REGINA -- Regina is proving to be a destination when it comes to major events. Garth Brooks, NHL Heritage Classic, Memorial Cup, and more have made their way here due to our venues, volunteer base and ticket sales. The most recent, the outdoor hockey game at Mosaic Stadium, was said to have a $15 million impact on the local economy.

Where does that number come from?

Economic Development Regina uses a program called “Steam 2.0” and is from the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. It analyses event data and estimates the economic impact on a specific city. Let’s go back to the NHL Heritage Classic, as an example.

They take the venue size (33,350), visitor’s province of origin (in this case, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta), where they’re likely to spend money (hotels, restaurants, transportation), and the operating cost of the venue, these numbers go into that aforementioned computer program, and spits out a number to go by.

What it does not do, is give us an idea of how much each individual person might spend.