Columbia is seeking proposals for doing special event management for the next two years, which would include decorating for the Christmas light show that drew multitudes downtown last year.
In 2018 with the help of the Marion County Development Partnership, Looks Great Services, downtown businesses, churches and organizations, a lot of volunteers put together a holiday spectacular that was unlike anything seen here before. Dubbed “Experience Columbia Christmas,” it attracted thousands of people from near and far to enjoy music, lights, food, shopping and a holiday atmosphere throughout December, beginning with the Kiwanis Christmas parade and ending just after New Year’s.
Kristian Agoglia, who owns Looks Great Services, funded most of the project. Agoglia said this week that while last year was great and he would like to be able to make the donation on an annual basis, it’s not realistic to believe any one person or business could afford to sustain the monetary and time costs to do it.
He said putting together such an event as last year is not something that can be done by a single company or person, but it takes a team.
On Sept. 3, the city board voted 4-1 to advertise a Request for Proposals for professional services for special event planning, operation and management. The contract with the winning bidder would be for two years, according to a public notice.
The notice said bidders need to meet criteria like the ability to illustrate a company history of providing similar services in other communities and to provide references. Documents needed to submit a proposal are available at City Hall, and proposals will be accepted until 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at City Hall.
Aldermen Mike Smith, Jason Stringer, Wendell Hammond and Anna Evans voted in favor of seeking the proposals; the lone dissident was Alderman Ed Hough. Hough’s objections were the costs and also the fact of the lateness of the presentation of the proposal.
At that same meeting Mayor Justin McKenzie advised some of the money received from the 3 percent tourism tax on restaurants and hotels, which voters approved in a May referendum, could be used to help pay for the costs to continue the event.
Smith said this week that he believes the city can help get a Christmas celebration like last year and maybe even better.
“That’s what part of the tourism tax is for. Mayors from other towns came and saw this. We want to continue to bring people,” Smith said. “The main thing is getting our city on the map. People who have never been to Columbia before want to come here. I think the majority of the board wants to see it happen. I think it is worth the money to invest in.”
McKenzie said the city would know more about what the plans for Christmas will be after the Oct. 16 deadline for submitting proposals.
Agoglia, who said he plans to submit a proposal for this year’s event, shared how last year’s celebration came to be.
“About five years ago while building a relationship with the MCDP with corporate projects, I was approached and was asked if I could help put Christmas lights on downtown buildings or what could we do to decorate downtown,” he said. “I worked with them, giving them some kind of budget and they had some volunteers to decorate the crepe myrtles downtown, and we decorated the tops of the building. They worked with the city and raised some money and worked out some additional budget to cover the cost of the materials. So that was the beginning.”
He said it worked that way for a year or two until the budget ran out.
Then the city approached him and asked if he would be willing to put the lights up without cost, which he agreed to do. Agoglia said the whole idea of decorating the courthouse and downtown stemmed from conversations with Lori Watts at the MCDP, who approached him with the idea as part of a revitalization of downtown.
“Lori Watts drove the vision,” he said.
Many downtown merchants experienced an increase in sales during December with all the various events going on each weekend.
“Sales were great. A lot of out-of-towners came,” Crystal Upton, owner of Southern Grace, said. “We have had a lot of repeaters that first came in the store during the celebration.”
“I believe it really helped,” said Mike Schepemaker, one of the owners of Sweet Olive and Southern Marsh. “We hope it is a repeat. New customers from all over, even Tylertown and McComb, came into our store. We definitely have repeat customers. It gave us a lot of exposure. A very positive experience.”
Residents and visitors also reported enjoying the events.
“It was very nice, and I think it brought in a lot of people from out of town. There was fun for people of all ages. Yes, I hope to see it again,” Krystal Jerkins said.
Jennifer Prather, from Hattiesburg, said her family very much enjoyed the Experience Columbia Christmas, and she and her husband came to town twice just to enjoy the festivities last year.
At the Aug. 27 Board of Aldermen meeting, Watts presented to city officials a projected economic impact made by the Experience Columbia Christmas. In her presentation, on average visitors spent $58.08. Every weekend during the month thousands of people came downtown to enjoy the festivities.
“It was unreal; I have never seen anything like it before,” Board of Supervisors President Terry Broome said. “It attracted people in from all over and was talked about from one end of the country to the other.”
