Conventions are big business in Jacksonville, with more than 400 groups checking into local hotels last year.
Visit Jacksonville, the convention and visitors bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches, announced Friday some personnel changes for its convention sales and services team.
• Former Convention Services Manager Nicole Chapman is senior convention services manager.
• Samantha Crouch, formerly the convention services coordinator, is the meetings express coordinator and will work with smaller groups.
• Former Events Specialist Caitlin Mauney has moved to the group business team as convention services and events specialist.
The restructuring is related to changes in the Duval County Tourism Marketing Plan that was amended by City Council in November.
Visit Jacksonville’s 2016-17 budget includes $2 million for marketing the city as a destination for conventions and other group business.
The budget also includes an $800,000 grant fund to be used to close contracts with groups by offering rebates on room nights, ground transportation and convention-related hotel expenses, such as audio-visual services.
“My goal is to aim higher,” said council President Lori Boyer when the new tourism plan was enacted.
“I don’t want us to just maintain what we have. I want us to enhance and improve on it,” she added.
Visit Jacksonville also released last week the occupancy and revenue figures for the week that ended Jan. 28.
Nearly 73 percent of hotel rooms were occupied that week at an average daily rate of $92.11, increases of 2.8 and 6.5 percent, respectively, compared to the previous week.
Arlington and the Beaches were most occupied, each at 77 percent, followed by Southside and Mandarin hotels at 74.1 percent.
The average daily rate at Downtown hotels was the highest in the market at $132.29, followed by the Beaches at $122.66 and Southside and Mandarin at $85.95.
Total room revenue for the week was more than $8.4 million
For the month of January, Duval County hotel occupancy was 66.3 percent, nearly 10 points ahead of the U.S. average of 57.8 percent.
The report noted January was the 39th consecutive month of hotel revenue growth in Duval County.
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