I came across this today. It is interesting to compare the results of the Xie study ($27 million along lake Erie) to the Grayhill study of the South by Southwest music festival in Austin $167 million http://greyhill.com/blog/2011/8/23/2011-sxsw-economic-impact-report.html Some great stuff Bird related event organizers might find useful here: http://www.changinggears.info/2012/03/08/big-events-are-crucial-for-economic-development-here-are-five-tips-for-how-to-create-a-good-one/ I still think the Xie estimates are incredible and overstate the actual impact of birding along Lake Erie and the fact that SXSW only generates 6 times the impact of birding lends credence to my skepticism. Haans Petruschke Kirtland ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]