• Continued to establish momentum as a sports destination , assisting with numerous events , including Cub Mountain Ride to the Sky , Baja SAE , Mayhem for Mustard Seed Ranch ( CrossFit ), Iron Eagle Challenge ( CrossFit ), Cummins Falls Marathon , and various other local events .
• Hosted 3rd Annual Hometown Champions Night at Tennessee Tech University ’ s Hooper-Eblen Center , the signature showcase for the sports council in honoring athletic excellence in Putnam County . Marynell Meadors served as keynote speaker for the evening . The former Tennessee Tech Women ’ s Basketball Coach received the Lifetime Achievement Award , and Upperman High School was awarded the Hometown Champions Cup .
2016 TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT a . b . c . d .
e .
$ 122.15 MILLION in direct tourism expenditures $ 18.68 MILLION in payroll income $ 2.53 MILLION in local tax revenue Ranking 16 th out of 95 counties in the state for tourism expenditure levels As a result of taxes generated by tourist activity in Putnam County , each household pays $ 338.51 LESS in local and state taxes .
• Hosted a successful TSSAA BlueCross Bowl for an eighth consecutive year . The state high school football championships have unofficially dubbed Cookeville the “ capital of Tennessee high school football .” Over 40,000 visitors were welcomed to Putnam County over a three-day period with an estimated economic impact of $ 2.5 million . Community support and a team effort involving more than 750 volunteers continue to offer the hospitality that allows Cookeville to be honored with hosting privileges . The visitors ’ bureau led efforts in bid proposal submission and presentation preparations for continued BlueCross Bowl hosting rights through 2020 .
• Continued to serve as host for the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association ’ s Toyota East vs . West Tennessee All-Star Classic at TTU . A recognition night was hosted to honor the players with keynote speaker Coach Ron Lambert . Former University of Tennessee quarterback Sterling Hinton provided a motivational talk with players on game day .
• Attended the National Association of Sports Commissions Symposium in Grand Rapids , MI . Met with various sports event organizers and attended professional development seminars for best practices .
• Continued Play Tennessee partnership with sports tourism representatives from across the state as well as TDTD . The statewide sports association has a goal of providing a unified sports tourism effort for recruitment of sporting events to Tennessee while also providing networking , educational , marketing , economic impact research / data opportunities .
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