Kathy Tatum, south central regional director of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, is a big advocate for Little Rock as a destination for conferences and conventions.
"One [reason] is because of the vibrant downtown and River Market area," Tatum said Tuesday. "There are also many cultural landmarks that attract visitors to our city."
Tatum was instrumental in persuading Zeta Phi Beta to schedule a regional meeting in Little Rock in June 2019. She was recognized Tuesday as an example of the type of help the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau would like to see from residents as part of the Little Rock "Rock Star" initiative to attract more conferences and conventions to the city.
The program identifies area residents who belong to associations and organizations, encourages them to promote Little Rock as a meetings destination, and assists them in the convention bidding, planning and execution phases.
On Tuesday, more than 40 local stars were inducted into the first-ever Rock Star Hall of Fame and were publicly recognized for their efforts. Inductees included members of professional associations, hobby groups, sports leagues, fraternities, faith-based affiliates and more.
"In 2017, the [bureau] hosted 91 meetings, 45 conventions and 30 sporting events in one of the [bureau's] managed facilities, resulting in [more than] $106 million in economic impact for Little Rock," said Gina Gemberling, the bureau's vice president of sales and services.
The bureau was instrumental in Little Rock winning a bid to draw the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries to Little Rock, said Bishop Woosley, director of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
"The [bureau's] team has been very helpful in the convention planning stages, meeting site visits and more," Woosley said.
Little Rock expects to host about 600 to 700 lottery professionals nationwide at the 2019 national convention, Woosley said. The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau assists partners in every facet of the planning process, from conference bidding, site visits, hotel room bookings and more.
Arkansas' capital city welcomes more than 6 million visitors each year. They contribute an estimated $2 billion to the local economy through lodging, dining, shopping and sightseeing, the Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
The program offers no paid reward to those who persuade an organization to hold a meeting in Little Rock, said Gretchen Hall, chief executive officer of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We're not planning to offer this as a paid program," Hall said. "It's a volunteer program, but there will be recognition and all of the support from the Convention and Visitors Bureau will be there. We do have a part-time sales staff member who will be working all these leads."
Business on 12/19/2018