Berks County received more than $254 million in direct economic impact from the Sovereign Center and Sovereign Performing Arts Center since those facilities opened in 2001, according to an independent study released Wednesday.
The figure represents the total that the arena, the theater and their 4.5 million visitors spent in Berks, said Dr. Lolita A. Paff, a Penn State Berks associate professor of business and economics.
The Berks County Convention Center Authority, which runs the facilities, paid $2,500 for the study.
The authority hopes it will help with marketing, grants and sponsorship of the facilities, and solidify their importance in the community, said Zane Collings, general manger.