Lincoln, Lancaster County and Nebraska businesses are encouraged to make plans now to be ready for the influx of visitors coming to Lancaster Event Center Fairgrounds in Lincoln for the National High School Finals Rodeo in July.
2,000 vendors and staff start arriving July 12 and the 1,700 contestants and their families, totaling around 8,000 people, begin arriving July 15.
The event is expected to bring more family members, rodeo fans & shoppers than recent NHSFR’s in towns of 30,000 in Wyoming. These visitors will be attracted to the additional lodging, attractions, retail and restaurant options offered by Lincoln.
Due to the 3-day check-in process and the length of the 13 rodeo competitions stretching across seven days, visitors will have significant amount of time to explore Lincoln and Nebraska between July 15-24.
What Businesses Can Do Now to be Ready
- Plan to have extended hours.
- Schedule extra staff.
- Order extra inventory to meet these visitors’ unique needs.
- Contact their similar counterpart stores in Gillette & Rock Springs WY (previous NHSFR locations) to get idea of what to expect.
In addition to the rodeo action, the region’s largest Western-themed trade show, the NHSFR Lincoln Rodeo & Horse Expo, will be free and open to the public in two large air-conditioned buildings over 7 days.
The economic impact for Lincoln is expected to be signifcant. “Extrapolating from the recent NHSRA economic study for the Des Moines Junior High School Finals Rodeo, this impact should be $16 million per year for the Lincoln area alone , which is equal to the impact of four more football Saturdays,” says Dr. Eric Thompson, UNL professor of economics and director of the Bureau of Business Research.
To get involved, visit NHSFRLincoln.org for more information and contact Hoyt Kraeger at 402-441-1824 or hkraeger@LancasterEventCenter.org as soon as possible.