Breakfast with the Mayor — speech and photos

Two of the city’s premier facilities – the Biloxi Visitors Center and Biloxi Civic Center – collectively have seen more than 75,000 people walk through their doors in their first year of operation and have taken in more than $120,000 in fees for hosting special events.

“We’ve heard a lot of good things about these two buildings,” Mayor A.J. Holloway told a Biloxi Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, “and they are doing everything we said they would do.”

Holloway’s chamber presentation at the Hard Rock marked the first anniversary of the Biloxi Visitors Center, located immediately north of the Biloxi Lighthouse, and the Biloxi Civic Center, which is on Howard Avenue, adjoining the city’s year-old public library.

More than 50,000 people have marveled at the exhibits and second-floor balcony of the visitors center, the mayor said, and another 5,700 attended the 94 functions the center hosted. The functions included receptions, weddings, class reunions, “and we even had a New Orleans debutante ball,” Holloway declared.

At the civic center, more than 16,000 people attended 40 functions that have been held in the facility’s first year.

Said the mayor: “We held four carnival balls, five wedding receptions, we even had a wedding, two proms, bridal shows, and the biggest event we’ve had has been mixed martial arts shows. We’ve had two of them and each has attracted more than 1,600 people.”

For next year, the civic center already has booked five carnival balls, three proms, and, Holloway added, “we have two huge events moving in next year – the Governor’s Gulf Coast Job Fair and Chefs of the Coast.”

“If you haven’t been down to the visitors center, you need to see the beautiful exhibits and the view from that second floor front porch,” Holloway said. “And if you haven’t been to an event at the civic center, well, where have you been?”

See for yourself

Text: To see the prepared text of Mayor Holloway’s remarks at this morning’s Breakfast with the Mayor presentation,
click here.

Photos: To see dozens of photos from the gathering,
click here.