Hammons Center Adds to Economic Boom

The new $33 million, 125,000-SF John Q. Hammons Center at the Embassy Suites in Rogers could mean as much to the Northwest Arkansas region as it will to Mr. Hammons’ pocketbook.

That’s because, as the second largest convention center in Arkansas and the largest in Northwest Arkansas, the center should allow the hotel to more than double the number of events it hosts.

Last year, the hotel’s 20,000-SF ballroom had about 200 large events (more than 150 people). Scott Beal, Embassy Suites’ director of sales, hopes to have about 500 large events in 2007. To make that happen, the hotel is putting about $250,000 into marketing the new center.

The hotel also plans to hire about 80 more people to staff the center, including an assistant banquet manager, assistant chef and an audio/video manager.

The center, which officially opened July 27, can accommodate 3,300 people in its 41,550-SF grand ballroom for a banquet. The ballroom — which is the largest in the state — can be split into four equal sections by a divider. The ballroom has 29-foot-tall ceilings.

Surrounding the grand ballroom are eight “salon” rooms, which range from 480 SF to 588 SF. For medium-sized events, clients can choose from five 1,310-SF “ambassador ballrooms.”

Beal said one of the main features in the center is technology. The audio/visual equipment is state-of-the-art, he said, requiring the hotel to hire a full-time audio/visual manager.

The center is also set up for satellite communications. Even television stations can plug cameras into the satellite feed instead of needing satellite trucks, he said.

There are also two boardrooms — 488 SF and 1,000 SF — with satellite conferencing features and a flat-screen television. For last minute marketing details, a business center is available for copying papers, faxing, etc.

“Every group [with an event] knows every hotel in the state — it’s not a secret,” Beal said. “We’re just giving them another place with a larger size to do their events.”

Beal said the hotel wants to grow its catering and banquet budget to $5 million next year, compared to about $3 million last year. Beal expects it to bring in about $4 million this year.

There are 150 events booked for the remainder of the year, he said. Some of those are the Joy Ministry conference and the Arkansas Bankers Association in August, which should have about 200 to 300 people.

In September, the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department’s quarterly meeting will be held at the new center, along with a Wal-Mart meeting. One of the largest in September will be the Premier Foods Show with about 2,500 people, Beal said.

The center’s first national conference booking will be in July 2007. The Aldersgate Ministry chose to have its annual conference in Rogers instead of other cities in the Midwest it was considering. Beal said it should have about 800 to 1,200 guests.

The 152-room expansion being constructed on the Embassy Suites should be completed next year, which will enable the hotel to accommodate more guests.