Following an in-depth study and review of the Event Impact Calculator's use and methodology, DMAI presents a selected case study on how Visit Cabarrus harnesses the power of economic impact data for its destination and meeting planner business.

1. DMAI’s Event Impact Calculator
Cabarrus County Convention
& Visitors Bureau
s a non-membership
DMO, Cabarrus County
Convention and Visitors
Bureau placed significant
importance on being a resource
for all hospitality and tourism
partners in Cabarrus County. It
was therefore always critical that
all its stakeholders, from the local
residents to business owners to
elected officials, understood how
the organization was contributing
to and positively impacting the
area.
With championship racing built
into the DNA of the community,
travel and tourism figures highly
in Cabarrus County’s economic
fabric, generating more than $363
million in visitor spend annually,
$77 million of which benefit the
payroll of close to 4,000 people.
Travel also contributes $26.6
million in state and local taxes,
thereby saving each household
over $400 year.
Communicating such value to a
whole community of stakeholders
required significantly reliable
and efficient means of culling
and reporting the information
consistently. John Mills, Executive
Vice President of Cabarrus County
CVB shares their organization’s
needs.
“First, we needed a calculation
method that would value total
economic impact more efficiently
and quickly than our existing
model. Prior to adopting the Event
Impact Calculator, we mostly
calculated only direct impact. The
bureau would conduct intercept
surveys and determine what the
average spend per visitor was for
each segment,” Mills said. “We
needed a calculator that could
better tell the story of the impact
of an event on our community,
and we needed a trusted source
in the industry that could provide
A

2. DMAI’s Event Impact Calculator Cabarrus County, North Carolina | User Case Study
The calculator has already become the voice for which
we educate our destination on the impact of tourism.
“ John Mills, Executive VIce President,
Cabarrus County CVB
additional support for the method
of calculation beyond our own
interpretation.”
Therefore, electing to adopt the
calculator was a straightforward
first step for the DMO. The
legitimacy of the information and
models that the Event Impact
Calculator employed convinced
the organization that this method
would help Mills and his colleagues
speak confidently on the impact of
their work. “Knowing the work that
went into creating the calculator
along with the reputation of DMAI
and Tourism Economics, we’ve
found the calculator has already
become the voice for which we
educate our destination on the
impact of tourism,” said Mills.
Getting accustomed to the
calculator’s outputs and developing
a process for data collection and
revision has required Mills and
his team to work collaboratively,
often cross-checking with actual
numbers after events have
occurred. Cabarrus County CVB
uses the calculator for citywide and
its largest events only. The majority
of information is collected by the
sales and services team from the
host site or the event planners.
Mills enters the inputs himself and
then compares those numbers with
room night production numbers
and their Smith Travel reports.
“Once we feel comfortable with the
overnight room production, we
look at total attendance and daytrip
visitation,” explains Mills.
The calculator’s purpose has
been to inform the DMO’s
communications to their
stakeholders. Therefore, the
organization does not currently
employ the tool for internal
decision making when booking
business. Mills and his team report
jobs supported, taxes generated,
direct business sales, as well as
total business sales, which includes
indirect and induced spending as a
result of moneys flowing through
the local economy.
Most of the results from the
calculator are distributed via press
releases through the organization’s
communications manager. Results
are shared with members of their
Board of Directors, local media,
local elected officials and with
various groups that the DMO has
been invited to speak. The numbers
also live on the organization’s
internally managed business site,
CabCoCVB.com, which not only
shares key statistics about the
impact of travel and tourism to
the region, but also educates site
visitors on the DMO’s ongoing
plans and activities.
“We are very satisfied with
the calculator along with the
improvements and features that
have been added since it first
launched,” Mills concluded, “and
sharing the results with our local
stakeholders has helped them
better understand the importance
of tourism in our community
and why we actively recruit these
meetings and events.” •

3. Prior to becoming the Executive
Vice President of the Cabarrus
County Convention and Visitors
Bureau, John Mills served on the
organization’s Board of Directors
from 2006 to 2008. Prior to joining
the Bureau full time in 2008, Mills
spent 15 years in retail in Louisi-
ana, Texas, and North Carolina.
Most recently he was the General
Manager for Bass Pro Shops locat-
ed at Concord Mills.
John earned his Bachelor of Science
in Finance at Louisiana Tech Uni-
versity. He also received a Human
Resource Certificate through the
Employers Association based in
Charlotte, NC. John is an active
member with Destination Mar-
DMAI’s Event Impact Calculator Cabarrus County, North Carolina | User Case Study
keting Association International
(DMAI) and his primary roles
at the Bureau include Finance,
Human Resources, Research and
Operations.
Since joining the Bureau John has
been instrumental in assisting the
Bureau by creating an independent
501(c)6 organization, relocating
the offices and visitor center, and
guiding the organization to achieve
accreditation through DMAI.
About John Mills
Executive Vice President
Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau