A Cheap Solution To Jax's Convention Center Problem?

[FlaBoy]

For sure. Could this be used, specifically in the offseason, for exhibition space as well?

[spuwho]

For sure. Could this be used, specifically in the offseason, for exhibition space as well?

Not likely. No temp or humidity control.

[thelakelander]

For sure. Could this be used, specifically in the offseason, for exhibition space as well?

No. What good is an isolated box with no hotel rooms, ballrooms, etc. that can't be used for most of the year?

[FlaBoy]

For sure. But in a situation with a hotel and convention center nearby, it certainly could be used. I am all for the plan you have proposed with the old Courthouse which would be great for Bay St., but there is a certain synergy of facilities by the stadium that could be created with Khan's assistance that could actually attract some top notch conventions as well. We will see how the discussion unfolds in the future.

[thelakelander]

I don't see how we'd effectively market our community for major conventions, or keep half the ones we already have, if we invest in a facility isn't available the majority of the year. Also, Khan's not building another 1,000 room hotel. The market would kill both his investment and the other hotels we have downtown.  He didn't get to be a billionaire by making foolish investments.  Whatever he proposals will be market rate unless he makes the city subsidize a large percentage of it.  If that's the case, there's a lot to consider, in terms of if subsidizing something the market can't support will result in killing off of businesses already invested in the downtown area.

[KenFSU]

^Khan's statement doesn't mean mean much IMO. "High-end hotel/convention center" could very well be something totally different from the role the Prime Osborn is supposed to serve. For all we know, he could be mentioning the need for a high end hotel with meeting space. Not necessarily a traditional convention center with a +100,000-square-foot exhibition hall.

Agreed. I think Khan's "high-end hotel/convention center" is going to be in line with what he originally proposed for the Shipyards. 300 rooms max, with some meeting space and ballrooms, and restaurants on the ground floor and rooftop.

[KenFSU]

For sure. Could this be used, specifically in the offseason, for exhibition space as well?

Not likely. No temp or humidity control.

The flex field is fully climate controlled (when the sliding doors are closed).

[KenFSU]

For sure. But in a situation with a hotel and convention center nearby, it certainly could be used. I am all for the plan you have proposed with the old Courthouse which would be great for Bay St., but there is a certain synergy of facilities by the stadium that could be created with Khan's assistance that could actually attract some top notch conventions as well. We will see how the discussion unfolds in the future.

Personally, I love the idea for certain use cases.

If Khan's hotel is built, the complex would include:

- Up to 300 hotel rooms
- Riverfront meeting space and ballrooms
- 94,000 sf of climate-controlled, naturally lit flex/exhibition space (sitting empty from January to late July)
- A 5,500 seat amphitheater directly connected to the flex space

Could it serve as Jacksonville's primary convention center for your routine business conferences? Of course not. But could the city host a handful of amazing conventions annually that leveraged all three spaces? Absolutely. Why couldn't you have a sci-fi, comic, or video game convention - for example - that leverages the hotel ballrooms for more intimate events, the flex field for merch vendors and food trucks, and the amphitheater for screenings or panels. Hell, it opens into Everbank, you could even have screenings on the massive video boards.

At the very least, such a setup has a nationally unique value proposition that differentiates us from our sister cities and give us another opportunity to ROI on the millions and millions and millions of dollars we've pumped into these spaces.

Looks like the Jags have the same idea, as Bold Events are already actively accepting bookings for trade shows/conventions for both the flex field and amphitheater.

[Keith-N-Jax]

That's a great idea, especially since the flex field/amp is already being built,

[thelakelander]

There's tons of indoor practice facilities for college and pro teams already. Are there any decent examples of any doing what's suggested in this thread?

[KenFSU]

There's tons of indoor practice facilities for college and pro teams already. Are there any decent examples of any doing what's suggested in this thread?

Probably not, but to me, that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Will never be a solution for your typical business convention, but as a unique, marquee space to pitch for some mega-cons, why not? If the hotel is built, what does the space lack? Let's not forget that Jacksonville defied all odds and was awarded a Super Bowl, perhaps the biggest annual event in the world, for outside-the-box thinking.

[thelakelander]

I guess I'm a believer in simplicity.  Out-of-the-box thinking to things that should be simple to pull off typically end up costing you more problems and money at the end of the day.  Two local examples being the Skyway (going APM instead of LRT or Streetcar) and the Jacksonville Landing (Festival Marketplace turning its back from downtown to save downtown retail).

In its most simpliest form, we already have a 1,000 room convention center hotel, meeting rooms and the land needed for the addition of an exhibition hall adjacent to it. Just add the exhibition hall (essentially a Wal-Mart box) and you can make those same pitches for mega-cons year round for a fraction of the cost.  In addition, all those events would be within walking distance of the Landing and Elbow, generating more economic opportunity for existing DT businesses and infilling currently vacant retail storefront space.

On the other hand, if we're relying on another convention center/hotel to be built a mile away from the downtown core, we've literally put ourselves in the same position with the Prime Osborn.  The economic spin-off to downtown businesses would be just as limited. The only major differences would be a hotel to eat away business from our existing subsidized 1,000 convention center hotel and a center that could only be used for half a year.  If that's the case, we'd be better off just adding onto the Prime Osborn and running the Skyway on-demand to provide a 24/7 direct connection to the Omni.

[tufsu1]

Fact is the flex field space isn't a whole lot bigger than what the Prime Osborn already offers, and its about as far from a hotel and the core entertainment area.  That's not an improvement.

[FlaBoy]

Fact is the flex field space isn't a whole lot bigger than what the Prime Osborn already offers, and its about as far from a hotel and the core entertainment area.  That's not an improvement.

Again, I think the point is Khan wants to build a luxury hotel and convention space by the stadium.

[thelakelander]

He may want too. Until we have the details though, it's difficult to determine the scale and if what he has in mind, has anything to do with resolving the problems that the Prime Osborn suffers from.  If such a plan involves using an indoor practice facility for exhibition space, less than half of the year, I'd say it would not.  If such a plan also calls for the city to toss in more money than simply adding an exhibition hall near the Hyatt, then that's another major factor to consider as well.