Jackson Jambalaya

Harve should have Billy McCoy, Steve Holland and the other House Beef Planters be the honorary first guests when his Harvey Johnson Ramada opens up.

Here is the situation in Baltimore. We're sure lucky that Harvey and Quentin know what is best for us in Jackson.

01 February 2011: HILTON HOTEL BONDS ARE RATED 'SPECULATIVE' BY STANDARD & POOR'S; OUTLOOK 'NEGATIVE'

The hotel was financed by $305 million in bonds approved by the City Council by a two-vote margin in 2005. Officials for the Baltimore Development Corporation told the council the project was an essential component to reviving the city’s lagging Convention Center business.

Opened in 2008, the hotel has failed to meet projections in its first three years of operation, posting a cumulative $31 million loss through the end of 2009.

What the hell do they know in Baltimore anyways? They can't afford a new arena and Jackson can't afford one either BUT damn let's build one nonetheless and completely tank the city. How 'bout it Quentin?

The Maryland Public Policy Institute: City can't afford new convention center-arena

Governments across the country have been using federal community block grants to build convention centers and hotels that private developers won't, creating an excess supply. As Steven Malanga writes in his 2010 book, "Shakedown," "the [convention center] building boom has sparked little, if any, economic development."

But you know all of this stuff already right Q? I mean, you are the 2nd best research expert we've got -- because Donna Ladd is the best researcher in the city.

FICO CEO: Something Bad is Happening

Hopefully Council Whitjuggernaut will do some actual research before voting to place Jackson property owners on the hook for another $124,000,000+ in general obligation bond debt.

Do you even KNOW Whitwell about all the vacant houses in your ward? Put your damn twitter wand down and find out what the hell is actually going on in Ward 1.

The analysis here is missing an assessment of existing hotel space as well as relevant event planning marketing stats.

Event planners need the whole package.

There was inadequate venue space in Jackson. The hotel ballrooms in Jackson were not large enough for many events. 6000 sq ft was not available.

Now there is inadequate hotel room space available to the venue space we have.

The only two hotels that do have enough room space are, to be kind, "dated" and too far from the convention center.

The Edison Wathall is undertaking SOME renovations, but it's the room space that is problematic and to an event planner, too far away from the venue space.

Event planners look for convenience and need to have their attendees in ONE hotel. Activities need to be in easy walking distance from the accomodations.

This plan may be too flawed as suggested, but Jackson needs better hotel space. We have the "draws" for tourists with historic landmarks and a first rate Museum of Art and now, adequate venue space.

We need good hotel space and shuttles to shopping at Highland Village and Fondren until there are enough events to entice boutiques back downtown.

Mississippi could draw large events as many of the elements to do so are already in place. I say Mississippi because the entire state loses out from when Jackson can't compete for big name entertainers and large convention groups.

We need to look at the larger picture as we plan. We need to focus on the demands of those we wish to attract. Who is the market?

And, we need to understand " Rome wasn't built in a day".

To me, that's what's missing from this discussion.

Also missing is the understanding that the local view isn't relevant. The market isn't Jacksonians or even Mississippians. And, the inability to understand that it is the " people from someplace else" who are the market.

Locals/natives are always a miniscule part of any SUCCESSFUL event and AREN'T tourists!

And, rather than beat a drum about failures ( if I read Baltimore and Detroit one more time, I'll puke), it would be more productive to look at cities that have been successful in bringing back tourists and events to their cities. Some even have succeeded in attracting locals back. One would think all our cities have failed in reviving their downtowns.

In successful cities, the state and local governments, the colleges and universities,the business leaders, and citizen volunteers all worked together, welcomed constructive suggestions, studied successful plans from elsewhere and took on a " can do" attitude.

Here, for reasons I can't explain (other than guessing an ingrained inferiority complex that expects failure or racism so toxic that both races need to prove the other incapable or evil and thus doom both to failure) the positive attitude and a cooperative spirit necessary for success in ANY endeavor is always missing. Meager successes are made in spite of the naysayers.
In EVERY success in this community of which I'm aware ( IBC and the MS Museum of Art are examples) it was an uphill battle against the critics at the beginnings.

9:39 where you here in 2004?