Downtown businesses, Kent Station and the ShoWare Center each hope to capitalize on the anticipated large crowds Hilton HHonors Skate America brings to the city.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The 2012 International Skating Union Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series Oct. 19-21 at the ShoWare will draw 52 of the top international skaters and early projections of up to 15,000 fans.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“We see 15,000 people coming to Kent as huge to our businesses,” said Barb Smith, executive director of the Kent Downtown Partnership (KDP). “It could be a huge financial boost.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The KDP is a nonprofit group that helps promote downtown businesses. Smith sees Skate America as a great opportunity to pump up the downtown area.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“Even if it’s 10,000 people it’ll be huge,” Smith said. “That’s why we’ve put in the time and effort in ways to draw attention to downtown. People will go to Kent Station. We want to get them to the historic district for a piece of the action.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The KDP has helped put up banners and posters around town to promote Skate America. It will offer downtown walking tours as well as business coupon books to visitors.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Volunteers will help the downtown group clean up streets on Oct. 13. Two Skate America tickets will be given away through a drawing to someone who helps with the clean up. The group also will give away tickets to the downtown business with the best window display to promote the figure skating competition.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The ShoWare Center will have a capacity of 3,940 for each session of the competition. Many of the arena’s 6,000-seat capacity will be taken up for production purposes. NBC Sports will broadcast coverage on Oct. 21.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Tim Higgins, ShoWare general manager, projected that each of the five sessions over three days will sell out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“We are expecting a sellout for the sessions,” Higgins said last week.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A scan of available tickets early this week on the ShoWare website showed each session about half sold with about 2,000 tickets available per session.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Higgins said it’s a great opportunity to see top-notch figure skating competitors.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“Fans will be able to see Olympic-caliber skaters and not have to pay Olympic prices,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n