“People want to be in Happy Valley”

By Holly Riddle (Happy Valley Industry) May 17, 2024 —If you attended the recent Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest at Beaver Stadium, which attracted more than 3,000 attendees and 70 breweries, or perhaps the 2024 Olympic Wrestling Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center, then you’ve witnessed the work of the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance.

Officially launched last year and helmed by executive director Eric Engelbarts, the Alliance’s aim is, in a way, to make the region a better place to live, work and play, and it does this by bringing world-class events to the area. These events attract not only tourists to the region, who spend their dollars supporting our businesses, but also provide livability-related amenities to locals, for fun things to do right in their own backyard.

“People are excited about being here”

Many destinations, Engelbarts said, see sports as their number one driver of hotel stays, and Happy Valley is very similar. Easily, Penn State football brings in massive amounts of sports tourists; however, what about when it’s not football season? Or when other Penn State sports, for that matter, aren’t in season? That’s where the Alliance comes in, filling in the gaps and bringing events and business to the region.

“We represent Happy Valley and try to convince [organizations] to host their events in our area. With these events, people travel in with their money, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants, shop at businesses…” explained Engelbarts. “So we look at the types of events our venues, hotels and restaurants do well with and are strategic about going out and finding the right business to come in and fill…our market.”

People want to be in Happy Valley