New MoBay Convention Centre set for Phase II
Published:Monday | January 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Having signed a J$200-million (US$2.4 million) agreement with the United States-based company, SMG, to manage the new Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James for the next seven years, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has announced a second phase for the project.
Built at a cost of US$50 million, the project was facilitated by the Chinese government and constructed by Asian firm, Complant. It is not clear how much the second phase will cost or when construction will commence.
"Conceptual designs are under way. The convention centre envisages varying improvements over the course of time to include additional parking facilities, multi-purpose hall, additional service areas and meeting rooms," Joy Douglas, general manager of the Urban Development Corporation, said last Friday at the soft-opening of Phase I.
The first phase was constructed by Complant and is scheduled for completion in April.
With the facility situated on approximately 14.1 hectares (35 acres), the UDC executive seemed confident that SMG, a world leader in venue management, marketing and development, can grow the business needed to make the centre viable.
Warning from pm
However, Prime Minister Bruce Golding has already sounded a warning.
"Ed Bartlett (tourism minister) wants 100,000 square feet of convention space, because that's the market he is marketing to, and he will get it once he demonstrates he can put the current 50,000 square feet to good and consistent use," said Golding.
He urged the tourism minister to bring back-to-back conventions into the facility.
"Once we see that the business is there, we will be more than happy to move on to Phase II."
Admitting that the need for a convention centre has been long recognised, the prime minister charged hoteliers to become partners of the facility and ensure its success.
"This facility provides an opportunity for hotels in and around this area to become partners. Within eyesight of this centre is almost 2,300 hotel rooms and within five minutes, some 5,000 rooms," he revealed.
Ja limited as a destination
Elated by the prospects presented to him in a year when he is celebrating a record 1.9 million stopover arrivals, and a 4.7 per cent increase over 2009, Bartlett argued that Jamaica has been limited as a destination in its ability to attract players in the very lucrative meetings and conference sector.
"You may have recalled at another point in time we indicated that the International Congress of Conference Association indicate that some 400,000 conventions and exhibitions are organised worldwide every year and that brings together a pool of some US$280 billion that is what is available to us and I cannot even begin to suggest that we have been taking from that pool," Bartlett stated.
He said: "With this convention centre, Jamaica will now have a chance to enter into that very large, lucrative and exciting market to create a different demographic twist to the destination and to broaden significantly the scope and scale of our offerings and to enable us to significantly grow the tourism spend which is so important."
With in excess of 50,000 square feet of exhibition space, more than 20,000 square feet of banquet facility and more than 11,000 square feet of meeting space, the Montego Bay Convention Centre is the largest meeting facility in the English-speaking Caribbean.