Officials at the MSU Riley Center say February was an especially good month for bookings, and the city and county benefited as well.
Led by an appearance by Keb' Mo' and the choral festival attended by 800 college students, the Riley Center brought 7,000 visitors here.
Executive director Dennis Sankovich says that means those thousands were spending new money at hotels, restaurants and shops.
"Between conferences and performances, we had a sold-out performance with Keb' Mo', and in that particular performance, we had a huge percentage of the audience was from out-of-town," said Sankovich. "Fourteen percent of our audience was from just the Jackson area, not to mention farther out than the 90-mile radius around Meridian. And many of our meetings and conference attendees came from all over the state of Mississippi."
In addition to bringing popular entertainment, Sankovich says the Riley Center is also fulfilling its educational mission.
National Entertainment News
-
Helen Mirren Steps in for Queen to Grant Dying Boy's Wish
-
Kate Shows Baby Bump at Queen's Garden Party
-
Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby More Than Co-Stars?
-
Paula Deen Museum in the Works
-
'Reba' Actress Welcomes New Baby
-
Kim K Hopes Body Part Stays Post-Baby
-
Aniston Stars in a Mini-'Friends' Reunion
-
Aretha Franklin Taking June off, Postponing Shows
-
Ryan Gosling Breaks Cannes' Heart, Misses Premiere
-
'GMA' Host Roberts to Write Memoir About Illness
