It's a major tourist conference, food, music, outdoor and now sport destination.
16million tourists/yr vs Edmonton's '6mil', but it's why they are going and what for that's the real driver and difference. If you aren't going to the Grand Ole, you are on Broadway drinking, eating, spending, listening, patio-ing and spending; the shear amount of money and fun that being had mid-week there was significant. That simply does not happen on Whyte to anywhere near that extent. It felt like Vegas mixed with New Orleans and Sunset BLVD in West Hollywood shaken with blue curaçao and topped with bourbon and a piece of extruded meat.
I was there for 12hrs waiting for a flight and spent 6 of them on Broadway.
Enjoy a little tour: