The City of Auburn has retained consultants to identify opportunities to increase sports- and event-related spend by visitors to the city.

Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said:

"What we lack in lobsters and lighthouses, the images that dominate Maine's largest industry of tourism, we make up for with the potential of sports like skiing, hockey, basketball, soccer, baseball and others."

As far as visitors from outside Maine are concerned, he's correct. They come here to experience that part of the state that's east of the I95 corridor.

But more than 780,000 Mainers live within 50 miles of Lewiston-Auburn, and there's not currently an overabundance of pro-quality sporting events available year-round.

So this looks like a good move for Auburn.

There's a lot more information in "LA Maine: Forward - An Economic Growth Strategy for Lewiston Auburn Maine".