by David Ball
Staff Writer
Body art of all kinds was on display on the Southbank this weekend, as an estimated 4,000 people showed up for the 2007 Jacksonville Tattoo Convention at the Wyndham Riverwalk in San Marco.
Event organizer Bert Simmons said about 250 tattoo artists from across the Southeast, and some from as far away as New York and France, packed the convention space and generated significant buzz, both from the tattoo needles and the jolt of business.
“There’s a 40-person waiting list for [vendors] next year, and we expect even more attendees,” said Simmons, whose Nashville-based Convention Pros only hosts this and another convention in Iceland. “We’ll definitely do it again next year, but I’m just not exactly sure where.”
Simmons said the Wyndham has been an excellent host, although he would consider moving into a larger space, as long as it still contained an adjoining hotel. “So people can drink and go to their rooms,” he said. “It keeps people safer.”
Wyndham General Manager Jared McLachlan wouldn’t comment on how this convention compared to others the hotel has hosted, but he simply said, “it was a great group.”
Lyndsay Rossman, director of communications for the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau, reported that the tattoo convention generated about 300 room nights and $152,500 in total economic impact.
The convention featured dozens of booths of live tattooing, art and tattoo supply vendors, contests and awards and a casting call for people wishing to be tattooed on the hit TLC cable show Miami Ink. Admission was $15 per day or $35 for a weekend pass.
“I’m not going to pull out any numbers, but it’s revenue-generating for everybody,” said Simmons. “The hotel makes a killing, local artists make money and then we do OK ourselves.”
Although many attendees were from the Jacksonville area, some traveled across the state to get a special tattoo from their artist of choice.
Hastings resident Samantha McWhorter came to the convention to get a white tiger tattooed on her leg by “Crowbar” from Trendkill Tattoos and Body Piercing in Palatka. Dustin Shively traveled from Crystal River, Fla. to have Kristel Oreto of Luckie Leopard in Port Richey, Fla. begin work on a Hawaiian-themed hibiscus sleeve tattoo on his arm.
“I came up here for the weekend just for the convention,” said Shively. “There’s a lot of cool people here, and everybody’s real nice.”
Besides getting that one-of-a-kind tattoo, many people came to pay homage to tattoo judge and 26-year industry legend Sofia Oliveria, a.k.a. “Ms. Deborah,” from Ms. Deborah’s Fountain of Youth Tattoo and Body Piercing studio in St. Augustine.
“I probably taught half of these kids in the place how to tattoo,” said Oliveria, a soft-spoken woman who’s most interesting tattoo is an ornate heart design on her throat. She’s watched the convention grow the past three years as the tattoo industry itself has become bigger and more mainstream.
“The first year [of the convention] was iffy, but we’ve risen above that and now it’s growing very fast,” Oliveria added. “People come here to get exposure for their business and to see people they normally don’t get to see. I think it’s a successful event.”