Grand Prix Revs Up Business for the Montréal Casino
The Canadian Grand Prix was back in race mode, after two years, in late June 2022.
The event marks a return to normal not only for fans but also for businesses in the Montréal area. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a 4.361 km motor racing circuit located on Île Notre-Dame, which shares the island with the Casino de Montréal.
We take a deeper look at visitor trends to the casino, and the Grand Prix’s impact on attracting business and tourism for other nearby attractions.
Where are they coming from?
The Grand Prix marks the kick-off of Montréal’s high season.
Montréal is known for being an eventful city, especially in the summer.
Leveraging EA’s MobileScapes, a privacy-compliant and anonymized mobile movement database, we measured the event’s impact on a nearby attraction: the Casino de Montréal.
Pictured above: Percentages and provinces where visitors came from during the Grand Prix weekend vs. the weekend prior.
During the weekend of the Grand Prix, compared to the prior weekend where no major events took place, there were over 5,000 more visitors to the casino. Between June 9th-12th there were 13,688 visitors whereas between June 16th-19th there were 18,910.
Out-of-province visitors were also up significantly on the 16th to 19th weekend compared to June 9th.
Pictured above: Cities where visitors came from during the Grand Prix weekend vs. the weekend prior.
On the weekend leading up to the Grand Prix, 98% of visitors to the casino came from Quebec. However, MobileScapes data show that the event helped bring in not only more total customers to the casino, but also significantly more from different provinces across the country.
Visitors from outside Quebec made up a significantly larger proportion of visitors on the June 16th weekend (18%) compared to the weekend prior (2%).
The Grand Prix event weekend attracted visitors from a significantly large number of cities compared to the weekend prior.
There was an increase in visitors from cities outside of Quebec, such as Toronto and Ottawa. This suggests that the event not only attracts locals and those that regularly visit Montréal, but also tourists from across the country.
Who are these weekend visitors?
Who are these visitors and how can the casino attract more of them on a regular basis?
Using PRIZM® segmentation, we learned what types of customers these casino visitors were and how they differed on a regular weekend compared to the weekend of the Grand Prix.
Most noticeably, there was a significant increase in casino visitors of the four segments below between June 9th and June 16th.
Pictured above: Comparison of four visitor PRIZM segments during the Grand Prix weekend vs. the weekend prior.
The largest increase in visitors came from The A-List segment, Canada’s most affluent segment of wealthy couples and families. This group enjoys making their travel arrangements online and dining out.
Family Mode, one of the largest segments, contains middle-aged adults with upper-middle incomes. It’s not surprising that this group showed an increase presence for the Grand Prix weekend, as they enjoy road trips. For marketers looking to attract this group, they may respond well to coupon and bundle discounts as they are always looking for a deal.
The A-List segment saw a 689% increase in visitors the weekend of the Grand Prix, closely followed by Family Mode, which saw a 592% increase.
New Asian Heights and Mid-City Mellow saw significant increases in visitors to the Casino de Montréal between the two weekends began with zero visitors from each segment then increased to 182 and 540, respectively, the following weekend.
Pictured above: Four PRIZM segments: The A-List, Family Mode, New Asian Heights, and Mid-City Mellow.
Learn how we can help destinations like Casino de Montréal convert visitors into returning customers by understanding more about visitor segment preferences, what motivates them and how to reach them.
Key takeaway
Large events can have a measurable impact on nearby attractions. Environics Analytics’ mobile movement data can help quantify the impact of these events on nearby attractions and businesses to understand visit rates, where visitors are coming from and what lifestyle types they are.
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* PRIZM® is a registered trademark of Claritas, LLC.