New ‘Spring Jam’ proposed in Panama City Beach for 2016
A country music concert similar to Gulf Coast Jam but catering to a younger crowd is slated to be held this coming spring in an effort to reel in new visitors and offset a possible loss in Spring Break tourism.
By John Henderson, Panama City News Herald, August 11, 2015
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A country music concert similar to Gulf Coast Jam but catering to a younger crowd is slated to be held this coming spring in an effort to reel in new visitors and offset a possible loss in Spring Break tourism.
The Spring Jam event is proposed to be held March 31 through April 2 at Aaron Bessant Park. The Tourist Development Council (TDC) on Tuesday agreed to invest about $1.7 million in expenses to put on the event. After $1.33 million in anticipated revenues from the event are factored in, the TDC expects to lose $361,000 on the event, which tourism officials say can help offset some of the negative publicity the Beach has gotten with this past year’s Spring Break.
“I don’t think that ($361,000) is a loss,” said TDC President Dan Rowe. “That becomes a marketing expense, because we will be getting a lot of positive lift from this.”
He said the event could get positive national television exposure.
“There are high-level discussions going on within the networks that could dovetail so that this really does have the opportunity of being more than a concert,” Rowe said. “It really can be something significant for us.”
But, Rowe added, “it is a risk” because if the tickets aren’t sold as projected, the TDC’s shortfall could be more than $361,000.
The TDC endorsed an agreement that would pay R&M Entertainment of Nashville, Tenn., a production fee of $150,000 to handle the event, and an amount equal to 10 percent of the difference of all gross sales minus the $150,000 fee. R&M also would be entitled to 50 percent of any profits. The agreement would not be finalized until contracts are signed and the city of Panama City Beach signs off on allowing Aaron Bessant Park to be used for the event.
Although he ended up voting for the Spring Jam, TDC member Buddy Wilkes was among several members who expressed some reservations about the TDC’s upfront investment of $1.7 million. He questioned whether something other than a concert could be developed to bring in spring visitors.
Rendy Lovelady, a principal with R&M Entertainment in Nashville, said he was confident 6,000 tickets to the event could be sold. Another one of his companies, PCB Entertainment, has promoted the Gulf Coast Jam for several years.
“I feel real confident” the Spring Jam tickets will be sold “just because it’s not that many to sell,” he said.
Lovelady said the acts at the Spring Jam would appeal to a younger clientele than those attending Gulf Coast Jam, which runs Sept 4-6 this year.
“An example [of entertainment] would be ‘Little Big Town,’ ” he said. “It’s called, ‘Young Country.’ ”
Rowe said Police Chief Drew Whitman felt comfortable with the Spring Jam. “It is going to be managed the same way they do the Gulf Coast Jam — no outside coolers,” he said. “It will be a very controlled environment for the people that come to the Beach to have fun.”
Gulf Coast Jam extension
The TDC on Tuesday also agreed to give PBC Entertainment, another Lovelady-run production company, a three-year agreement with compensation of $375,000 a year to continue to put on Gulf Coast Jam, which TDC members lauded as an outstanding success story.
Lovelady said the longer-term agreement will help him get financing for the event, which this year is expected to bring in 66,000 attendees over three days for musical acts put on by big-name country artists.
He said the overall economic impact of the event on Panama City Beach is estimated at $15.5 million.
The TDC on Tuesday also:
- Learned bed-tax revenues, believed to be a good gauge of the health of tourism, increased in June in the latest figures, from $3.17 million last year to $3.37 million this year.
- Learned from its attorney, Doug Sale, that TDC members who own hotels that provide ticket packages for events like Gulf Coast Jam would not have a conflict of interest voting for those events unless they were the sole sponsor of the event or possibly one sponsor among only a couple.
- Learned major renovations to Frank Brown Park should begin in November and be finished in time for Spring Break next year.
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