TRAVERSE CITY — It’s no secret that Traverse City is a tourism hub – but it’s not all suburban families out for a weekend at the beach.
The Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) bring equestrians, along with the investment their activities attract, to northern Michigan for three seasons out of every year.
Under the management of the Morrissey family, what started as a production lasting a few weeks in the summer has grown to 13 weeks of the year.
Traverse City Tourism President Trevor Tkach said this has worked well for the city.
“We’ve been grateful for how much the Morrisseys have grown the show in the last few years,” Tkach said.
On weekends, tourism tends to peak, so having people in town for the horse shows during the week keeps businesses busy, he said.
The most recent economic impact report from 2021 estimated that travel parties connected to equestrian competitions and events in the county — which average about eight- to nine people per horse — spend more than $6,000 every day while they’re in the area.
TCHS Event Director Matt Morrissey said that money isn’t a one-time deal either. “What you’re not only seeing is people spending that money, but when they come back every year, it’s a more permanent seasonal impact.”
In 2021, TCHS reported about $120 million in direct impact from visitor expenditures. These are the most recent official numbers available, but Tkach and TCHS Marketing Director Gary Howe said this number has likely increased in the last two years.
“Just based on the number of athletes and the amount of interest we’re seeing, I’m sure it’s gone up,” Howe said.
At Flintfields Horse Park, where the competition and other events take place, it’s clear that being near the city is a mutually beneficial relationship.
TCHS — a collection of national and international competitions — has to pitch its location for the competitions they want to host.
Lindsay Brock, press officer for TCHS, said being close to a city, along with making improvements, is attractive because it gives athletes and their families some options for entertainment and activities at the end of their day.
To keep attendees and athletes coming back, Morrissey said TCHS also invests in improvements and permanent buildings on the property. Two permanent barns have been added annually for the last few years, with plans to continue.
Permanent bathrooms and a hospitality structure are also on the to-do list, he said.
“To see that they are continuing to invest and grow is what we’d like to see,” Tkach said. “They’ve helped broaden our base and diversify the customer portfolio.”
Brock said athletes and attendees recognize these improvements, too. “The feedback we get from riders is that they appreciate us investing back in the show,” she said.
Sponsorships and charity donations connect the show to the city as well.
Every week, a different charity gets 100% of the revenue from that week’s general admission ticket sales, Howe said.
“We’re also encouraging the community to come out and visit, because each of these charities have different community groups,” Howe said.
Even the airport is involved. With all the tourists coming in for these events, Cherry Capital Airport CEO Kevin Klein said between 40,000 and 45,000 passengers board direct flights to get to the horse show every year.
It wasn’t always that way. Klein estimated that number has doubled in the last five years because of the increased popularity of the events and the extended duration of the shows.
Inquiries from passengers also prompted discussion about flights fit for the horses, not just human passengers.
“The potential in the future as the horse show grows is definitely there,” he said, noting that it would require some new planes with stalls instead of seats in the economy class.
“It has major economic impact on our community, and we’re proud to partner with the show,” Klein said.
TCHS took over the production of the then-“Great Lakes Equestrian Competition” in 2014 and purchased it in 2019. For a lot of businesses, the 2020 pandemic killed growth – but the opposite was true for TCHS.
“It was outdoors; we have lots of space; and Michigan was kind of ahead of the curve,” Howe said. “We couldn’t have spectators, but we could compete.”
Morrissey cited the fact that many other horse shows were forced to shut down at that time, so those athletes came to Traverse City for the summer. And many have repeatedly returned.
“I think, for us, it was actually a benefit,” he said.
This story was produced in partnership with WCMU Public Media.
