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Sullivan, MO, a town with a population of approximately 7,000 residents, attracts an impressive annual influx of visitors, totaling 15,100 each year. Visit www.Cobalt360.org/parkprograms for details.
What’s the number one job reality of park directors? Optimize, optimize, optimize. Park directors are continuously faced with financial constraints while addressing persistent maintenance demands, fulfilling programming requests, and balancing community interests with very limited resources. And then after the dust settles, successfully marketing programs and amenities to appeal to the public. Many leaders in local government do not realize that community parks are strong economic drivers for their communities. Research from the Trust for Public Land reveals that parks reap a whopping $200 billion annually into the U.S. economy. They also accrue an average house value boost of $9,000 in their respective communities. So how can park directors reframe their function to get more support and resources at the budget table? Reframe the park system as a vital economic engine that helps attract outside visitors (and their wallets) and boosts property value/tax revenue. Cobalt’s Visitor360 program offers key insights that help directors reframe decision-making and budget conversations. Visitor360 provides comprehensive data that go beyond simply tracking visitor numbers. These reports help directors document overall visits, benchmark between parks, capture event turnout, see usage patterns such as time and day preference, see home locations, and compare visitor demographics to the demographics of the community overall to see where there may be barriers or programming mismatch with some resident segments. The reports even provide insights into the communication channel preferences, values, and interests of visitors. With Cobalt, park directors can make data-driven decisions to maximize the return on investment in their parks, whether it's planning for maintenance, adjusting programming, strengthening outreach, or identifying opportunities for revenue generation. City parks have the potential to serve as powerful economic engines for their communities, but realizing this potential requires strategic planning and informed decision-making. Learn more about our quality, affordable programs at www.Cobalt360.org/parkprograms. References: Anderson, L. M., et al. (2015). Benefits and challenges in use of geographic information systems (GIS) for park and recreation management. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 33(1), 52-66. Baade, R. A., & Dye, R. F. (1988). Assessing the economic impact of sports facilities on local economies: A review of the literature. Journal of Urban Affairs, 10(1), 111-131. Cobalt Community Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cobaltcommunityresearch.com/ Placer. Placer.ai. Published 2024. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://analytics.placer.ai/#!/admin/insights/complexes/64588c6a6d95da013c6c537b/overview?competitor=%5B%5D&filter=%5B%7B%22date%22:%7B%22start%22:%222023-04-01%22,%22end%22:%222024-03-31%22,%22chosenLabel%22:%22Last+12+Months%22%7D%7D%5D Portland State University. (2018). The Economic Impact of Parks. Trust for Public Land. (2021). Economic Benefits of Parks and Recreation. For more information on how Cobalt can help you adapt and thrive in the changing demographic, economic and social environment, visit the Cobalt website or reach out to us by email. Let us know if you need anything at all for benchmarking or research data; we are here for you.
Cobalt Community Research is a national 501c3 nonprofit, non-partisan coalition that helps local governments, schools and membership organizations measure, benchmark, and affordably engage communities through high-quality metrics, mobile geofencing data, surveys, and dynamic population segmentation. Cobalt combines big data with local insights to help organizations thrive as changes emerge in the economic, demographic and social landscape. Explore how we can help. |
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