Events this year, in near future expected to bring almost $30 million to region.

When Spokane made a successful bid for the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships earlier this spring, it was the event-tourism equivalent of nailing a triple axel.
It took a lot of hard work to get it down, and when it came together, man, did it look good.

While local professional teams have been successful in recent months between the lines, the Inland Northwest teams also are successful in the box offices. Spokane is an average-sized market for the AF2, but it has topped the league in attendance the past three years. The team routinely sells out its games, drawing about 10,600 fans per game. Of those, about 8,000 are season-ticket holders.