Madison County has cleared the way for a conference center and adjoining hotel.
County officials gave the conference center the final nod of approval on Tuesday. The venue will be built near Topgolf in Ridgeland and within the Prado Vista development district. Officials said the facility will be 50,000 square feet and designed to accommodate up to 1,800 attendees. It is anticipated to host major conferences, corporate meetings, school banquets, trade shows, and regional events. The conference center will be paired with a 250-room Dolce by Wyndham hotel, the first of its kind in Mississippi.
Officials are hopeful that the conference center and hotel will create a full-service destination to drive overnight stays, restaurant spending, retail activity, tourism, and new economic opportunity throughout Madison County.
“This conference center changes the landscape of Madison County,” Madison County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Joseph Deason said. “It’s not just a building; it’s a recruitment tool that helps us compete for corporate relocations, conventions, and investment we simply couldn’t pursue before. This is exactly the kind of infrastructure that sets Madison County apart.”
Developers, according to local officials, have committed to direct approximately $18.9 million, essentially 100% of the project’s tourism rebate proceeds, back to Madison County to accelerate repayment of construction debt, rather than allowing those proceeds to be retained as an incentive to build in Mississippi. The combined investment for the conference center and hotel totals approximately $120 million, with the conference center financed through an urban-renewal bond structure and the Dolce hotel financed privately by PraCon.
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“Ridgeland is proud to be the home of the Madison County Conference Center,” Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee said. “This project gives our city and county something we have needed for many years. It is meaningful to see this long-discussed vision become a reality, and we look forward to welcoming the many people who will come for future meetings and events.”
No timeline has been presented for when the conference center and hotel are expected to come to fruition.