The second reason cited was the November U.S. presidential election.
The conference’s “Lift Every Voice!” theme—attributed to a James Weldon Johnson song—held strong during the five-day event, which included a speech from the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. on the power of the vote. More than 1,000 participants from more than 150 chapters in 36 states, along with other delegates and visitors, were in attendance.
“With 2008 being a election year, the theme was to encourage everyone to ‘lift every voice’ and speak to those who seek election to the highest office in the U.S. about the conditions and issues which affect all Americans, especially the working poor,” said Clayola Brown, APRI national president.
Yet, the group—whose founder is touted as the key organizer of the historic 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. march on Washington, D.C., and a creator of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters labor union?never held a conference here until last summer.
“We met with third-party meeting planner INMEX at the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives’ Springtime Conference,” said Lyndsay Rossman, director of corporate communications for Visit Jacksonville. “From the trade show contact, we acquired the RFP and ultimately brought them to Jacksonville for a site visit. From the visit, we were able to secure the meeting.”
And then there was Spencer’s firecracker determination.
“I went up to our president in California, where our previous meeting was held, and whispered in her ear how if Jacksonville gets to host our next meeting, I guarantee huge success,” he said.
The participation numbers showed that success.
“Attendance was much higher than previous years,” Brown said, speculating that A. Philip Randolph’s hometown added to it. “More local residents attended several of the sessions. Florida has a large number of APRI members, and this afforded an opportunity for other members and guests to learn more about the organization and its founder.”
Once Jacksonville was selected, the next steps involved site selections and event planning.
“Janice Dailey [from Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront] and Charles Spencer were really responsible for bringing this meeting to the city,” said Wendy Priesand, the Omni Jacksonville Hotel’s director of sales and marketing, whose own hotel played host to the event. “It was through their hard work and passion that we all benefited from hosting such a prestigious event.”
As Jacksonville’s only union hotel, the Crowne Plaza was selected as host hotel, but due to the greater than expected attendance, Spencer acted quickly to find overflow hotels.
Easily accessible to the Crowne Plaza and the Prime Osborne Convention Center, where the APRI’s gala was held, the boutique-style Omni played host to numerous attendees and a few breakout meetings in addition to the Rev. Jackson luncheon.
One of the challenges the Omni faced was orchestrating a luncheon for 500 with a high-profile speaker in approximately one week.
“It took a concerted effort between all parties involved, but the team did a great job,” Priesand said. “The Rev. Jackson was easy to work with, and he travels with only one staff member, so it was very easy to ensure his privacy. We had a boardroom reserved for him, so that he could enjoy a quiet lunch with a few people prior to speaking at the event.”
Meanwhile, Dailey put her team to work immediately.
“In the beginning, the expected attendance was approximately 350 people,” she said. “We were able to convince the group to change its meeting setup in a way that would allow our meeting space to accommodate the group. Their commitment to bring the event to Jacksonville was strong so they agreed to be flexible. We had to work closely together with the group, along with other local venues, to relocate one of their events (the final dinner banquet) to the Prime Osborne Convention Center. The local union organizations were able to combine funds and provided transportation to the venue. We utilized one of our transportation partners to shuttle attendees to and from our property for all events at no additional cost to them.”
All in all, the five-day conference included 10 workshops and seminars held as morning and afternoon sessions covering such topics as the housing crisis, voter mobilization and healthcare issues. The conference also presented special honors to the Hon. Wellington Chibebe, Myrlie Evers-Williams and the Hon. Corrine Brown. An offsite evening event at the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, a red carpet dinner at the Prime Osborne Convention Center and a city tour including the A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park were also part of the itinerary.
“The City of Jacksonville Office of Film & Television and the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum showed The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington,” Rossman said. “The venue is significant as it celebrates the rich legacy of the African-American community in Jacksonville. Located in the LaVilla neighborhood, or the ‘Harlem of the South’ as it was once called, the museum features traveling shows from notable institutions and collections depicting the city’s African-American heritage.”
The youth also had a field day. Early Saturday, the students hopped aboard two buses and headed to Jessie Street for a community service project: trash clean-up.
“Mr. Randolph grew up on this street, and we wanted the youth to show some pride,” Spencer said. “We took them to the A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park for a paper bag lunch, then off to the A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology to make them aware that there are career choices.”
Spencer, when reflecting on lessons learned from the conference, says starting to organize the day after the previous event would be on his wish list.
“We learned to really work with local partners such as Visit Jacksonville, local union offices and local venues to create an entire experience to the conference rather than just presenting the benefits of only our hotel,” Dailey said. “Being more creative with amenities such as creative offsite events, transportation and promoting local venues are key when creating an experience they will remember.” One+
ILONA KAUREMSZKY is the former editor of Corporate Meetings & Events magazine and a weekly travel columnist.
What’s New in Jacksonville
• Jacksonville International Airport completed a US$170 million renovation project and has now opened Concourse C (home to American, Continental and Southwest airlines) in November. Concourse A for Delta and Northwest opened in May 2008. Moving walkways, high ceilings, skylights, television screens, additional seating and free Wi-Fi access are available throughout the terminal and concourses. • Opened in September, the 85-suite TownePlace Suites Jacksonville Butler Boulevard is operated by Marriott International near the University of North Florida, the Mayo Clinic, the beaches and downtown. • Southside’s newest shopping and entertainment district welcomes Northeast Florida’s first Hotel Indigo. The lavish Hotel Indigo - Jacksonville/Deerwood Park has a waterfront cafe and 2,100 square feet of meeting space.
Transportation Tips
• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) services travel to and from Northeast Florida with nonstop flights to nearly 30 cities. Downtown Jacksonville is only a 15-minute drive. • Don’t have a car? The local public transportation system run by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has regular schedules and routes. • Historic trolleys servicing downtown offer free trips. Fun Facts
• Jacksonville is the biggest city by area in the continental U.S. (840 square miles). • Elvis Presley played his first indoor concert, complete with chaperone at the Florida Theatre in 1957. He left fans when he bee-lined back to his hotel, which is now the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront. • Dubbed the Winter Film Capital of the World in the 1910-1920s, Jacksonville was home to companies that produced movies for big names such as John Barrymore, Rudolph Valentino and Oliver Hardy.
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