About the Event

Founded in 1956, Colorado-based Adaptive Sports USA produces competitive events for people with physical disabilities. In 2019, Bloomington hosted the Junior Nationals, which typically rotates to different destinations around the country. Open to youth ages 6 to 22, the event attracts more than 300 athletes, coaches and family members and includes six sports: archery, para-triathlon, powerlifting, shooting, swimming and track and field.

EIC Output Goal

Bloomington utilized the EIC when bidding on the business and used the output to seek an events grant from the Department of Economic Development of Minnesota to help support the operations. The EIC showed key legislatures the importance of hosting the business. Knowing a lot of families use the event as their vacation, the CVB was able to demonstrate the economic impact of six, seven or eight day visits with parents and extended family.

We have used the EIC at the state legislature to showcase the importance of the grant program and events in general. It is a great tool to showcase ROI performance of heads in beds, which is the economic evaluation of our industry.

 - Dan O'Neill, Bloomington CVB

Approach to Using the EIC

The organization worked hand in hand with Adaptive Sports and played a leading role, along with area groups that have expertise in sports and working with people with disabilities. The sales team developed revenue around the event through contacts in the local market and the EIC was a fantastic tool to show the ROI. “It was fantastic to host Adaptive Sports in our destination,” said Dan O'Neill, Vice President of Strategy and Sales at the Bloomington CVB. “It allowed kids with all kinds of physical disabilities to participate and compete. We have used the EIC at the state legislature to showcase the importance of the grant program and events in general. It is a great tool to showcase ROI performance of heads in beds, which is the economic evaluation of our industry."

EIC Results

The Bloomington CVB was able to obtain a grant of $60,000 from the state, which would not have been possible without assistance from the outputs of the EIC tools. As a result, over 100 people worked on production of the event which resulted in employment of 115 community members and total economic impact of $809,436. In fact, the economic impact number only represented the duration of the event. Many families come, use their vacation and extend their stay resulting in additional impact locally and across the state of Minnesota.