phil go riverwalk
For more than a year, Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale have been collecting data as a part of the sixth Arts and Economic Prosperity Study (AEP6), an effort of the national arts advocacy organization, Americans for the Arts. The goal of this effort is to quantify the economic impact of the non-profit arts and culture industry, both locally and nationally.
Unlike many other industries, the non-profit arts and culture sector stimulates large amounts of event-related spending by audiences. More than 3,000 audience-intercept surveys collected by Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale attest to this fact. These surveys reveal the spending habits of our local event attendees, how dollars are spent in conjunction with events, and the economic activity generated. The financial data of more than 100 Broward-based arts and culture non-profit organizations was also compiled. The results of our efforts provide valuable insights locally and also contribute to the study’s conclusions on the national-level.
In FY22, Broward County arts and culture non-profit organizations spent $138,773,054, which leveraged an additional $247,830,621 spending by audiences, generating a total of $386,603,675 in economic activity. These numbers are impressive by themselves and are a testament to the strength of our arts and culture sector. When you dig a little deeper into some of the study’s audience data, you see that in FY22 nearly six-million people attended arts and culture events and spent an average of $41.74 per person, per event. This spend is on top of the price of a ticket, on items such as parking, dinner, and lodging.
AEP6 study results also demonstrate the importance of the arts in our community, with more than 80% of survey respondents indicating that they view cultural venues as “important pillars” that “instill a sense of pride” in their neighborhoods and communities.
Most people understand the important role of artists and arts and culture organizations in our communities. Participating in studies like AEP6 help us to advocate for continued and increasing support of arts and cultural opportunities. There is no doubt that the state of our arts is strong, and although there is still much work to be done, we can be proud of our accomplishments and celebrate the fact our community values arts and culture.
For the full AEP6 report for Broward County, visit Broward.org/Arts.
To see the arts in action in our community, be sure to visit our annual IGNITE Broward festival in Fort Lauderdale and Dania Beach from January 24-28, 2024. Get all the details at IGNITEBroward.com.
Wishing you all the best for the holiday season.