Frankie Hamilton

Frankie Hamilton - Director of Convention Centere-mail: fhamilton@FortSmithAR.gov

Staff Contact:Frankie Hamilton, Convention Center Director

Phone: (479) 788-8932 Fax: (479) 788-8930

Staff Contact: Frankie Hamilton, Convention Center Director

Phone: (479) 788-8932 FAX: (479) 788-8930

We want them to come down here and be able to have their family reunions and their birthday parties," says Convention Center Director Frankie Hamilton.

Contact 1: Frankie J. Hamilton, Director

Fort Smith Convention Center director Frankie Hamilton said the venue's most appealing aspect is its versatility.

Frankie Hamilton - Director of Convention Centere-mail: fhamilton@fsark.com

"We've had some trade shows cancel, saying they weren't sure if the economy was up for it yet," said Frankie Hamilton, director of the Fort Smith Convention Center, which reopened in December after a $40 million expansion."So even though we're doing more business than we did last year at this time, we're still not where we wanted to be."

Attendance at shows also has suffered, Hamilton said, resulting in a "very slow" second quarter.

The Fort Smith Convention Center, which makes most of its money from trade shows, expects to bring in a little more than $400,000 in revenue this year -- falling far short of its $780,000 operating budget.

But Hamilton noted that comparing a city's convention center income to its expenses isn't exactly a true picture of its cost to the city, because it doesn't account for the millions of dollars a convention center can bring in hotel, motel and restaurant taxes paid by visitors.

The Fort Smith facility, for example, brought in visitors last year who put nearly $15 million back into the local economy, according to estimates from Hamilton.

Tourism Tide

The success at area convention centers reflects an overall increase in tourism for the area, according to state Department of Parks and Tourism figures.

Officials in Springdale, Bentonville and Eureka Springs agree that tourism is up this year.

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Nearby hospitality professionals, such as Hamilton at the Fort Smith Convention Center, agreed that Northwest Arkansas would profit from building more meeting facilities.

"You all will be very blessed, let me tell you.The more you have to offer people, the more people you're going to draw to your area," Hamilton said."I think the Town Center and the new Rogers hotel and convention center will prove to be great additions, and in the long run everyone will see that."