Destination Missoula/Missoula Tourism Business Improvement District and University of Montana Announce New Marketing Partnership to Increase Economic Opportunity through University Events
4/29/2026 3:30:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont.—Today, the University of Montana and Destination Missoula/Missoula Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) announced details of a new marketing partnership to encourage tourism-related economic activity in Missoula through university events, at a press conference in the Adams Center.
Through the partnership, the university, Destination Missoula and Missoula TBID will collaborate on awareness campaigns to promote university events, as well as content and digital ad partnerships — all with the goal of increasing hotel room nights and driving visitor spending in Missoula.
As part of the partnership, Dan Monahan, general manager of The Edgewater Missoula and president of the Missoula TBID, announced that the Missoula TBID will invest $100,000 over the next year into the university's athletic program to help promote events that bring students, alumni and nonresidents into the city. The TBID funding comes from a $4 assessment visitors pay for every hotel night stay in Missoula. All TBID funds stay local and can only be used by the TBID for the promotion of tourism in Missoula.
"We're essentially putting on paper what we've long known: that working together to bring more visitors to events in Missoula means more economic impact to our city — more hotel room stays, more dinners at local restaurants, more demand at our local retail shops, and more desire for direct flights to get here," said Barb Neilan, executive director of Destination Missoula/Missoula TBID. "Those are all things that visitors enjoy, but residents like us benefit from, too."
University events bring nonresident visitors to Missoula and contribute significantly to the Missoula economy. One University of Montana home game football weekend brings in $5.2 million in nonresident visitor spending to Missoula County, including almost $1.6 million in lodging and accommodations and more than $1.3 million in restaurants and bars, according to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana.
Also as part of the partnership, the University of Montana will report to Destination Missoula/Missoula TBID on ticket sales for major concerts held at the Adams Center and Washington Grizzly Stadium, as well as football and men's and women's basketball to track the impact of the collaborative promotion efforts.
"Ensuring the Griz are competitive in the changing landscape of college athletics will create more opportunities that bring visitors and fans to our community," said Kent Haslam, director of Grizzly Athletics. "When the Griz win, ultimately, Missoula businesses win, too. We're grateful to the Missoula TBID for this partnership to promote games and other events at UM to fill our stadium, arenas and theatres."
The partnership also includes a schedule for regular meetings to ensure ongoing communication and opportunities for innovation between the organizations. Additional updates will be shared as they become available.
Through the partnership, the university, Destination Missoula and Missoula TBID will collaborate on awareness campaigns to promote university events, as well as content and digital ad partnerships — all with the goal of increasing hotel room nights and driving visitor spending in Missoula.
As part of the partnership, Dan Monahan, general manager of The Edgewater Missoula and president of the Missoula TBID, announced that the Missoula TBID will invest $100,000 over the next year into the university's athletic program to help promote events that bring students, alumni and nonresidents into the city. The TBID funding comes from a $4 assessment visitors pay for every hotel night stay in Missoula. All TBID funds stay local and can only be used by the TBID for the promotion of tourism in Missoula.
"We're essentially putting on paper what we've long known: that working together to bring more visitors to events in Missoula means more economic impact to our city — more hotel room stays, more dinners at local restaurants, more demand at our local retail shops, and more desire for direct flights to get here," said Barb Neilan, executive director of Destination Missoula/Missoula TBID. "Those are all things that visitors enjoy, but residents like us benefit from, too."
University events bring nonresident visitors to Missoula and contribute significantly to the Missoula economy. One University of Montana home game football weekend brings in $5.2 million in nonresident visitor spending to Missoula County, including almost $1.6 million in lodging and accommodations and more than $1.3 million in restaurants and bars, according to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana.
Also as part of the partnership, the University of Montana will report to Destination Missoula/Missoula TBID on ticket sales for major concerts held at the Adams Center and Washington Grizzly Stadium, as well as football and men's and women's basketball to track the impact of the collaborative promotion efforts.
"Ensuring the Griz are competitive in the changing landscape of college athletics will create more opportunities that bring visitors and fans to our community," said Kent Haslam, director of Grizzly Athletics. "When the Griz win, ultimately, Missoula businesses win, too. We're grateful to the Missoula TBID for this partnership to promote games and other events at UM to fill our stadium, arenas and theatres."
The partnership also includes a schedule for regular meetings to ensure ongoing communication and opportunities for innovation between the organizations. Additional updates will be shared as they become available.
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