by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Ever wonder why certain national or state organizations choose Jacksonville as the destination for their annual conventions or corporate events?
For many of the city’s business visitors, the main reason comes down to a combination of three things: product availability, affordability and accessibility.
“It’s all about Jacksonville’s economic and entertainment appeal,” said Benny Bachand, executive director of Florida Veterans of Foreign Wars (FVFW). The FVFW recently came to Jacksonville for their 77th annual convention and stayed at the Hyatt.
“We chose Jacksonville over other places for a number of reasons,” said Bachand. “We have a large military base here, of course, and so Jacksonville already was a good fit, but when it came down to the affordability of the city and the space that its hotels had to offer, it was a no-brainer.”
Booking representatives for other organizations such as the London Society of Disc Jockeys and the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks of the World — both of whom have each visited more than once in the past for their event — echoed Bachand’s feelings with regards to Jacksonville’s appeal.
The African-American Elks Club’s national convention is one of the largest conventions in Jacksonville history and is expected to bring more than 10,000 Elks to town for 12 days next month.
Bachand said aside from Jacksonville’s economical value, another one of the city’s main facets that attracted him to book the FVFW’s convention last week was its appeal as a family destination.
“I came here for the first time for a two-day tattoo convention after hearing a radio ad about it,” said Andrea Montgomery of Atlanta who attended the 2006 Tattoo Convention at the Hyatt last September. “After (the visit), I decided to bring my two kids here for their Spring Break next year.”
One of Jacksonville’s chief organizations responsible for attracting and retaining city tourism is the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB).
According to CVB spokeswoman Lyndsay Rossman, there are a number of ways the CVB attracts the visitors, including an aggressive recruitment by its sales team to contact individuals through religious organizations’ trade shows.
“We go after a lot of groups, but a lot of groups contact us, too,” she said.
“We have venues that we partner with to help pair the right facilities with the right events and groups.”
Rossman said the size of the function and the group attending plays a large part in how venues are assigned. A small event like a family reunion may be booked at a country club while a larger multi-day convention may utilize a facility with both meeting space and lodging.
For example, the Elks are working with the CVB to bus conventioneers from the Hyatt to the Osborn Center and back every day and have booked blocks of rooms in every Downtown hotel.
CVB President and CEO John Reyes said a lot of Jacksonville’s “buzz” was created after Jacksonville hosted the 2005 Super Bowl.
“A lot of people see us as a diamond in the rough,” he said. “After that game, we experienced huge brand recognition and a lot of people knew who we were. That exposure provided us with the opportunity to bring them back again.”
Reyes added that much like the 2005 Super Bowl, corporate events and business events attended by members provide them with the same kind of exposure.
Groups interested in coming to Jacksonville submit a Request for Proposal that explains what the event is about and what accommodations are needed. Representatives make a site visit then evaluate a Bid Book prepared by the CVB, Rossman said.
“The Bid Book provides the group with everything they need to know about Jacksonville – down to where to eat and visit – and how the city can accommodate the needs of the organization,” she said, adding that many times, individuals who attend an event may come with their family or spouse and can use the book as a sort of travel guide.
“It’s at that time that they become exposed to the city,” said Rossman. “And roughly 80 percent of the people who come for the site visit decide to go ahead with holding their event here.”
Coming this summer for the third time is the socio-spiritual Hindu organization, The Swaminarayan. The group’s convention will bring people from all over the nation and the world to Downtown hotels in three groups of 3,000 per group.
The CVB estimates the gathering represents 7,600 room nights and an economic impact of approximately $3.9 million.