Amie Williams

Concord, North Carolina played home to more than 50,000 Ford Mustang enthusiasts as they poured into the area to celebrate a huge milestone, the Mustang’s 50th Birthday Celebration. Enthusiasts from all over, even different countries, piled into Charlotte Speedway and ZMax Dragway to celebrate the Ford Mustang.

Amie Williams

The event was bigger than any of us could have imagined despite Saturday’s dreary weather. The 50th Mustang Birthday Celebration was a huge deal, especially for business in the area.

According to the Independent Tribune officials calculated economic impact using the Destination Market Association International event calendar where the type of event was listed under sports as “adult amateur” where they calculate the spending based on the five day event. They estimated that about 9,600 rooms nights were booked by visitors during the specific event days, April 15 – 20, 2014.

Calculations also reveal that a lot of money was spent by these visitors in Cabarrus County during their stay with shopping, eating at restaurants, and filling up at the pump. All of it totaled to an incredible $8,320,559.

Yes, over $8 million was spent in Concord/Charlotte area during the Mustang celebration event surpassing the predicted $6 million. $5 million of the total came straight from direct sales. The remaining $3 million came from indirect sales such as the supplier bringing in items for stores to sell, or a distributor bringing in food for the restaurant supply.

When it came to lodging for the event, $1.2 million was spent alone in Cabarrus County. Transportation costs came out to $458,878. When it came to food and beverage sales, $1,650,195 was brought in and $1,202,731 was all from retail sales. Local taxes came to $421,401. The event bring also helped to support 1,849 jobs during the celebration.

Not only was the event a blast for Mustang enthusiasts everywhere, but it made a huge positive impact on the local community that welcomed everyone with open arms. It turned out to be a win-win for everyone.