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Delicious Boosts
Written By: A.J. Stewart | Issue: 2019/03 - March
Last November, Highlands hosted its annual Food and Wine Festival.
Staged at multiple venues throughout Highlands over the course of four days, the festival celebrates the culture and unique beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains through food, wine and music. This uniquely intimate experience creates a positive economic impact on all aspects of life in Highlands. It brings increased revenue to local businesses, a great boost in tourism and much-needed support for local charities.
According to 2018 festival data, the festival itself spent $35,000 in Highlands for things such as event amenities and vendors. In addition to the revenue from the event itself, the Town of Highlands also benefited from the high-net worth visitors that came to stay, eat and shop in Highlands over the long weekend. Nearly 3,000 visitors, more than half of whom have an average household income of $200,000 or more, came in from 20 different states to experience
the festival.
Nearly 80 percent of festival stakeholders reported an increase in sales during the long festival weekend compared to other weekends in November. More than 80 percent of festival attendees spent $200 or more in local businesses, while 28 percent spent $300 or more. Retailers such as Bardo and TJ Bailey’s for Men reported a 30 percent increase in sales compared to the same weekend in 2017. The Highland Hiker’s revenue has increased by 70 percent
since 2016.
A vast majority of festival ticket-holders own homes in the Highlands area, but the festival also saw an increase in lodging and accommodation revenue. More than 21 percent of ticket-holders stayed in rental homes, while 17 percent made reservations at hotels and inns. A high percentage of these attendees were first time visitors to Highlands, creating the promise of increased repeat business in the future.
All of this combines to create an increase in the “brand awareness” of the Town of Highlands. The festival has a combined social media audience of over 10,000 followers. Over 79,000 people saw or engaged with social media posts and photos about the Highlands Food & Wine Festival before, during, and after the event.
The 2019 festival is scheduled for November 7-10. See highlandsfoodandwine.com. for ticket, lineup and event information.
