One thing has become quite clear to me as I begin my second year as president of this wonderful organization -- the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is Houston's best kept secret!

As I continue to meet with community leaders and elected officials, it is apparent to me that many people do not realize the scope of our Show and the overall economic impact it has on our city.

Most people know that more than 1 million people attended the 1997 rodeo performances this year and that overall attendance for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo surpassed 1.7 million. And these are impressive figures of which we can all be proud.

The success of our rodeo has been well documented -- the richest regular season rodeo in the world regularly draws crowds in excess of 50,000 per performance. But how many people are aware that the Show relies heavily on a volunteer staff of nearly 12,000 dedicated people? That's a larger population base than some towns. How many people know that the livestock and horse shows feature more than 30,000 exhibitors each year, making it the largest show of its kind in the world?

Most people know that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo provides scholarships to deserving young men and women. But do they know that we have given more than $49 million in scholarships and educational aid since 1957? Do they know that we are currently contributing more than $4 million annually to the youth of Texas?

How many people know that after building and paying for the Astrohall and Astroarena, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo donated the facilities to the citizens of Harris County? These two buildings alone have helped attract nearly 30 million people to various sporting events, trade shows, expositions and hundreds of other activities since the Astrohall was built in 1966. The cost to replace these buildings today would be more than $100 million.

We are in an era of drastic change in the sports industry. Cities and taxpayers across the country are being asked by professional teams to build and fund new stadiums. Certainly the sports landscape in the city of Houston has changed dramatically with the loss of the Oilers. It appears that a new stadium (or totally-renovated Astrodome) will be necessary to attract a new NFL team to Houston, a process that could take many years.

One thing is certain -- the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has deep roots and tradition, and is here to stay. As we look to the future, we would welcome a new football team to our city and the potential to play host to a Super Bowl. That event alone generates an economic impact of nearly $200 million. But there are no promises and no guarantees.

In the meantime, we would like for you to consider our Show as Houston's annual "Super Bowl." A marketing survey revealed that more than one-quarter of a billion dollars is generated throughout the world annually by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In the Houston area alone, direct expenditures are nearly $70 million, computing to an economic impact of more than $200 million when economic multipliers are used.

These are very impressive numbers for a nonprofit organization. More important are the thousands of young people that we have helped over the years in their pursuit of an education. No economist in the world can place a monetary value on that contribution to our society.

What do we do now? It's up to each one of us affiliated with the Show -- from staff and committee members to season ticket holders and those who just love the rodeo -- to get busy and tell our story. Don't assume that everyone knows about the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Our Speakers Committee does a fabulous job each year making thousands of presentations, but even they can't reach everyone. This is a challenge that will take true teamwork, but I know that our organization can accomplish great things when we work together.

Houston's best kept secret? Not for long.

Jim Bloodworth
President