JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Country Superfest brought big acts, big crowds
and big money to the city of Jacksonville.
"When you make a major economic impact, over $24 million to the community, these are the kind of events we want to bring to Jacksonville," said Joel Lamp, with the city's Sports and Entertainment Office.
He is now working to bring the two-day music festival back to EverBank Field next year. But he'll face a challenge
"TDC gave us $200,000 last year. This year, they gave us $100,000," he said.
Lamp said that grant money from the Tourist Development Council comes from bed tax revenues. Promoters use it to market the event.
"When you have a major event that brings people from all over the 50 states and different countries, it obviously has a major marketing budget," he said.
So, he's exploring his options; doing everything he can to convince the promoter that Jacksonville is the best place for the show.
"I think it's a challenge we can overcome in a couple of weeks or months," Lamp said.
June's event brought almost 80,000 people to EverBank Field, filling 19,000 hotel rooms.
The last Florida Country Superfest brought in acts like Miranda Lambert and the Florida-Georgia Line.
Different A-list acts are expected next year, but they have not yet been named.