DAYTON — Tens of thousands of people have their sights set on the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show this weekend, and it means big business for the area, with last year’s show resulting in $3.8 million in economic impact.
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Kevin Franklin, Executive Director of the Dayton Air Show, has spent the last year planning this weekend’s show with his team.
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“The amount of people that we have come from out of state, it just always blows my mind,” Franklin said. “I talked to a guy the other day that’s coming from Canada.”
With tens of thousands of visitors, everything from area hotels to restaurants sees a boost.
“It brings everybody together, and that’s what we want to continue to do,” Franklin added.
It comes amid rising costs that air show organizers have had to navigate. Just like gas prices, jet fuel costs are up too.
“We’re impacted just like everybody else going to the pumps,” he said.
Franklin told News Center 7 that when they book acts for the show, they come with different requirements and accommodations. One of them is how much jet fuel they’ll need. After more than 50 years of shows, Franklin said many acts want to be in Dayton.
“We’ve been partnering with the same contractors year after year, and they want to come back the next year, and that’s why they’re able to kind of keep those costs down,” Franklin said.
Air show organizers want to make sure the show stays affordable for families to come out and enjoy. It’s why they’ve run different deals on tickets in the run-up to air show weekend.
The whole goal is to put on a memorable show for families while making it better than the year before.
“I’ve been calling it the show of the century with the lineup that we have, so that’s going to be good,” Franklin said.
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