The possibility of building a new convention center in Jacksonville has been a topic of discussion among elected city officials, tourism executives, the hospitality industry and the public for years.
With the latest proposal to take a close look at how a new convention center could be built, the conversation is renewed.
City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche, chair of the Duval County Tourist Development Council, said she is glad to see activity on the topic “which the community has been discussing for quite some time.”
The local tourism marketing plan was extensively revised by her predecessor, former TDC chair and council President Lori Boyer, to “shine the light on Jacksonville,” Brosche said.
“This is another step in the process to make sure we have all the right assets,” she added. “We know we need a better asset in Jacksonville. I think this is helpful.”
Bill Prescott is chair of Visit Jacksonville’s board of directors, the private agency contracted by the city to be the convention and tourist bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches.
He said having a bigger, better facility would likely make Jacksonville more attractive to groups and events that need a mid-market meeting site.
“It would give us more density Downtown, which would help the restaurants and retail,” he said.
Prescott also sees an additional opportunity a new convention center would represent.
“It’s bigger than just what it could do for tourism. It’s economic development,” he said. “Meetings bring company owners and decision-makers that might consider Jacksonville for future expansion.”
Another Visit Jacksonville board member, Janice Lowe, is general manager of the Jacksonville Landing. Located between the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront and the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, it’s a destination for convention attendees.
She recalled 2008 when two groups that had been coming to the Prime Osborn Convention Center in January for more than 10 years moved their annual meetings to the larger Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
That meant a loss of nearly 5,000 hotel room nights and an estimated $2.4 million in spending by the two groups.
“It’s great news,” she said of the proposal for a larger convention center. “So many groups don’t even look at Jacksonville because we don’t have the facility they need. It would bring in conventions we can’t have now.”