Convention Center Task Force
April 2007 Meeting Summaries
April 5 * April 12 * April 19 * April 26
Market Support and Infrastructure
Meeting Summary
April 5, 2007
Clanzenetta “Mickee” Brown
JCCI Consultant
IN ATTENDANCE: |
Subcommittee members – Phil Tufano (Chair), Donald Harris, Mike Miller, Tony Orsini, Dennis Pate, and Michael Stewart Not Present: Brad Braddock |
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Task Force Members: Ron Barton |
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Community Participants: Annette Hastings |
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Media – Rachel Witkowski (JBJ) |
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Staff – Mickee Brown, Skip Cramer, John Reyes, Nicole Trueblood, and Ben Warner [Staff note: If your name is not listed above, please advise staff.] |
MEETING TIME: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
TOPIC: Market Support and Infrastructure
PURPOSE: Discuss the status of Jacksonville’s convention marketing and market infrastructure.
MEETING SUMMARY
[Staff note: The write-up below is a summary, not a verbatim transcript. Please read through the document to make sure the pertinent points were captured. If anything is missing or misstated, please advise staff.]
JCCI Facilitator, Ben Warner explained the subcommittee’s work for the evening as answering three questions regarding Market Support and Infrastructure: 1) What does Jacksonville have? 2) What is Jacksonville missing? and 3) What should Jacksonville have in place? The subcommittee was also advised that their work would inform upcoming site selection subcommittee deliberations.
The charge to the Marketing Support and Infrastructure is to examine the integral components of the current tourism infrastructure to identify additional needs and areas of growth, as they relate to viability as a convention destination. Key factors include hotel development, regional airlift, public transportation, tourism product, strength of the local sales force and funding for sales and marketing initiatives.
What does Jacksonville have now? Themes: Jacksonville has many of the key marketing and market infrastructure components in place, but what is available is insufficient, disconnected, and not branded.
Existing, planned, and newly created market infrastructure is not located near the Prime Osborn, which has no infrastructure support.
Comments:
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Jacksonville has the following Market Support and Infrastructure in place…
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What is missing? Theme: Build a sustainable infrastructure that is not solely reliant on convention business. Downtown (amenities, atmosphere, uniqueness, etc.) and its surrounding communities must first appeal to local residents and non-convention tourists.
Comments:
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Jacksonville lacks the following Market Support and Infrastructure…
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What does Jacksonville need? Theme: A convention center will not be successful in Jacksonville without sufficient and appropriate marketing and market infrastructure.
Set priorities for developing market infrastructure to build demand for Jacksonville as a convention destination.
Comments:
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In order to improve Market Support and Infrastructure, the following should be considered…
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Other communities. Theme: Build or revitalize existing market infrastructure for residents and tourism/convention business will follow. This model improves the image (popularity) of the community and leads to sustainability.
Comments:
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Communities that have successfully built a tourist and or convention business infrastructure are…
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The subcommittee posed the following questions during their discussions:
[Staff note: Many of these questions above can be answered by the recent destination appeal studies. Staff will provide the information requested in handouts to be distributed at the April 12th meeting. Other questions will need to be discussed in further detail by the subcommittee at their two subsequent meetings.]
public comment: Public comment was requested, but none was offered.
meeting adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
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Market Support and Infrastructure
Meeting Summary
April 12, 2007
Clanzenetta “Mickee” Brown
JCCI Consultant
IN ATTENDANCE: |
Subcommittee members – Phil Tufano (Chair), Donald Harris, Mike Miller, and Dennis Pate Not Present: Brad Braddock, Tony Orsini, and Michael Stewart |
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Task Force Members: M.G. Orender |
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Community Participants: Annette Hastings |
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Media – Rachel Witkowski (JBJ) |
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Staff – Mickee Brown, Skip Cramer, John Reyes, Nicole Trueblood, and Ben Warner [Staff note: If your name is not listed above, please advise staff.] |
MEETING TIME: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
TOPIC: Market Support and Infrastructure
PURPOSE: Reach consensus on Jacksonville’s convention marketing and market infrastructure.
MEETING SUMMARY
[Staff note: The write-up below is a summary, not a verbatim transcript. Please read through the document to make sure the pertinent points were captured. If anything is missing or misstated, please advise staff.]
The subcommittee received the April 5th meeting summary via email. No changes were offered and the document was entered into the record. The group moved immediately to discussing success factors and the market infrastructure in place today.
Necessary success factors
Urban mobility: Downtown Jacksonville is not an easily navigable urban environment, particularly in the neighborhood where the Prime Osborn is located. Delegates can not walk outside the Prime into a center of activity. The area does not have shops, restaurants, or a hotel within walking distance. Due to the lack of consistent convention business, transportation options are limited to the Skyway or private vehicles. In other convention cities, taxis are lined up to transport delegates throughout the downtown and surrounding areas. Other cities offer free shuttles or trolleys that run at regular intervals to move residents and visitors around the downtown area. If the convention center remains in La Villa and the infrastructure remains “as is”, then solid transportation to downtown amenities (via bus, trolley, taxi, and Skyway) will be the only way to provide delegates with what Jacksonville is noted for missing: a variety of things to do.
Marketing/Branding: Jacksonville’s current branding campaign “Where Florida Begins” tells people where the city is located, but not what to do when they get here, or what makes the area unique. More effort and funding is needed to “sell” what Jacksonville has to offer. Among our competitors in Florida and the Southeast Jacksonville scored poorly as a “popular place” and for being “different and unique”. People have no idea why they should come to Jacksonville. Our competitors have a “hook” or something that they are known for that makes the city seem interesting to delegates. For example, Daytona is known for Bike Week, its beaches, NASCAR, and Spring Break festivities. Daytona like many other cities also spends much more on marketing than Jacksonville allowing for greater message penetration.
Space: More exhibition space may increase the city’s marketability, but infrastructure drives the perception of whether or not a destination will provide a quality experience for the delegate. The size of the convention center is the first filter for considering whether or not a city meets the needs of meeting planners. Simply competing for 85 percent of available convention business requires at least 200,000 SF of contiguous exhibition space. Today, Jacksonville competes for 10 percent of convention business because the Prime has 78,500 SF (100,000 SF using pre-function space) of exhibition space. The size of a new or expanded convention center will be driven by the level of competitiveness preferred; intuitively the resulting exhibition space must be greater than 100,000 SF. Remaining a small center will not drive greater demand for transportation, hotel rooms or other amenities;
Defining the Jacksonville client: Convention business at the Prime is dominated by hobby and sports groups. Such groups are not necessarily looking for fine dining or sophisticated nightlife. On the other hand, corporate and national associations are looking for these more indulgent experiences. Jacksonville’s target convention market will dictate the types amenities that private enterprise brings to the marketplace.
Five year-plan leading up to building a convention center: Convention business alone can not be expected to carry downtown entertainment, cultural, and retail venues. In the end, all of the key components – housing, restaurants, transportation systems, restaurants, bars, clubs, theater, etc. must appeal first to locals, then tourists, and finally to convention delegates. Some, if not all, of these amenities must be in place before a convention center comes online.
Jacksonville has some of the key components needed to be a more successful convention destination
Ability to create temporary infrastructure: The City of Jacksonville and private business are adept at making downtown an exciting and easily navigable destination for large annual or one-time events, such as the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Fourth of July celebrations, Florida-Georgia game and other national sporting events. During these events, downtown is designed to draw visitors to activity areas using transportation, signage, information, lighting, vendors, etc. Some of this “expertise” can be used for developing permanent entertainment districts and other amenities.
Jacksonville has the “bones” to create a favorable tourist/convention experience: The TAP report indicates that among other second tier cities – Charleston, Savannah, Birmingham, and Daytona Beach – Jacksonville has nearly as many or more hotel rooms and restaurants, but they win as convention cities due to proximity; hotels, restaurants, shopping and other amenities are located near the convention center.
Jacksonville has positives worthy of greater focus: The GMA survey indicates that Jacksonville has many favorable attributes when compared to a similar list of competitors: parks, being an attractive city; good climate; great beaches; wonderful golf; and friendly residents.
Jacksonville has plans for developing downtown: The 2000 Downtown Master Plan separates the downtown into 10 distinct districts that focus on key areas, such as business, retail, open space, arts & culture, and sports. In 2007, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission convened four task forces to determine specific steps in four areas: retail, housing, parking and open spaces/the pedestrian experience. Within the next 3-4 months these groups will develop a downtown action plan that incorporates recommendations made in the 2000 Master Plan. [Staff note: At this time there is no planned “amenity” development for La Villa in either the Master Plan or the recent information released from the JEDC retail task force. See attached La Villa Master Plan excerpt.]
Connection between infrastructure and site selection
If Jacksonville aims to be competitive in the convention business, delegates must eat, sleep, shop, and be entertained near the convention center. The community has two options:
public comment: Public comment was requested, but none was offered.
meeting adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
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Market Support and Infrastructure Subcommittee
Meeting Summary
April 19, 2007
Clanzenetta “Mickee” Brown
JCCI Consultant
cctf@jcci.org
IN ATTENDANCE: Subcommittee members – Phil Tufano (Chair), Donald Harris, Mike Miller, Dennis Pate, and Michael Stewart Not Present: Brad Braddock and Tony Orsini
Community Participants: Annette Hastings
Media – Rachel Sherman (JBJ)
Staff – Mickee Brown, Skip Cramer, John Reyes, Nicole Trueblood, and Ben Warner
[Staff note: If your name is not listed above, please advise staff.]
MEETING TIME: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
TOPIC: Market Support and Infrastructure
PURPOSE: Discuss MSI subcommittee white paper and reach consensus on message to the general task force on April 26, 2007
MEETING SUMMARY
[Staff note: The write-up below is a summary, not a verbatim transcript. Please read through the document to make sure the pertinent points were captured. If anything is missing or misstated, please advise staff.]
The meeting began with a discussion about the previous week’s meeting summary. The subcommittee agreed that the necessity for public commitment to building a convention center should be included in the record of the group’s conversation. In response, the following paragraph was added to the April 12, 2007 meeting summary:
Site and timing: A city commitment to a convention center site and time frame will spur development of restaurants, nightspots, etc. and reduce the financial risk for the private sector. This is the beginning step for a successful public-private partnership and follows the axiom: private investment follows public commitment.
The subcommittee discussed the contents of the white paper and the following points were taken into consideration during the re-write:
Daytona Beach is identified as one city with an established brand and well known attributes familiar to tourists. Using Jacksonville as the counterpoint implies this area has no tourist worthy attributes, which is not true. However it is true that Jacksonville is not branded well. The point that the Prime Osborn’s lack of space is an infrastructure issue was not made strongly enough in the white paper. The CVB has written statements from both Spirit Team and the Florida Fire Chiefs' Association indicating that the lack of space prompted their decisions to move their events to Orlando. Language indicating that San Diego’s Gaslamp District is sustained by locals, not convention business is inaccurate. The paragraph should state that the District has become successful due to tourists and convention business. A paragraph that mentions recommendations from the JEDC Retail Task Force on creating districts downtown should list and describe those districts.The subcommittee also made the following observations:
Building a convention center in the central downtown
If a convention center is built in the central downtown, then a new hotel may not be necessary because there are already hotels in the area. While having a hotel connected to the convention center is ideal, having a hotel within walking distance is a workable option as well. As a matter of fact, the Hyatt would become the convention hotel. Right now there are not many land option for building a convention center in the area, however the existing courthouse site might become available in the next 3-5 years. The location is parallel to Bay Street, which has been tapped as an entertainment district (E-Town) that could serve the amenity needs of conventioneers.
What should the city do with the Prime Osborn if a convention center is built elsewhere?
The city could continue to use the Prime as a civic center or a small conventions center. Portland is one example of a city with two convention centers. Such a direction will create a backlash in some quarters, because Jacksonville will have two convention centers that lose money.
Another alternative is to sell the Prime to a private developer and use the proceeds to build a new convention center in a better location. The Prime might also be reused as a train station, which compliments the planned multi-modal transportation hub that will be built around the existing Skyway Station across the street from the Prime.
The group was reminded that the Finance subcommittee will need to examine the feasibility of uses for the Prime should the Site Selection subcommittee determine that the convention center should be relocated.
public comment: Public comment was requested, but none was offered.
meeting adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
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CONVENTION CENTER TASK FORCE
Meeting Summary
April 26, 2007
Clanzenetta “Mickee” Brown
JCCI Consultant – Task Force Planner
cctf@jcci.org
IN ATTENDANCE: Convention Center Task Force: M.G. Orender, (Chair), Phil Tufano (Market Support and Infrastructure Chair), Tony Allegretti, Charles Appleby, Danny Berenberg, Thomas Bonner, Brad Braddock, Robert Champion, Cristina Comstock, Jack Diamond, Juan Diaz, Pam Edwards-Roine, Randy Goodwin, Donald Harris, Bob Johnson, Kish Kanji, Kelly Madden, Jerry Mallot, Albert Marchant, Donald McClure, Mike Miller, Jim Overton, Ted Pappas, Dennis Pate, David Potts, Fred Pozin, Jim Pritchard, John Reyes, Toney Sleiman, and Tri Vu
Community Participants: Katie Kurycki, Carrie McLauren, Bernard Santiago, Julia Gast, Gary Gotling, Paul Buff, Janice Dailey, Annette Hastings, Anela Johnson, Thomas Baker, and Pamela Elms
Media: Karen Brune-Mathis (TU), Rachel Sherman (JBJ), and Alison Trinidad (TU)
Staff: Mickee Brown, Skip Cramer, John Reyes, Nicole Trueblood, and Ben Warner
[Staff note: If your name is not listed above, please advise staff.]
MEETING TIME: 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
PURPOSE: Market Support and Infrastructure Subcommittee Report to the Convention Center Task Force
MEETING SUMMARY
[Staff note: The write-up below is a summary, not a verbatim transcript. Please read through the document to make sure the pertinent points were captured. If anything is missing or misstated, please advise staff.]
CCTF Chair, M. G. Orender the thanked Market Support and Infrastructure subcommittee for their hard work and welcomed the task force back for another round of deliberations.
Market Support and Infrastructure subcommittee Chair Phil Tufano thanked the subcommittee for being both pragmatic and open to the possibilities that come with building the marketing infrastructure needed to expand the Prime or build a new convention center.
Phil identified the group’s major findings as follows:
Success as a convention city depends on marketing the city’s assets and delivering an easily accessible and unique experience to the visitor. There is currently no infrastructure near the Prime Osborn to support convention business and there are no immediate plans to build such an infrastructure. Redevelopment efforts are concentrated in the downtown core. Exhibit space limitations at the Prime Osborn have limited Jacksonville’s ability to compete for convention business. These limitations have and will continue to result in lost business. The City’s current branding campaign does not convey what makes Jacksonville unique, nor does it identify why visitors should vacation in Jacksonville. Jacksonville has many strong assets, especially among groups that have held meeting here in the past, however Jacksonville is at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to the proximity of hotels, restaurants, shopping and other amenities near the current convention center. Access to downtown activity hubs from the Prime Osborn is limited by demand, transportation, pedestrian walkways, and signage. A public commitment to build a convention center in a specific area could lead to greater private development. Simply building a convention center will not revitalize a downtown community. The Prime Osborn is evidence of the need for a better planned approach. A new or expanded convention center in downtown requires that the supporting infrastructure be planned and underway.After the MSI Subcommittee presentation the floor was opened for comments and questions.
Task Force Questions
How does the Prime compete with private resort venues, such as Sea Island and Ponte Vedra Inn and Club or even large hotels like the Hyatt?
Small groups seeking a resort atmosphere are choosing an experience different from what one would experience at a downtown convention center. Often these smaller groups are participating in a golf tournament or an employer is rewarding his or her employees. Larger groups are also seeking 150,000 to 200,000 SF of exhibit space, which is not offered in the smaller resorts or most large hotels.
A larger convention center might also aid the small resort venues and hotels outside downtown. As the hotels near the convention fill up, delegates seek rooms in the surrounding areas. This is called compression.
Where does the marketing budget for convention business come from?
Of the six percent bed tax collected, two percent is dedicated to paying debt service on the bonds issued to construct the Prime Osborn Convention Center, two percent is dedicated to paying debt service on the bonds issued to construct Alltel Stadium, and the other two percent is dedicated to tourism promotion. The Tourist Development Council uses 70 percent of the money dedicated to tourism promotion to fund a contract with the Jacksonville and the Beaches CVB to advertise and market the city and its attractions. (Go to www.coj.net and search for “Tourist Development Council”)
Of the $3.4 Million received by the CVB from its bed tax allocation in 2006, $750,000 was devoted to marketing and advertising overall and $250,000 was used for marketing Jacksonville as a convention destination.
[Staff note: Details on the origin and use of the bed tax will be presented to the Task Force at a future meeting.]
Can we expand the Prime by building on top of the existing convention center?
[Staff note: Jim Pritchard responded to this question via email as follows: “I am not certain structurally if that is possible. That could more accurately be addressed by a structural Engineer. Remember that the Center has meeting rooms on the 2nd floor adjacent to the upper level of the exhibit hall and support structure. Generally though, Convention Centers are much more successful when the space is contiguous and not stacked for exhibits.”]
Must a headquarters hotel be built next door to the convention center?
While it is ideal for the headquarters hotel to be located on the convention site, surveys indicate the delegates are willing to walk one block from the convention center to the hotel. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) states that amenities, including a hotel should be no more than 3-5 blocks from the convention center.
To have a successful downtown convention center, must the downtown be a successful destination?
Building a convention center will not make downtown Jacksonville a destination for convention delegates. A convention center is a “box” where events are held, not a destination in and of itself. Therefore, the area(s) surrounding the convention center must capture the delegate’s interest. A vibrant city and/or a vibrant downtown with good amenities, especially a nearby or adjacent hotel will present the most ideal package. Still, those convention centers that meet the exhibit and meeting space requirements of planners have an opportunity to (at least) compete for market share. Right now, the argument is that Jacksonville can not compete due to the size of the Prime, so planners never see what the city has to offer as a destination.
Is it true that the convention centers must be located in an “activity hub” as stated in the white paper? In many cities conventioneers have to travel to the activity, for example San Francisco, Orlando and Las Vegas?
[Staff note: Cities that are vacation destinations do not have the same challenges as Jacksonville, which is not a “famous”, must-see city. Better known cities might be able to locate their convention centers in remote areas and delegates would not be put off because the amenities (shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and attractions) are well-known and relatively easy to access via transportation.
Moreover, convention centers are not usually money makers, therefore the center must be of appropriate size and the city must be enough of draw to positively impact the local economy, which is measured by room nights (heads-in-beds). Overnight visitors buy meals, shop, and pay for entertainment.
Among the centers mentioned during the 4-26-07 meeting, most are located near an area with amenities or easy access to activity:
Moscone Center (San Francisco) is in the heart of downtown and surrounded by amenities and activities. McCormick Place (Chicago) has a Hyatt hotel attached. It also has 2.2 million SF of exhibit space and dedicated travel-ways for delegates to gain access. The Navy Pier has convention facilities but is also a one-stop carnival of amenities and activities. The Javits Center (New York) literature boasts hotels within 3-5 blocks and Penn Station 4 blocks away. NYC also has excellent mass transportation. LA Convention Center (Los Angeles) is next to the Staples Center Sportsplex. Hotels are nearby but there is no apparent “convention headquarters hotel.” Las Vegas Convention Center is a standalone but LVCC may be the exception that proves the rule. Consider that Las Vegas is a successfully marketed vacation destination with abundant hotels, nightlife, and entertainment in a concentrated area. Orlando, like Las Vegas, is a vacation destination. People would travel to these cities whether or not a convention was in town. Still, the Orange County CC is located across the street from Pointe Orlando, a 17-acre entertainment and shopping complex as well as four hotels immediately adjacent.]Task Force Comments
Marketing
Successfully marketing Jacksonville as a robust, unique, interesting destination is key to making delegates come a few days early or leaving a few days after the convention. These room nights, increases economic impact.Downtown development
The JEDC is moving downtown toward greater success in making downtown livable. The number of residents is increasing, amenities to support downtown residents are growing as well, and plans are also in place for making downtown a more vibrant “neighborhood”. This indicates that the City is committed to downtown development. Over the past 20-25 years, many downtown redevelopment plans have been proposed and/or implemented, but the west end (La Villa) has been neglected. Downtown will continue to grow with or without a convention center. If a convention center is going to be built, now is the time to make that decision, so that the appropriate infrastructure is in place when the facility is completed. Tourism is a barometer for convention business. People are drawn to places that are beautiful and inviting. What is the draw downtown? Jacksonville’s riverfront is a critical focal point, which has never been properly developed.Location
From all of the information presented thus far, it appears that the Prime Osborn is not the most viable location for a convention center. If the Prime Osborn is not the best location for the convention center, we should be considering alternative uses for the facility. The old train station was chosen as the convention center site because it was a way to preserve and make good use of a historic building. Before the train station was converted to a convention center there was no iconic entry point to the city. The Prime Osborn is now the visual terminus for Jacksonville. It seems shortsighted to abandon the Prime; the facility is only six blocks from the core city. The land surrounding the Prime could hold a hotel and accommodate expansion. It seems that there are two choices if a bigger convention center is built. Locate the new facility where there are amenities and transportation in place or redevelop La Villa to accommodate the existing convention center. The area around the Prime may become more amenity rich via JTA’s planned transportation hub. The plan calls for a multi-modal station with mixed use development, including retail outlets and workforce housing. Twenty years ago, the Brooklyn end of Riverside Avenue was not a pretty site. Today, Brooklyn is being redeveloped and plans have been approved for retail outlets and housing. La Villa is the “hinge-point” between this “new downtown” and the “old downtown”.Public commitment
When an administration changes, so do the priorities of government. If we just stick with one plan over time, we could make progress. As an example, when developed, the Landing needed parking to be successful, that issue has only been resolved recently. A bigger convention center will not be built without taxpayer investment and city planning. With all of Jacksonville’s priorities, does the city have the will to build a new facility? Riverside Avenue had powerful advocates, who will lobby for La Villa?The Convention Center Task Force accepted the Market Support and Infrastructure Subcommittee report and its recommendation was accepted and entered into the official record with the following caveat: ‘A site for the convention center will be considered where there is access to amenities, hotels, and appropriate transportation.’
[Staff note: The MSI white paper recommends “The convention center must be located in an activity hub within close proximity (3-5 blocks) of hotels, restaurants, shopping and other amenities. This requires building a new convention center in what is or will be an amenity rich area or creating the necessary infrastructure in La Villa.” The white paper also states, “If the convention center remains in La Villa and the area’s infrastructure remains “as is”, then solid transportation to downtown amenities (via bus, trolley, taxi, and Skyway) will be the only way to provide delegates with what Jacksonville is perceived as missing - a variety of things to do.” These statements do not limit the work of the Site Selection Subcommittee, they make the case for building a bigger convention center in area primed for development -or- leaving the convention center in La Villa and building a supporting market infrastructures -or- developing a transportation system from La Villa to activity areas in and around downtown if no amenities are going to be built in the area.]
public comment
Public comment was requested, but none was offered.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.