I wonder how well the other HOF's do, none of them are exactly in big tourist attraction cities. Pro Football - Canton Ohio Basketball- Springfield Ma Baseball-Cooperstown NY I've been to the HOF in South Bend, it was a very nice facilty but I doubt if I would have driven to South Bend to see it had I not already been there for Notre Dame games. Certainly Atlanta has a much higher tourist/visitor count and if it's located in an area that tourist already visit then it will do much better than it has in South Bend.
The college HOF seems to move every 10-15 years. It was a money drain for South Bend. It's a shame. It's a nice facility, but Terry is right. Not many people drive to South Bend for the purpose of visiting the HOF. I recall that a major factor in the move to South Bend was the proximity to football-oriented population centers like the Big 10 schools and Chicago. Obviously, that didn't pan out. I can't imagine that it would be any more successful in Atlanta.
In Atlanta, they will be able to splash that thing down with corporate sponsorships and use it as part of that massive travel/tourist/sports complex in which you have all that stuff going on (Georgia Dome, CNN Center, Phillips Arena etc) It's a rather impressive set up. I think it might actually do well because you already have a built-in tourist base and you aren't trying to manufacture one. I know the pro football HOF has that pre-season game and I believe that serves as a fund raiser for the Hall. The CFHOF really didn't have anything like that. I know the baseball HOF has various fund raising type tournaments for its benefit.
If the CFBHOF is in a geographically close-knit "community" of attractions, wherein the main objective is to draw folks to the community via an event and offer the HOF as a way to spend some time, it could work. In that scenario, it could exist operating at a loss because it is there to enhance the overall quality of the experience for the fans/visitors to the various sporting events nearby (walking distance). In South Bend, it's been the only downtown attraction, far enough away from the ND campus that most visitors to the campus don't feel like making the extra trip to see the HOF. I would guess that's especially true on a football Saturday, when fans attending the game are focused only on parking as close to the stadium as possible.
Sid, Very good points. As you well know, the HOF is not near campus and it really isn't easy to find if you are an 'out of towner' visiting South Bend. In Atlanta, if they put it down there by the CNN Center/Phillips Arena/Georgia dome etc, they will have year round traffic to the place. Heck, Turner Field is right around the corner as well. I think it's a good 'get' for the city of Atlanta. This may well turn out to be a 'win win' for everyone here... well except the city of South Bend.
Maybe. I have read that they are short of the estimated $50,000,000 cost of moving the HOF. Chik-fil-a people say they are "85% there" but other sources say that there is only $10,000,000 in firm commitments. To be continued...........