This study contributes to the literature on economic impact assessments of sporting events by categorizing attendees of small-scale sporting events based on their potential primary economic stimulus to the host region. Thereby, the research questions driving this study are as follows: (1) What is the composition of event attendees at small-scale sporting events according to their primary economic stimulus to the host region? and (2) How does the composition of event attendees vary between the three considered events? The study builds upon primary data (N = 2,006) gathered at three small-scale sporting events (cycling, windsurfing, and ski jumping) hosted in Northern Europe. The empirical analysis draws on a state-of-the-art framework for economic impact assessments. The results show that the percentage of attendees, whose expenditures result in fresh money influx to a host region, does not exceed 40% for any of the events and heavily depends on the event-specific characteristics.