Final tally?

[Mtclassic]

so has anyone heard what the final numbers were. It seemed as busy to me as the last 3 years but a vendor told me they were down about 30% and i did see motel vacancies.

[Waffen]

http://www.sturgisbikeweek.com/blog/

It’s Official, Sturgis Bike Week Numbers Were DownPublished in August 22nd, 2008 Posted by Kevin in Sturgis Bike Week News, Sturgis NewsNo CommentsAlthough the numbers show attendance wasn’t down as much as many feared, attendance was down about 12 percent from 2007, with the tally being about 445,000. A full report will be available next week, officials with the South Dakota Department of Transportation said.

Meanwhile, sales and tourism tax revenues from temporary vendors also fell this year, according to the South Dakota Department of Revenue and regulation. The figures, which account for revenues collected in Sturgis and all other communities within Meade and Lawrence counties, currently stand at $761,329 in the Northern Hills. However, tax revenues from the event will continue to be collected over the next few weeks, even though the last official day was Aug. 10.

Of the $761,329 collected so far this year, $455,097 was state sales tax, $184,872 was municipal sales tax, $7,983 was municipal gross receipts tax, and $113,377 was state tourism tax revenue. Official reports show 1,191 vendors displayed and sold products at the 2008 rally, compared to 1,327 in 2007 and 1,371 in 2006. Gross vendor sales in the Northern Hills area for the 2008 rally totaled $11,377,432, down $1,213,965 from last year’s gross sales of $12,591,397.

The Southern Hills (including Rapid City, Custer, Hill City, Keystone and Pennington County) posted vendor sales tax revenues totaling $130,410. Of that amount, $74,341 was state sales tax, $36,132 was municipal sales tax, $1,355 was municipal gross receipts tax, and $18,582 was state tourism tax. Gross vendor sales from the 2008 Sturgis motorcycle rally totaled $1,858,519 in the Southern Hills, down $580,513 from 2007 gross sales of $2,439,032.
Statistics from the South Dakota Highway Patrol varied compared to last year. This year, a total of 253 DUI arrests were made, down two from 2007. Seven concealed weapons arrests were made, and five vehicles were seized. A total of 88 accidents occurred, 60 of which resulted in injuries. Three people were killed during the rally, two of which were the results of accidents.

Rally related emergency room visits were down to 613 from 830 in 2007, but the number of rally related hospital inpatients remained steady.


W

[deb93fxlr]

A friend of mine says with that figure the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, TX has now surpassed Sturgis in attendance. But that is comparing it to last year's figures. It will be interesting to see how Lone Star fairs this year.

[mungo]

That just amazes me. Over $11 million grossed in that amount of time. And that's just what can be accounted for through vendors. Doesn't take into consideration other business that may be there already and the outlying areas.

I don't know about Sturgis, but there are so many loud mouths in Myrtle Beach trying to do away with the rally.

For 11 million dollars, heck, I'll go by some land out in the middle of no where and start up my own rally/concert.

[rcsdrob]

Originally Posted by mungo

I don't know about Sturgis, but there are so many loud mouths in Myrtle Beach trying to do away with the rally.

Yes, there are a lot of loud mouths around the Black Hills trying to do away with the rally. Of course it's all for personal reasons; noise, traffic, inconvenience, etc. People around here don't tend to see the big picture. All they care about is how their lives are impacted for two weeks out of the year.

[mungo]

Originally Posted by rcsdrob

Yes, there are a lot of loud mouths around the Black Hills trying to do away with the rally. Of course it's all for personal reasons; noise, traffic, inconvenience, etc. People around here don't tend to see the big picture. All they care about is how their lives are impacted for two weeks out of the year.

And that's what kills me.

The rally's been going on for over 65 years and they are complaining? I could understand it if it were only a year or two old, but give me a break. The rally is much older than many of the people complaing I'd be willing to bet.