What do Elvis fans and golf fans have in common? Memphis is the place to be this week

This story has been corrected to say TPC Southwind is in Memphis.

For the first time, Memphis’ annual PGA Tour event and Elvis Week — two of the city’s biggest events — are underway simultaneously. That could mean a significant economic boost for the area.

The combination of Elvis fans traveling to Memphis to celebrate him and thousands more traveling to see the world’s top golfers at the FedEx St. Jude Championship is likely to bring millions in economic impact to the area, though it remains unclear just how much.

Memphis Tourism CEO and President Kevin Kane said neither the PGA Tour nor Elvis Presley Enterprises, which operates Graceland and runs Elvis Week, release specific economic impact figures on the respective events.

“It’s certainly millions and millions of dollars,” Kane said. “There’s no doubt about that. What the exact dollar amount is it’s just a little premature for us to try to project exactly what that’s going to be. It’s going to be significant.”

Elvis Week, which began Tuesday, marks the 45th anniversary of the Memphis icon’s death in 1977. The middle of August has long been marked on the calendar for tens of thousands of Elvis’ fans from around the world to visit Memphis and honor his legacy.

Elvis Week 2022: Music, memories and more: Nine Elvis Week events fans of the King won't want to miss

Elvis Presley event time: 45 Elvis events in the 45 years since the death of the King: A year-by-year look

However, the city’s PGA Tour event — now known as the FedEx St. Jude Championship — has undergone several changes as it has gained additional prestige in recent years. That’s resulted in the event being moved from its previous late July/early August slot during its three-year run as a World Golf Championship event to mid-August as it kicks off the FedEx Cup playoffs at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Germantown.

“I don’t think either one of these events take away from the another. It’s not like 1+1 = 1.5 because you’re doing both at the same time,” Kane said. “I think people coming here for the golf tournament are gonna come here regardless if there’s an Elvis Week, and I think people coming here for Elvis Week are gonna come here regardless of whether there is a golf tournament.”

Graceland expects a record number of visitors for Elvis Week

This year’s Elvis Week runs from Tuesday until Aug. 17 with the Candlelight Vigil — the centerpiece of the event — held Aug. 15 at the Gates of Graceland.

The annual festivities are expected to draw tourists for a mix of concerts, panels, presentations and fan events, Graceland spokesperson David Beckwith said in an emailed statement about its optimism for this year’s Elvis Week. He did not offer specifics on how many visitors are expected.

“Thankfully, due to Elvis’ incredible fans coming from all over the globe, 2022 Elvis Week attendance should surpass not only 2020 and 2021, but pre-COVID 2019,” Beckwith said.

The Rendezvous restaurant Downtown — a longtime tourist destination in its own right — is anticipating a busy week due to both events, manager Anna Vergos Blair said.

“As far as Elvis Week, you know, every year we love this week because we get international visitors,” Blair said. “You know, people that hadn't been to town before that are excited to be here and kind of get the fullness of (being in Memphis), so we expect it to be to be a pretty busy week.”

Elvis in Memphis: When Elvis met 'Jeannie': Barbara Eden on working with the King, Elvis Week and more

Golf in Memphis: What to know about the FedEx St. Jude Championship PGA Tour tournament in Memphis

Even though Elvis Week’s events are largely held in Whitehaven near and around Graceland, Kane said Downtown often benefits from the influx of travelers with many staying in hotels there.

“Case in point, look how many places on Beale Street will have Elvis-related music and events during the week,” Kane said. “They wouldn’t be doing that if they weren’t capturing a good percentage of people that are coming here for Elvis Week.”

FedEx St. Jude Championship brings visitors, PGA golfers to Memphis

The first FedEx St. Jude Championship will bring the top 125 golfers in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings for the four-day tournament that started Thursday.

While the financial impact of the FedEx St. Jude Championship is to be determined, its predecessor, the World Golf Championship, brought an estimated revenue of $40 million to $60 million, according to estimates from Kane in 2019.

Attempts to reach tournament director Joe Tomek for this story were unsuccessful.

Kane expects this week to be a busy one for the city’s hotels, though there is one caveat — the return of school this week.

“It’s hard for me to predict the negative of kids being back in school, and we’re losing a little bit of that summer travel early versus the influx of people coming in for the golf tournament as well as Elvis Presley events,” Kane said.

Craig Smith is vice president of brand development for The Peabody hotel in Downtown Memphis. He said the hotel is anticipating more than 90% hotel occupancy this week.

“The two events are a boost to an already busy week with end-of-summer leisure business, meetings and river boat guests,” Smith said in an email.

FedEx Cup Playoffs: FedEx St. Jude Championship: More than 1,500 volunteers help keep event running smoothly

From Mark Giannotto: Controversy is alive and well at FedEx St. Jude Championship. So are the kids with cancer 

Staffing continues to be an issue for the local hospitality and tourism industry. About 66,700 hospitality workers were employed in the Greater Memphis area as of June 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While that continues a recent upward trend, it's still about 2,600 employees fewer from the same point three years ago (69,300).

“Our industry continues to experience some challenges in this area, but we’ve seen exceptional improvement in hiring within all areas of the hotel,” Smith said.

Blair said the Rendezvous catered events at TPC Southwind on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the tournament's start on Thursday.

Kane also added FedEx St. Jude Championship television coverage will be another boost for Memphis Tourism beyond those who attend and travel for the event.

“That’s almost priceless to us as we’re trying to promote Memphis as a great place for people to visit and experience, it’s a big deal.”

Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, residential real estate, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email Omer.Yusuf@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @OmerAYusuf.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Elvis Week, FedEx Cup Playoffs bring thousands to Memphis