Just how much money is the Big 12 expected to bring to Kansas City? According to Visit KC: $13.3 million in just a few days time.
"That spin will calculate from the restaurants to hotels to the retail, and so it's going to be a big event, so we are really excited about it," said Ronnie Burt with Visit KC.
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On top of that, Kansas City's tourism department expects millions of people to see what KC is all about through the beauty shots that national networks will air on TV. Those shots will give viewers across the nation a taste of what the city has to offer, from BBQ to activities.
A brand new court is waiting for #Big12MBB fans at the Game Day Experience! #instakc
Game… https://t.co/fS7uSQsRsR pic.twitter.com/ReFUDDYE9R— Kansas City (@VisitKC) March 9, 2016
"We are going to have a large TV audience, and what that does is, it puts Kansas City on the map nationally," said Burt. "All the economic development infrastructure downtown is also improving the experience people have when they come downtown. Those people have a great experience, and then people go around and talk about KC."
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And that, said Visit KC, keeps the economic impact circle going so that Kansas City can continue to grow and attract not only tourists but also tournaments just like Big 12.
The tournament stays in KC through 2020. By that time, the street car will be up and running, and downtown will be even bigger, with more restaurants, lodging and entertainment venues. Kansas City hopes these improvements will make the city more attractive and make Big 12 want to stay put.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
You can also follow her on Twitter.
