After over 40+ years, the annual Sundance Film Festival has pulled up stakes in Park City, Utah. Come 2027, the event takes place in Boulder, Colorado.

Jay Kinghorn, Co-founder of Zartico, writes, “I just said goodbye to an era. Watching the festival-attendees on Main Street in Park City this weekend, it hit me: Utah is about to lose a masterclass in economic impact.

At Zartico, we’ve analyzed thousands of events. Whether it’s the Super Bowl, the World Cup, or a Taylor Swift tour, what generates event economic impact boils down to three core ingredients:

𝟭. 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿) – People don’t fly cross-country for a Tuesday night regular-season game. They travel for experiences they can’t replicate at home.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿 – Farmer’s markets and 5Ks are great for community, but they don’t fill hotel rooms. Conferences, multi-day tournaments, and festivals do. If there isn’t a reason to stay overnight, the economic engine never really starts.

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗫-𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿”: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 – This is where most cities fail. ‘Captive’ events—where every minute is programmed—generate surprisingly little destination-wide revenue.

– Attendees need gaps to wander.

– They need time to shop, eat, and explore.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. Sundance nailed this for four decades. The films brought people to Park City, but the ‘breathing room’ between screenings is what fueled the local economy and created that world-class charm…The formula isn’t complicated, but the execution is. Park City figured it out. Now, it’s Boulder’s turn.”

Read Jay’s full post on LinkedIn.