The numbers are in, and just as we suspected, the Lynn University debate knocked it out of the park. Data were a provided by the university’s Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment with Nielsen, the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Enigma Research Corporation and two media monitoring services. For all you naysayers out there, the people who thought this was a boondoggle for Boca (you know who you are), here are some of the key findings:
- $13.1 million in immediate economic impact for the Palm Beach County economy, including $1.7 million in elevated spending by local residents, a 22 percent increase in bed taxes and more than $63 million in publicity value for Lynn and the community, including more than $50 million for the City of Boca Raton.
- 33,208 total news stories
- 59.2 million viewers, ranking only behind a Super Bowl and the Olympics in terms of viewership
- 99.9 million people who knew that the debate took place at Lynn or knew it took place in Boca Raton or Palm Beach County, according to a national telephone survey
And there is much more in the university study. The Little School Who Thought It Could did—and did it well.
The numbers speak for themselves.
