The impact of the Olympic Trials, to be held from June 27 to July 6, is expected to be felt far beyond Hayward Field, with visitors projected to spend millions of dollars in the Eugene area on food, lodging, and other goods and services.
The event will pump dollars into the local economy, and some Eugene-area business leaders are preparing with more staff. The area is seeing new or expanded services, including a flight to San Francisco in a larger jet, thanks in part to the Olympic Trials. No one knows exactly what to expect, because Eugene last hosted the Olympic Trials in 1980. This summer’s Olympic Trials will be somewhat of a dry run for when Eugene hosts the same event again in 2012.
The Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon estimates roughly 75,000 visitors will come from outside the area during the trials, and the group expects residents and visitors to spend about $18 million on hotels, meals and tickets, and another $10 million on retail, food and other activities not directly related to the Olympic Trials.
Kari Westlund, president of CVALCO, said the numbers are conservative.
“I think we’ll probably hit or exceed these numbers with no problem,” she said.

The space crunch

Local hotels and motels have few rooms available during the event, but Westlund said she expects some last minute cancellations. The visitors association has filled all available rooms in Cottage Grove and Creswell, and Westlund said track and field fans will likely stay in hotels and motels in Albany, Corvallis, Salem and Roseburg during the event.
“We’ll start to feel some regional economic impacts,” she said.
The Olympic Trials will test the service of local lodging businesses, most of which have long been filled from June 27 to July 6.
The Phoenix Inn Suites on Franklin Boulevard near campus has been booked for about two years, said Megan Miller, guest services manager.
She said the hotel plans on adding more staff during the event.
“It’s always busy around that time, but this will just add to it. It’ll be a lot busier,” Miller said.
Crews remodeled the inside and outside of the hotel, replacing siding and adding fresh paint outside, and adding new lamps, beds and curtains inside, Miller said.
“We had planned on doing some remodeling, but the Olympic Trials gave us a push to get it done quicker,” Miller said.
Hotels aren’t the only businesses hoping to cash in on the lodging crunch. Local residents and property management companies are trying to rent their properties to visitors during the Olympic Trials.
Nearly 400 housing listings were advertised on Craigslist Sunday afternoon relating specifically to the Olympic Trials. One ad listed a six-bedroom house near Hayward Field during the 10-day event for $7,000.
Ducks’ Property Management owner Amanda Wooldridge, who manages the apartment complex Student Manor on 18th Avenue across the street from Hayward, is renting the one- and two-bedroom units during the Olympic Trials. About half of the units have been rented, Wooldridge said.
Eugene homeowners are contacting Wooldridge daily to explore the idea of renting out their homes, she said.
“A handful of those have been rented at this point,” she said, adding she expects more to be rented as the Olympic Trials approach. “We’re getting a lot of contact from family members of athletes who will be participating, as well as people who are just into track and field.”
Prices range from $40 per night to $350 per night, depending on location and amenities, Wooldridge said.
Her properties appeal to those looking for an alternative to a motel room, Wooldridge said.
“Staying in a house helps keep expenses down,” she said. “You don’t have to eat out, and there are a lot more amenities and extra bedrooms so everyone’s not cramped.”
Nancy Diane, who owns a vacation cottage in south Eugene, was able to increase her usual asking price of $65 a night to $100 per night during the Olympic Trials.
She recently checked online classifieds.
“When I look at the market now, it looks inundated,” she said. “Everyone is looking to get on the bandwagon, and they’re asking exuberant prices.”

Retailers prepare

Restaurants, retail outlets and services appealing to visitors also expect to see more business during the Olympic Trials.
The Duck Store will have a presence at the Olympic Trials.
“We’re very much going to be there, because we’re the retailer on campus – where people come to visit,” said General Manager Jim Williams. He added he expects to see more sales during the event, but he did not have any specific projections.
The campus retailer is stocking plenty of track and field apparel, including “Eugene 08” T-shirts, said Alma Fumiko Hesus, marketing manager of The Duck Store.
Getting fans to walk from Hayward Field to The Duck Store could be a challenge, Hesus said.
“We’re not 100 percent sure what will happen. People could stay all the way down there (at Hayward), but I’m anticipating that there will be traffic all around campus,” Hesus said. “And once you come here (to The Duck Store), it’s hard not to buy anything.”
The Duck Store is working with other campus groups at a University booth at Hayward to create a scavenger hunt. Scavengers can get stamped at 16 locations around campus and return to the booth to receive a prize.
The idea is to get visitors to explore the area, Hesus said.
The retailer is considering staying open later and plans on adding more staff.
Management at Studio One Café, a breakfast eatery on East 19th Street, plans on hiring three more staff members for the event, said cook Ben Williamson. The restaurant could also expand hours.
“We will definitely get hit hard,” Williamson said. “We can see the stadium from the restaurant.”

Encouraging development

Thanks to the Olympic Trials, Eugene-Springfield is seeing improvements in services that may have been needed long ago. Construction, development and planning can be seen throughout the area.
The Holiday Inn in the Gateway area of Springfield will be the first full-service hotel built in about 25 years when it is finished in time for the Olympic Trials, Westlund said. It will feature meeting space and a restaurant.
The Springfield Conference Center Consortium is looking to build a new convention center. United Airlines started Boeing 737 service from Eugene to San Francisco on Saturday.
“These are things we’ve always needed in this market, but this event gives some sign to developers that they can invest and won’t lose on their investment,” Westlund said.
The Olympic Trials, however, do have one possible downside. Regular visitors could be turned away from the area.
“Because we are perhaps somewhat limited on hotel rooms, we might have summer visitors who come to see us every year who will have to displace themselves outside the area during that two week time frame and move their trip earlier or later,” Westlund said. “They may feel inconvenienced by that, but we hope they come anyway and shift their trip.”
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