Jxn Convention Center, a look back (Jackson, Hattiesburg: hotel, community college, camp)

[viverlibre]

Shockingly, the convention center didn't live up to expectations. As everyone with even the slightest bit of common sense predicted at the time, not only would the convention center not live up to billing, it would become an albatross on the city.

1. Jackson is not a "destination city."
2. No major conventions are going to be held without adjacent lodging/dining/entertainment (all that was planned, but predictably didn't come through).
3. Attempting to compete with nearby destination areas like NOLA and the FL Gulf Coast that already have well-established convention business was foolish.

I will say that this happened during the Johnson administration and there was much more optimism, and potential, than today. Johnson seemed like a reasonable guy who would do a good job, unfortunately, he didn't do much and mayors have gotten progressively worse. When I first come to Downtown Jackson in 95, it was a busy happening place, it's a shame it has devolved into the almost lifeless shell it has become.


Jackson Jambalaya: Visit Jackson Tries to Bail out Convention Center

Jackson Jambalaya: Flashback Friday: Convention Center

[sammyreynolds1977]

Not only is Jackson not a destination city, Mississippi is not a destination state.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by sammyreynolds1977

Not only is Jackson not a destination city, Mississippi is not a destination state.

Outside the Gulf Coast, it's very difficult to deny this.

I used to think tourism would be a good avenue for MS to travel, and I still do, but it certainly should be reeled back in. History, civil rights, hunting, fishing, golf, food, things like that, sure.

Focus still needs to be on jobs. Everything else will come if you get the jobs part right.

Definitely a lot of doom and gloom around here. You two guys above have certainly bought into it. That's fine.

Need MSU to go win a baseball national championship this spring, maybe that will instill some confidence. EMCC wins a couple of national titles in football and suddenly they have themselves a TV show and the spotlight gets put on Mississippi community colleges for a few years. Sports matter.

[Jardine8]

I haven't lived in the Jackson area in almost 4 years. I assume that they aren't still talking about trying to build a hotel that either adjoins or is adjacent to the Convention Center? I know the Westin project was an important project that they were hoping would help the Convention Center by providing more hotel rooms downtown but the location of the Westin is a couple of blocks east of the CC.

[Sharif662]

Originally Posted by sammyreynolds1977

Not only is Jackson not a destination city, Mississippi is not a destination state.

The amount of visitors to the state each year says differ.

[Jardine8]

Blues music & it's history, Civil Rights history, as well as individual non-blues musicians probably would be the State's best hope to draw visitors. The list of musicians born in Mississippi is pretty staggering. I think they are trying but I am not sure if they have fully-leveraged the state's history very well in that regard.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by Jardine8

Blues music & it's history, Civil Rights history, as well as individual non-blues musicians probably would be the State's best hope to draw visitors. The list of musicians born in Mississippi is pretty staggering. I think they are trying but I am not sure if they have fully-leveraged the state's history very well in that regard.

I think we probably need to do a few more things to truly get after it there. Need some hotel/restaurant/bar clusters around those tourism draws. Need to try to get more federal dollars (not right now obviously) for museums and such. More nature areas, the power utilities can help with this, with all their gobs of land.

[viverlibre]

Originally Posted by Jardine8

Blues music & it's history, Civil Rights history, as well as individual non-blues musicians probably would be the State's best hope to draw visitors. The list of musicians born in Mississippi is pretty staggering. I think they are trying but I am not sure if they have fully-leveraged the state's history very well in that regard.

We have some good draws but everything is so spread out. We tuck a nice grammy museum away at Delta State, a place that is not easy to get to, we put a very nice MS Military Museum inside the gate on Camp Shelby, there is hardly anyone ever there. At least the Children's Musem and Natural Science Musem are close together, moving the zoo to the barely used golf course behind the two is a no brainer (but will not happen). Civil Rights and Blues do draw tourists, but not large numbers of people, especially when there is no other stuff nearby to do.

The coast has made some smart moves since Katrina.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by viverlibre

We have some good draws but everything is so spread out. We tuck a nice grammy museum away at Delta State, a place that is not easy to get to, we put a very nice MS Military Museum inside the gate on Camp Shelby, there is hardly anyone ever there. At least the Children's Musem and Natural Science Musem are close together, moving the zoo to the barely used golf course behind the two is a no brainer (but will not happen). Civil Rights and Blues do draw tourists, but not large numbers of people, especially when there is no other stuff nearby to do.

The coast has made some smart moves since Katrina.

This is typical of Mississippi. Spread everything out. We spread out all the colleges and community colleges in the name of town 'development'. All the towns and small cities across the state compete with each other for each new development. Split up the major colleges so all of them are subpar and none are elite.

At some point we have to stop that nonsense, at least to a certain point.

For example, any new developments/attractions/restaurants in the Delta should be in Cleveland, end of story.

Any new major industrial developments should be in the Tupelo, Hattiesburg or Golden Triangle areas.

Logistics should be in the Desoto County or Jackson metro.

High IQ type jobs should be near Stennis or in the north Jackson metro, or Golden Triangle.

Small industrial jobs can go anywhere.

Either way, time to quit developing places like Kemper County.