attendees spend during their time in Whitewater for the performance, thus revealing the financial contribution the Young Auditorium puts back into the economy. The results will be announced Jan. 25, 2008, before the St. Petersburg Ballet's performance of "Carmen" in the Young Auditorium.
"We would like to use this as a pilot study for the rest of the state and would like to be able to expand this study for the future," Kashian said.
- Abby Clark,clarkae12@uww.edu
