Lawrence Epstein, UFC Chief Operating Officer, commented: “The first UFC event in Paris will remain a historic and memorable event in many ways. The economic impact UFC continues to deliver to key cities around the world is a mark of the dedication of our fans and the momentum to which UFC and MMA has grown over the past few years. The French crowd did not disappoint, and we hope everyone enjoyed their first UFC event in Paris, and we can’t wait to come back to France.”
The event had a huge impact on tourism, as 67.9% of fans who attended the event travelled from outside of the Paris region, showing the benefits to a city of hosting a UFC event.
Key figures include:
- A total of €33.4 million (US$33.4 million) in economic benefits for the Paris region
- 400 jobs generated in the Paris region from the event
- €16.1 million (US$16.1 million) in compensation and wages
- €711,800 (US$710,600) in tax revenue
- €3.4 million (US$3.4 million) gate revenue, the highest ever for the Accor Arena
- A truly international audience: 32.1% from Île de France, 39.9% from other French regions, and 28% from abroad
- 1 in 5 people stated it was their first trip to Paris and 94.8% came to Paris just for the UFC event
- 95% of visitor attendees reported they came to Paris specifically for the UFC event
- 92% of visitor attendees said they would attend another UFC event in Paris in the future
- 412,000 mentions in online and social media resulting in €627.1 million ($628.2 million) in total global media value
Brian Gordon, Principal of Applied Analysis, noted: “The combination of the UFC event held at Accor Arena and visitors to the greater Paris region resulted in impressive economic returns. Premium spending by UFC fans rippled through the economy to support millions of dollars in economic activity and compensation for local area workers.”
See attached for the full report as conducted by Applied Analysis.
Methodology of the study
To assess economic impacts, Applied Analysis relied on overall UFC and visitor spending within the region. Data were sourced to ticket sales data, surveys of event attendees, third-party economic data providers and information provided by UFC.
For the purposes of the study, economic impacts focus on economic output, salaries and wages, and employment. In addition to direct impacts sourced to UFC, the analysis considers indirect and induced impacts, or the “ripple effect”. Indirect impacts include secondary impacts generated by businesses that support the economic activities of UFC and visitors, while induced impacts are sourced to businesses that are supported by employee spending. Total impacts reflect the sum of direct, indirect and induced impacts.
