Crowds at this week’s SUN ’n FUN continue to grow, with officials proclaiming record ticket sales.
Those gate sales follow a robust online sales before the show, which were 10% higher “than they’ve ever been,” according to John “Lites” Leenhouts, president and CEO.
“This looks to be a really good year,” he says.He noted that online ticket sales have been extremely strong since October.
“That really surprised us,” he notes.
Another boost for the show is that while the number of exhibitors has remained about the same as last year — right around 500 — the exhibitors are buying bigger spaces.
“We’ve sold more spaces this year than we’ve ever sold,” he says.
And while many of the exhibitors have been coming to the show for years now, about 12% of this year’s exhibitors have never been to the show before.
Even with the explosive growth in ticket and exhibitor sales, the daily operations of SUN ’n FUN continue to be run with a small staff: Just 27 full-time employees and eight part-time employees.
“The rest are volunteers, God bless them,” he says, noting there are more than 3,600 volunteers at this week’s show.
According to a 2018 Economic Impact study completed by SUN ’n FUN, there were 3,633 volunteers last year who donated a total of 111,749 hours. Total economic value: $2.7 million.
All of this week’s hard work is for one mission: The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), the educational component of SUN ’n FUN that includes the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, the Lakeland Aero Club, the Aerospace Discovery at the Florida Air Museum, and more.
In 2018, more than $336,000 in aviation scholarships were awarded, up from $260,500 in 2017. Since 2013, more than $1.8 million in scholarships have been awarded.
According to the report, more than 40,000 students were engaged in aviation by ACE in 2018, including 93 new private pilots who earned their wings on campus.
And while the economic impact of SUN ’n FUN has changed the face of Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL), it’s also changed the local community.
According to the economic impact report, SUN ’n FUN activities in 2018 generate more than $249 million of total economic activity and generated more than 2,400 jobs spread across many industries.