Nathan Hammond flies during a night air show, complete with aircraft-based pyrotechnics. (Courtesy of Ghostwriter Air Shows)
OSHKOSH, Wis. - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has a $257 million economic impact on the Fox Valley region each year, according to an independent study, the association announced Thursday.
What they're saying:
According to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh study was based on EAA AirVenture 2024 totals – which saw a record attendance of 686,000.
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"The growth of AirVenture since our last economic impact study in 2017 made it essential that it reflect the current environment," Jack Pelton, EAA’s CEO and board chair, said in a statement. "It was very important to have an independent study that looked at the value of the event for our region, as those benefits ripple across nearly every local business sector during AirVenture week while the world literally comes to Oshkosh and Wisconsin."
What's next:
This year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh starts Monday, July 21 and runs through Sunday, July 27.
The Titan Aerobatic Team flies at EAA AirVenture 2024. (EAA photo/Bailey Noel)
Dig deeper:
The UW-Oshkosh study used the same methodology as the 2017 study to ensure consistency, the EAA said. It showed direct spending of $171 million in the five-county Fox Valley region: Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Calumet and Brown.
There was an additional $86 million of what the EAA described as "ripple effect" impact spending passed through the community. In addition, the study found $117 million of economic impact, including $95 million of direct spending, took place in the Oshkosh community alone.
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AirVenture also directly created 2,092 full-time and part-time jobs in the region, the EAA said, with 815 of those in Oshkosh.
"While the initial numbers are very impressive as far as economic impact, given the growth of the event and inflation since 2017, digging below the surface provides further indication of the benefits of EAA AirVenture," David Fuller, who compilied both the 2017 and 2024 studies, said in a statement. "The increased earnings and community value during AirVenture alone means an additional $328,000 in property tax revenue for the Oshkosh-area economy, which does not include EAA’s annual property tax payments. This also does not include local revenue from areas such as room taxes, sales taxes where applicable, and other sources."
Big picture view:
The EAA said more than 70% of AirVenture's visitors come from outside Wisconsin. That included visitors from 94 countries.
"The success of EAA AirVenture helps promote our community in many ways, but most importantly in the visibility that occurs worldwide as fly-in visitors ‘Discover Oshkosh,’" Amy Albright, executive director of the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in a statement. "Furthermore, the revenue that funds our operations allows us to promote the community and all the other features and activities that make Oshkosh such a great place to live and visit."
The Source: EAA AirVenture released information for this report.