在爱达荷州凯彻姆经营Maude's咖啡和服装店的Jacob Frehling分享了他对艾伦公司太阳谷会议的看法。尽管会议吸引了大量富豪，但Frehling的生意却在会议期间下滑。他解释说，富豪们更倾向于在太阳谷旅馆消费，而当地商家则难以从中获益。Frehling还提到，会议期间其他游客减少，导致当地零售和服务业生意受到影响，他个人希望能在会议期间离开小镇。他认为，虽然会议带来了一些积极影响，但对当地经济的整体贡献有限。

☕️ Maude's咖啡和服装店的生意受到艾伦公司太阳谷会议的负面影响，会议期间销售额下降，因为富豪们倾向于在太阳谷旅馆消费。

🏞️ 会议期间，游客涌入，导致当地酒店和旅游资源紧张，其他游客难以进入该地区，进一步影响了当地零售和服务业的生意。

🤔 Frehling表示，尽管他认识一些富豪随行人员，但总体而言，他希望在会议期间离开小镇，因为会议对当地经济的积极影响有限，而负面影响却很明显。

Jacob Frehling co-owns Maude's Coffee and Clothes, which is a short drive from the Sun Valley Lodge.When billionaires come visit for an annual conference, his sales dip during a normally busy time.Frehling grew up in the area and said he's never met a local who is excited about the conference.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jacob Frehling, the co-owner of Maude's Coffee and Clothes in Ketchum, Idaho, about a six-minute drive from the Sun Valley Lodge. It's been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has seen sales data from last year that indicate Maude's saw a drop in transactions during Sun Valley week compared to the week immediately after in July. Representatives for the Allen & Company Sun Valley conference did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

I've lived in Sun Valley, Idaho, practically my entire life. My family has been pretty dug into the community for a long time — my mom owns a clothing store, my cousins have a restaurant, and my dad used to run a restaurant, too. About eight years ago, my wife and I opened our own business: Maude's Coffee and Clothes, a café and vintage shop.

Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference has been around since I was a kid. When I was a teenager, I remember some of my friends getting hired as nannies or to develop photos, and I was jealous of their opportunity to make an easy chunk of money. Now, though, my perspective on the whole thing is a little different.

We have an incredible local following at Maude's, but this whole area is a visitor's economy. Practically everyone in the retail and service industries relies on tourists. When the billionaires fly into the area every July, they go straight to the Sun Valley Lodge just outside the heart of Ketchum to have a catered experience. Most of their dollars don't flow back into town, unless they're booking out a restaurant.

This is usually the busiest time of year for my business. But when the conference comes, guests rent out tons of rooms and book all the fishing guides, outdoor adventures, and restaurants. Other tourists can't really visit the area that week. The Sun Valley Lodge is big; that's hundreds of people who aren't there and aren't circulating their dollars in local stores.

It's not a zero-sum game, but my number of sales drops at least a bit every year. The billionaires at the conference throw a weird wrench in the cog of the summer economy, stepping on the brakes for regular people during what should be a very, very, very busy time.

That's not to say it's all bad. I'm sure the conference is great if you're directly involved, but many locals I know aren't. I've gotten to know some members of the billionaire entourage, like dancers and bodyguards, who come each year. They're great, and I actually always look forward to seeing them.

Overall, though, I wish I could leave town during Allen & Co. week, but someone has to run Maude's. I'm born and raised here, and I've never met a single person who is from this place that's happy when the jets touch down.