Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sales cold call put pageant in LR
Robinson Center redo, founder’s Arkansas roots helped, too
NOEL OMAN
It was a cold call to Amanda Patterson almost two years ago that landed Little Rock a national pageant featuring contestants from all 50 states this week.
Actually, it is three national pageants in one — 150 contestants in all — as well as their families in Little Rock: Miss Junior High America, Miss High School America and Miss Collegiate America.
The venue, the Robinson Center, was still undergoing a $70 million renovation when Patterson met with officials from the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and other city boosters. It seemed like a long shot. The pageants had been held in either Orlando, Fla., or San Antonio since Patterson established them in 2009.
But Marilyn Koehler, a member of the visitors bureau’s sales team, had inside information: Patterson, the pageant founder, is a Malvern native and lives in Little Rock.
Two years later, the newly opened Robinson Center and a revitalized downtown are making the decision a fortuitous one for both the pageant and the city.
“They showed me the vision of what Robinson was going to be,” Patterson said. “We decided to try it out. It has been amazing. The city, the airport, sponsors, Robinson is going to be a great place for our event. I’m really excited.”
Bureau officials say the impact the pageant will have on the state’s capital city extends well beyond the estimated $1.1 million economic boost. Look no further than the smartphones parents were using with abandon on Tuesday morning for the arrival ceremony held for the contestants on the lawn of the Old State House Museum on East Markham Street.
“We have 150 junior high, high school and collegiate girls here on a lot of social media,” Patterson said. “I mean look at all the cameras. People are taking pictures,
they’re posting. Little Rock is getting a lot of national publicity this week.
“Once they saw the impact of social media. I promise you there is not another conference or organization that comes here that’s going to do as many social media posts — Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat. They're all snap-chatting. These girls are on their phones nonstop. They’re dressed up. Of course, they’re going to take pictures.”
Alan Sims, vice president of sales and service for the bureau, said he can’t put a price on that kind of exposure.
“I can’t buy that kind of advertising,” he said. “I don’t have the budget.”
The pageant is the latest indication that the newly renovated Robinson Center,
which reopened in November, is drawing different types of events.
Patterson’s pageant is the second this month. Robinson Center was the setting for the Miss Arkansas pageant earlier this month after 58 years in Hot Springs.
In March, the center hosted a regional Sweet Adelines International competition, featuring choruses from Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. It marked the first time in more than 10 years that the event was held in Arkansas, and it was the first year of a three-year deal.
But it is a long process to attract pageants and other events, and landing them is only the beginning, according to Sims.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the Miss High School America Pageant for the first time in Little Rock,” he said. “Our sales professionals travel
the country year-round, meet with event planners and promote our destination as the ideal place to have meetings and conventions.
“It involves building relationships and fostering them over the course of time. As in this case, our team member reached out to Ms. Patterson, the pageant’s director, in 2015, and pitched the idea. Since then our team has been working with pageant organizers, and members of the community to make sure it is the most successful event it can be, and that it benefits us as a destination.”
Indeed, Patterson said the reception the pageant staff, contestants and families have received has confirmed that she made the right decision.
“Honestly, I want to bring it back,” she said. “The families have been so impressed with the city. I think a lot of people were under a different type
of impression with Arkansas, and we’ve just heard wonderful things. God’s blessed us with wonderful weather this week. I think prayers have been answered.
“Everyone’s been impressed with our downtown. The Southern hospitality they’re getting — a lot of people aren’t used to that. They’ve been pleasantly surprised. They haven’t even seen the best — Robinson. Robinson is just going to be very impressive.”
The pageants, which emphasize academics and community service and don’t include swimsuit or talent competitions, formally begin at 6 p.m. today with the preliminary competitions. The crownings will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday. Each national winner receives a $10,000 scholarship.
Both events are in the Robinson Center. Tickets are $50 at the door for each event.