Among the marketing and tourism leaders at Biloxi City Hall Wednesday to hear about the potential of the Professional Cowboy Association rodeo finals in January was Kenny Glavan, the Biloxi councilmember who is also president of the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association.
Glavan liked what we heard.
The idea is to promote Biloxi and the Gulf Coast to the collective audience of 127,000 who attend the 47 Southeastern rodeos leading up to the finals at the Coast Coliseum Jan. 11-14.
Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, who met with rodeo promoters last week, called the informational gathering, which included Tourism Commission President Bill Holmes, representatives of Coast casino resorts, the Coast Coliseum and the city’s two chambers of commerce.
Rodeo leaders, who have staged the finals at the Coast Coliseum for two decades, are now using the national finals in Las Vegas as an example of what could be. The 10-day event, co-promoted by a stable of Las Vegas resorts, attracted 177,000 people and generated an economic impact of $93 million.
The next step: Coliseum and rodeo promoters are preparing sponsorship packages and a collection of hotel packages to market the Mississippi Gulf Coast finals to rodeo audiences.
“The PCA could easily become the next Cruisin the Coast-like event that fits nicely in the month of January, when hotel occupancy is declining,” said Glavan, who’s worked in the Biloxi tourism industry his entire career and today represents the firm that owns Margaritaville and the White House.
“The track record and model is ready for the Coast to emulate and create yet another success story that would have a positive effect on our economy and grow the market.”
Added the councilman, with a smile: “Shrimp boots and cowboy boots share some things in common: working hard, standing tall and taking steps to make things happen. This could be the next exciting story in a growing list of positive achievements for Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
See background on the rodeo meeting
