The organizers of the 2019 Jeep Fest predicted earlier this year that this past weekend’s third celebration of all things Jeep would be bigger, better, and badder than last year’s event.
And they were correct.
Preliminary estimates gathered suggest that the event itself drew 70,000 or more to downtown Toledo over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday course of events and activities. That eclipsed the 2018 estimate of 60,000 Jeep Fest-goers.
But overall, more than 100,000 people converged on downtown during the entire weekend to take part in various activities, including Jeep Fest.
“Our event isn’t ticketed, so we're still putting together numbers. But we feel confident that 70,000 people came into town and were downtown due to Jeep Fest,” Whitney Rofkar, an official with Thread Marketing and Jeep Fest event director, said. “And we also feel confident that 100,000 people came downtown over the entire three-day weekend, whether if was for a volleyball tournament, Jeep Fest, or to watch the Mud Hens,” she added.
In 2018, registrations for Jeep Fest indicated it brought visitors from 27 states, Canada, and Mexico. There were more than 60 vendors, including 40 that were automotive-focused, and for the signature event — the All-Star Jeep Parade — there were 1,600 vehicles that took part..
Last weekend, attendees came from 32 states (including Alaska), Washington, D.C., and Canada. There were more than 100 local and national vendors with over half that were automotive-focused. The Jeep Parade, sponsored by Grogan’s Towne & Charlie’s Jeep dealerships, had 1,400 vehicles this year but that was because organizers cut down the number slightly to fit it into a two-hour window.
At this point, the economic effect of Jeep Fest on the Toledo area is largely unknown.
“A true economic survey would have to be done to come up with accurate figures,” said Cindy Kerr, vice president of operations for ConnecToledo, the city’s downtown development corporation.
However, Ms. Kerr said that anecdotally, area hotels were extremely busy last weekend.
“The two hotels downtown here were booked full and they had been for quite a while,” she said. “And from what we heard, people were staying anywhere from 30 to 60 miles out, from Monroe, Mich., down to Findlay.”
Ms. Kerr, a member of the Glass City Crawlers Jeep club, said Jeep owners tend to be outdoor adventure types, so many likely did not stay in hotels and instead camped in the closest campgrounds they could find.
Restaurant revenues will be even harder to gather, but Ms. Kerr said many restaurant owners reported being especially busy, especially those in Toledo’s Warehouse District.
Specific events relating to Jeep Fest last weekend were well attended, Ms. Rofkar said.
Dennis DeYoung & the music of Styx, which was part of the ProMedica Concert Series on Friday night drew a crowd of 4,000.
Total attendance for four Mud Hens games on Thursday through Sunday was 41,022 and including three sold-out standing room only crowds of 11,500 on Friday, 12,000 on Saturday, and 11,300 on Sunday.
A 4-mile Jeep Fest foot race on Sunday morning drew 1,700 participants.
Organizers were most concerned with the reactions to Jeep Fest on social media, because that is how word of the event has been spread mainly among the Jeep community worldwide.
“Toledo really did put its best foot forward,” Ms. Rofkar said. “It was all good.”
The Jeep Fest Facebook page drew 27,700 followers, up 6,000 from 2018. By comparison, the Butler Jeep Heritage Festival in Slippery Rock, Pa. (which claims to be the birthplace of Jeep) had 29,500 followers.
On Instagram, Jeep Fest got 2,100 profile visits, 43,500 reaches, and 122,500 impressions. Twitter generated 59,800 tweets and 1,100 profile visits for Jeep Fest, and the event had followers in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, India, Puerto Rico, Italy, Spain, and Brazil.
Jeep Fest 2019’s official t-shirt just about sold out except for a few sizes, Ms. Rofkar said.
“We sold out of the medal [Jeep Fest] signs. We have a few water bottles and hats left, but we sold even more merchandise than last year.”
Ms. Rofkar said vendors reported that more people attended their vendor midway area than last year.
Also, the new Jeep Fest speaker series in the SeaGate Convention Centre was a huge hit. When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles officials spoke they drew audiences of more than 100 people.
If there was talk that Jeep Fest should not be held every year, that was quelled last weekend.
“What we keep saying is: it is our intention is to do this annually. We closed out this year with momentum and our intent is to do again in 2020,” Ms. Rofkar said.
First Published August 16, 2019, 9:24 p.m.
