MARCH 2022 • WINTER FAIR • THE BRANDON SUN
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Trudel said. “For every one of those out of town dollars that come into our econ- omy they then generate employment for our peo- ple and that creates dis- cretionary income, which then goes out and supports all the other businesses in the community.” Dollars spent during the show do not just have a “one-time” impact on the community, and instead, go out and are circulating repeatedly through the community. Trudel esti- mates each dollar spent multiplies at least seven times when shopping lo- cally. Every event that hap- pens in the community is crucial to the community and the winter fair has a long-standing history in Brandon.
“The winter fair espe- cially puts heads in beds which is how they count success,” Cleaver said. “It’s a proven fact that we have a huge economic impact … after two years of hotels struggling, we are going to fill the beds. It helps every- body.” The city’s tourism sec- tor receives a major boost from any size event taking place that promotes “group business,” said Sandy Tru- del, director of economic development for the City of Brandon. The pandem- ic has been very tough on this sector, but there is now a “ray of optimism” that comes in knowing the winter fair will go ahead and return to operations in 2022. “They have been with us forever — it’s just so excit- ing,” Trudel said.
Keystone Centre employee Lucy Neufeld scoops up pop- corn. (File)
are also more hidden pos- itive impacts. “What people maybe don’t think further of is somebody who is here for a stay. They’re using our restaurants. They’re pur- chasing fuel. They’re doing shopping, in some instanc- es they may even take part in some specific services,”
Events like the winter fair have a major economic im- pact on Brandon in a vari- ety of different ways. Some economic impacts are generally understood like the thousands of hotel room nights booked in the community for the event generating immediate rev- enue, she said, but there
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