With thousands of journalists and political pundits on their way to Tempe, the city could generate more than $800,000 during the presidential debate.
The International Association of Convention and Business Bureaus estimates that a total of $880,000 will be generated in hotels, meals, transportation and other revenues, said Tempe spokesman Jeff Kulaga.
Local restaurants and retail stores are attempting to prepare for the flood of potential customers, but said they're not quite sure what to expect.
Downtown Tempe's takes in about $500,000 a day, and draws between 30,000 and 40,000 people, said Rod Keeling, executive director of Downtown Tempe, a non-profit organization that works with the city to increase the value of the area around Mill Avenue.
The number of people flooding downtown Tempe on Wednesday, the day of the debate, could be well over that, bringing with it extra money for businesses, but also extra traffic headaches.
Still, Keeling is remaining optimistic.
"I believe this will be plus, not a minus," he said. "I don't think it will be that hard to get in and out of here."
Keeling said restaurants will benefit the most and retail stories will get some extra business. But then there are businesses, such as architects and attorneys on Mill Avenue, who will have to deal with the congestion but won't get an extra business boost from the one-day event.
James Rackliffe, manager of Gordon Biersch restaurant and brew pub on Mill Avenue, said he was unsure how the restaurant would be affected.
"[Mill Avenue] is a tough place to be," Rackliffe said. "Logistics-wise it's hard to plan for that day because it could be a big day, but we may be tough to access."
Mark Panza, general manager at Borders Books and Music, said he scheduled extra staff members to work Wednesday.
"We are very excited about the debate and anticipate a positive impact," Panza said.
To help the media and others traveling to Tempe, the ASU debate Web site has a link to hotel and restaurant information. Some are already benefiting.
Officials at Tempe's The Ramada Limited reported a 30 percent increase in reservations around the time of the debate. The hotel is charging $59 a room for Tuesday or Wednesday night.
Some hotels, especially those a little further from the debate action on the ASU campus, could actually lose business during the debate, said ASU research economist Dawn McLaren. That's because travelers unconnected to the debate will stay away during the event.
There will be little to no travel to Tempe outside of the debate this week, McLaren said.
A check of several local hotels, including the Tempe Econo Lodge and the Tempe Quality Inn showed that rooms are still available for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reach the reporter at katherine.ruark@asu.edu.
