Jackson Free Press

The debate over a convention center tax proposal, on the ballot this November for Jackson residents, heated up this week with the two major campaigns showing decidedly different tactics. A youthful convention center rally took place on Saturday in favor of the proposal, including an enthusiastic speech by Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., a slide show of supporting information for the plan, and musical appearances by The Broken String Band and the Vamps.

The following Monday, "Enough is Enough," the group formed by members of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association (MHRA) to resist the tax proposal, gave a press conference at the Cabot Lodge Millsaps to highlight what it sees as the flaws in the program, focusing on the lack of a recent feasibility study and the opinion of some industry analysts that the convention center business has experienced weak growth, particularly in the post 9-11 travel industry.

"The assumptions made to warrant the development are based on outdated and inaccurate representations of the current convention center industry," said Mike Cashion, executive director of the MHRA, which opposes the convention center. Cashion says the city's implementation plan was written in 2000 and therefore doesn't take into account the market as it stands today.

To support his stance, Cashion quoted prominently from a report by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), which said: "In the weeks and months ahead we will hear and read comments about our 'shrinking industry' and the repercussions of an over supply of exhibit space as new and expanded facilities open their doors. There will likely be failures among the new Exhibition Centers … particularly those that are in cities with insufficient airlift and hotel room inventory to support the new exhibit space."

Cashion said Jackson falls squarely into those categories. It's true that Jackson doesn't have many direct flights into its airport, although it's served by a number of regional carriers. And concern over the number of downtown hotel rooms may be well founded. In the city's own presentation on Saturday, a line-item appeared for a potential future "host hotel" as part of the convention center plan—although there was little discussion as to how to pay for or subsidize the host hotel.

The quote used by the MHRA, however, is from a document dated September 2002, one year after 9-11 and a devastating year for the travel industry as a whole. The same document also says, "With only 38 percent of the 11,094 exhibitions being held in exhibition centers today, significant new business for exhibition centers may be generated by relocating existing events into the new state-of-the art space that is becoming available."

Wanda Wilson, head of the Jackson Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said in a prior interview that they have taken into consideration the way travel plans have changed since 9-11, and they intend to market the Jackson convention center as an option for less-expensive regional events. "The interstates [leading to Jackson] make driving accessibility a breeze; more people can drive rather than having to fly." Wilson also touted the relative affordability of hotel rooms and entertainment compared to other venues in the region. And, coupled with the Telecom center, there's no question that the Jackson convention center will have high-tech trappings.

Cashion also did not quote this part of the CEIR report: "Those cities opening new buildings...that have the infrastructure in place to support new business will prosper if they rally and lead their local hospitality community and aggressively and effectively market their city and compete for the business."

With the MHRA against it, marketing and managing the facility—and getting some prominent members of the hospitality industry to help out—might be a bigger issue for Jackson than getting the convention center built.