NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Between direct visitor spending and non-ticket holder spending, the 2015 CMA Music Festival generated $60.4 million.
The direct visitor spending alone came to a record $46.8 million, which was an increase of $7.5 million over 2014’s festival, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC).
The numbers released Thursday showed the event has had an enormous economic impact in Nashville, according to Mayor Karl Dean.
“The CMA Foundation’s contribution of instruments to Metro Schools’ students further strengthens the festival’s positive impact,” Mayor Dean added. “I appreciate both the CVC and CMA as incredible partners in bringing more visitors to Nashville and congratulate them for the continued growth and success of CMA Fest.”
Officials said this year the CMA Music Festival sold out seven months in advance and held a record-setting daily attendance of 87,680 fans, up 9.6 percent from 2014.
“As the city’s largest event, CMA Music Fest continues to outperform itself year after year, generating more visitor spending than any other event and providing prime-time national TV exposure for Music City,” said Ken Levitan, chairman of the NCVC board of directors and president of Vector Management.
It was the first year NCVC has been able to calculate non-ticket holder direct spending, which represented an additional $13.6 million, bringing that total to $60.4 million.
NCVC’s survey also showed 83 percent of attendees traveled more than 50 miles, and 46 percent were attending the festival for the first time.
