Eau Claire – Hotel/motel room tax collections continue to rise in Eau Claire.  Through the month of October 2010, calculated room tax is up 10.6% from the same time in 2009; compared to the Wisconsin state average of 7.6%.

Visit Eau Claire continues to promote the area and encourage visitors to utilize our great facilities.  Leisure travel, sporting events and conventions/meeting business thrives, contributing to the rise in room tax revenue.

2010 brought many new events to the area, with many more booked for 2011 and beyond.

Meetings/Conventions

• 22 new groups were welcomed to the Eau Claire area including:
  • Wisconsin State Tavern League with record attendance of 85 exhibitor booths and 500 attendees; returning in 2013
  • WI Choral Directors Association; this event brought approximately 600 people for three nights.
  • Eau Claire Big Rig Truck Show; first year event with projections to double the number of participants in 2011 the three day event.

Sports

• 27 new sporting events were welcomed to the Eau Claire area including:
  • NCAA Division III National Softball Championships; along with approximately 240 players, over 1,000 family and fans traveled with the teams.
  • OpenAir Tours OpenAir Classic; first time in this group’s history they returned to the same location two years in a row.  This event brought over 400 people to town for three nights.
  • Babe Ruth Ohio Valley Regional; this event brought more than 200 players and coaches along with over 500 traveling family and friends. 

The City of Eau Claire has charged a room tax since 1975; the current rate is 8% of taxable revenue. 

For more information, contact Kristen Hartzel at 715-831-2345.