MegaFest, the 100,00-attendee religious conference spearheaded by Dallas evangelical T.D. Jakes, will take root in Dallas for the first time in 2013.
The move was announced in late October at the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual meeting; a press conference today helped flesh out some of the details, including:
– guests will “fill every square inch” of the Dallas Convention Center and American Airlines Center Aug. 28-30, said Phillip Jones, president/CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
– the city expects $41 million in economic impact
– 77 percent of MegaFest’s attendees – at its most recent Atlanta iteration – came from out of town (read: full hotels, restaurants, shops)
Jakes had always shipped more than 1,000 volunteers and employees to Atlanta for the event, because Dallas’ infrastructure – hotels, transportation, convention halls – was substandard, he said. The festival’s contracted to Dallas for 2013, 2015, and 2017, but the latter events could be moved if next year’s event doesn’t meet Jakes’ standards, Jones said.
While the event is a Christian event, the economic impact is what has city officials salivating.
“In Atlanta, a retailer told me he sold more shoes, hats, and dresses when I was in town than for any other event,” Jakes said.
For more information, head to the MegaFest website.
