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You have a point, but--and I know we've covered all this before--Houston hasn't done much to market itself and promote its attributes and offerings either; it is arguably the biggest obscure U.S. city and although it has a few similarities with LA (which some would say are mostly superficial), it doesn't really have any strong economic or cultural ties to CA's major urban areas presently. At the same time, because Houston's economy is very much tied to its geography as well as highly and uniquely commodity-driven, it never really had a need to heavily market itself for economic development purposes. Basically, it got to be as large and prosperous as it is without really even trying which is quite the rarity for a Sunbelt city.
Austin, on the other hand, had to put in quite a bit more sweat equity to successfully leverage its assets to experience the growth and prosperity it has been a recipient of over the past several years, and much of that work included extensive marketing and self-promotion. IMO, the pinnacle of that strategy is SXSW which really put the city on the map in a major way both culturally and economically. I'd venture to say that event is most likely the primary reason why Austin is perceived the way it is by some, even if it isn't reflective of everyday reality in Austin. That goes to show the power and influence that an annual signature event (or hosting a high-profile significant event) can have and the benefits it can bring to a place. Interestingly enough, this has relevance to the topic at hand and I'd say it's another piece of evidence in Austin's favor.
The rodeo is more of a local thing. It doesnt draw people from across the country the way SXSW does. You have people come from different areas to compete in the stock part of the show, but not really as tourists.
Not at all. It's good to see a city not allow a multibillionaire franchise owner to hold it hostage over a tax giveaway every now and again, and it's not uncommon for close proximity to a larger market to act as a liability for a smaller market when it comes to retaining major league sports teams.
A couple years ago I was visiting some friends in San Diego and the Chargers move came up. One of them said "yeah the restaurants and bars are all dead now over there (Mission Valley area). Used to be packed on gamedays".
Pre covid plandemic, I'm sure the restaurant and bar owners in that area disagree with you, and the trickle down effect it causes on employees. So many visitors would come in, book hotel rooms, and spend their outside money in SD. Now SD was still getting that before covid but the Chargers moving certainly hurt a bit in the short-term at least.
The rodeo is more of a local thing. It doesnt draw people from across the country the way SXSW does. You have people come from different areas to compete in the stock part of the show, but not really as tourists.
Yeah, the comparison between a premier innovation, technology and entertainment conference with a chili cook-off and a carnival isn't really making sense. HLSR is more comparable to the State Fair in its draw and significance.
The earlier comment about Austin "stealing" the Art Car Parade from Houston deserves the same kind of perspective, I believe. Did Houston "steal" the Art Car Parade from San Francisco?
I don't really think so, but one could probably credibly make the point. The Art Car Parade, to me, has always been a 1/500 scale, sanitized, poor man's Burning Man. In other words, it's a fun local art fair, rather than the cultural touchpoint on a national and global scale that Burning Man is.
Yeah, the comparison between a premier innovation, technology and entertainment conference with a chili cook-off and a carnival isn't really making sense. HLSR is more comparable to the State Fair in its draw and significance.
The earlier comment about Austin "stealing" the Art Car Parade from Houston deserves the same kind of perspective, I believe. Did Houston "steal" the Art Car Parade from San Francisco?
I don't really think so, but one could probably credibly make the point. The Art Car Parade, to me, has always been a 1/500 scale, sanitized, poor man's Burning Man. In other words, it's a fun local art fair, rather than the cultural touchpoint on a national and global scale that Burning Man is.
Well Houston couldn't have since the art car parade in Houston came before the one in SF . I agree it's a minor point overall since it's not a national event.
Also people forget Houston was one of the original Pacifica radio stations (SF, NYC, LA, Houston, and DC were the five originals). It's had a progressive tilt inside for a while.
Pre covid plandemic, I'm sure the restaurant and bar owners in that area disagree with you, and the trickle down effect it causes on employees. So many visitors would come in, book hotel rooms, and spend their outside money in SD. Now SD was still getting that before covid but the Chargers moving certainly hurt a bit in the short-term at least.
Long-term, the new use of the site will have a far larger impact than the Chargers.
Well Houston couldn't have since the art car parade in Houston came before the one in SF . I agree it's a minor point overall since it's not a national event.
Also people forget Houston was one of the original Pacifica radio stations (SF, NYC, LA, Houston, and DC were the five originals). It's had a progressive tilt inside for a while.
You misunderstood my point. I was implying that the Art Car Parade is really just a much smaller, less significant, and sanitized Burning Man (which originated in SF).
You misunderstood my point. I was implying that the Art Car Parade is really just a much smaller, less significant, and sanitized Burning Man (which originated in SF).
Right because burning man is more than just art cars, so of course the art car parade in Houston would be smaller in theory than an event which has more than that. But in reality, the art car parade in Houston has similar attendance numbers to burning man, and in fact higher numbers in many years. Houston's is one of the larger ones which is why I said what I did about Austin's version, but Austin has plenty of other events.
This is where the thread should go next...whose premier event is more impactful to the city... ComicCon in SD or SXSW in Austin?
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. I agree it's a minor point overall since it's not a national event.
