SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings first regular season home game is not only a start to the season but a kickstart for businesses in the area.
Scott Ford is the deputy director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and said people can feel the excitement for a game hours before tipoff.
“Foot traffic downtown more than doubles on event days at Golden 1 Center. It does have a significant impact. Golden 1 Center was recently announced as the number one NBA venue in the entire country by ESPN,” Ford said.
According to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the Golden 1 Center provides more the 2,000 jobs $600 million in direct economic impact.
“About half the people that buy a ticket and come to the Golden 1 Center come from a distance of 30 miles or further outside the Sacramento area, bringing outside dollars into the local economy,” Ford said.
It’s why the Downtown Commons is offering fans spirited specials to attract those with or without a ticket to the Kings game. The Clayton Club and 7th Street Standard offering 20% off if you’re wearing Kings gear.
Bars like Fizz Champagne, Polanco, Willow, Revival have all brought back their Kings-themed cocktails.
Joe Ortiz, the operating partner of Tom’s Watch Bar, said a special tailgating area opened for the first home game.
“Huge difference. Normal day, I could probably see us doing 600, 700 covers. Today, we are probably going to see a 1,000, closer to 1,500,” Ortiz said.
Businesses brought back promotions they had success with last year or even specials they had during playoff times. Tru Encompass Beauty is also helping fans feel the roar with purple lips and hair.
Hanna Noelle is an aesthetician who provided game day services and said they always see a great crowd.
“It helps just to get people in our door to tell them about what we offer and that way they can come see us maybe in the future,” Noelle said.
WATCH ALSO:
