Montego Bay Convention Centre a catalyst for tourism growth
THE MONTEGO Bay Convention Centre (MBCC) was the main deciding factor for the location of the Jamaica Classic, the newest of the US College Basketball Early Season Tournaments, which will be held in Montego Bay from November 17-19, 2017.
The tournament will see seven universities, including Florida State University, Colorado State University, Fordham University, Tulane University, University of Hartford, University of Ohio and LIU Brooklyn, travel to Montego Bay to compete for the inaugural championship.
According to Jacob Ridenhour of the New York-based Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment Group (VWSE), whose vision it was to establish the Jamaica Classic Basketball Tournament, “The Montego Bay Convention Centre had a number of positives. It had the capacity and requisite facilities to accommodate the tournament, it is in close proximity to several high-end hotels, and beaches, to provide the sun, sand, sea experience and not least, I was impressed by the professionalism of the management team.”
TOP CONVENTION DESTINATION
The MBCC, built as a state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility, is realising its potential to meet local tourist-related conference events, consumer shows, indoor sports events and entertainment events for both local and international markets. Dittie Guise, general manager of the SMG-managed facility, noted that the location of the Jamaica Classic is testament to the fact that the centre has met its objective of positioning Jamaica as the foremost convention destination in the Caribbean and thus bringing in thousands of visitors to Montego Bay annually.
“We are pulling out all the stops to ensure the seamless execution of this event. We have acquired a NCAA Division 1 regulation standard size basketball court suitable for Varsity intercollegiate men’s and women’s basketball. The Jamaica Classic Tournament will be staged inside Exhibition Halls A and B. The facility will be fully equipped with the requisite audiovisual equipment, (and will have) ample parking and catering facilities to match the needs of sporting events,” shared Guise.
Jacob Ridenhour explained that this would be a boon for Montego Bay’s tourist industry, considering that this type of event attracts hundreds to thousands of visitors to any location in which it is staged. “This is a proven model of over 32 years in some places. These tournaments have been held in The Bahamas; Cancun; Mexico; Puerto Rico; Hawaii; and St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Local annual economic impact will grow to be huge. Hawaii brings in US$17 million, Bahamas brings in US$10 million while St Thomas regularly earns over US$2 million,” he stated.
In exposure alone, the Jamaica Classic will be putting millions of eyes on Jamaica. All of the games on Friday the 17th and Sunday the 19th will be broadcast on television via CBS Sport Network, reaching 60 million households in the US alone while being streamed worldwide at CBSSports.com.
Ridenhour emphasised that while the Jamaica Classic is a basketball event, it is not being targeted only at sports fans, but at the public at large. “We see this as an entertainment event which uses basketball as the vehicle to bring people to the island to enjoy themselves and to bring out Jamaicans to enjoy a fast-growing entertainment and sporting option at the highest levels,” he said.