ONE 168: Denver Generates $18 Million for Greater Denver Region
ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization, today announced that ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena generated $18 million in total economic impact for the Denver region this past September, according to a study conducted by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (EDC). This was on par with similar events of its size that have previously come to Ball Arena, per the EDC.
After a successful U.S. debut at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO, in May 2023, ONE returned to the Centennial State in September 2024, drawing a near-capacity crowd of just under 10,000 attendees at Ball Arena.
Key highlights from the study include:
- More than half of the near-capacity crowd traveled from out-of-state to attend ONE 168, generating over $15 million in economic impact (83% of the total $18M impact)
- Direct spending activity generated by ONE 168 exceeded $9 million, encompassing transportation, lodging, food and beverage, and leisure expenses. Notably, over 50% of fans traveled in from out of state, contributing $7.5 million.
- Out-of-state attendees traveled with an average of two additional people and stayed in Denver for an average of three nights.
- Nearly 6,590 room nights were attributed to the event, accounting for group size and average length of stay. Direct impact from this spending totaled $1.4 million, supporting local hotels and short-term rentals.
- $6.3 million in labor income was generated for Colorado residents, with 146 jobs supported.
Hanna Scovill, Economist and Senior Manager of Economic Competitiveness for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Metro Denver EDC, stated: “This event successfully attracted a substantial number of out-of-state visitors, significantly boosting Colorado’s economy and supporting local jobs through $15 million new dollars to the state. This underscores the importance of supporting the region’s thriving arts, culture, and entertainment industry, which provides unmatched talent and incredible economic growth for Colorado.”
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “We are incredibly proud to have generated $18 million in economic impact for the greater Denver region during ONE 168 this past September, as well as $108 million in media value from our global broadcast and digital stream for our partners. ONE Championship has some of the most passionate fans in the world, and we would like to thank them for traveling in, along with all our fans in Colorado for attending and making the event such a memorable night. We would also like to thank our local partners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for their support in making the event such a huge success. We look forward to creating more unforgettable memories and having a similar impact on the local economies in our continued U.S. expansion.”
Raymond H. Gonzales, Executive Vice President for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and President for the Metro Denver EDC, stated: “It’s incredible to see the economic impact of ONE 168 in Metro Denver. The success of this event reflects how powerful a role our arts, culture, and entertainment industry plays in our economic prosperity. When we are able to attract so many visitors for a unique event like ONE Championship, businesses of all industries benefit from the influx of travelers and spend that fuels our communities.”
ONE will return to the U.S. later this year with details on those events being announced in the near future.
For a copy of the Report ‘The Economic Impact of ONE 168’ by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, please click here. To discuss this report in more detail and learn about opportunities to bring a ONE event to your city, please email [email protected].
