GOP debate, MLK festival spurring high hopes in Myrtle Beach

A bevy of Republican presidential candidates will spar inside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Jan. 16, facing off just five days before the crucial first-in-the-South Republican primary.

Millions will focus their gaze on Myrtle Beach, and a candidate’s stellar performance or memorable gaffe could shift the primary’s outcome.

Earlier that morning, a three-day celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will culminate in a parade through downtown Myrtle Beach. Organizers hope to catapult the energy of the past four years – when hundreds attended the ever-growing festival – with politicians and more buzz, for its best year yet.

Martin Luther King Jr. weekend combines two high-profile events, a rarity for January in Myrtle Beach, which hosts the Beach Ball Classic in December and the marathon in February but typically little in the year’s first month.

“The entire world will be watching South Carolina,” said Chad Connelly, executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party. “That means the entire world will be watching Myrtle Beach on Monday.”

And for the Grand Strand, the focus couldn’t come at a better time. Occupancy rates often dip below 30 percent along the Grand Strand each January, unemployment rates soar and some restaurants struggle to even remain open.

“The month is the slowest, deadest time of the year, where many businesses just close down or scale back to minimal levels,” said Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. “But because of the debate and the ramped up holiday activities, we could see a record MLK Day weekend.”

Even the staunchest of optimists admit the debate and festival won’t save an otherwise dead month. Most of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration attendees will be Grand Strand residents, which means they won’t occupy hotel rooms.

They are, however, likely to spend more at local gas stations and restaurants.

The GOP debate will undoubtedly leave more of an economic mark. The two showdowns in 2008 brought a total of $8 million to $10 million in economic impact for the Grand Strand, according to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

There will be just one debate this year, but those attending are likely to book thousands of hotel rooms. That uptick will be felt most heavily along the southern end of Myrtle Beach – where the debate will be held – but some may choose to stay in other areas.

An influx of guests will also guarantee more work for all sorts of local businesses; four years ago, local carpenters were used to build the stage. Rental car agencies are set for a sharp increase. More cab drivers will be ready.

The languid January timing is also a blessing for city officials, who could potentially face strained traffic and potential problems from a downtown parade, two competing events and thousands of politicos.

Dean said the Congressional Black Caucus staged its Democratic debate four years ago during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The event went off without a hitch.

Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said the January date is ideal for both events; potential traffic issues won’t be compounded with the summer masses.

“We’ll need to be able to provide logistical support and manpower to both of those events, but I don’t think that will be a significant problem,” Kruea said. “It’s something you just have to take into account when planning.”

Kruea said logistical plans are being developed to accommodate both events, but the South Carolina Republican Party must first announce specifics for its debate. Myrtle Beach officials are currently negotiating a parade route with festival organizers.

So what can Grand Strand residents expect from both events?

The debate

Organizers erected a Mount-Rushmore style sandcastle featuring the caricatures of all presidential candidates in 2008, it was featured on more than 1,400 newspaper front pages around the world.

Details on special attractions, like the political sandcastle built in 2008, are under tight wraps. Dean said nondisclosure agreements on certain parts of the event have already been signed.

But organizers are slowly cobbling together details for January’s GOP debate in Myrtle Beach, hoping to follow up two successful 2008 debates with an even better performance in January that dazzles a national audience. Final details will be announced next month.

“We’re planning a three-day mini convention,” Connelly said. “I would imagine this is going to be pretty huge. We’ve already had hundreds of calls for tickets from all over the place.”

Planning Myrtle Beach’s debate is much easier than a similar CBS News debate in Spartanburg earlier this month, Connelly said. That event was planned in less than three weeks; seats weren’t placed in the Wofford College auditorium until the morning of the event, he said.

And that was a one-night debate that featured little other fanfare.

Connelly plans to release more details next month, but he has already confirmed a Republican debate for the 7th Congressional seat – the new spot opened up after Congressional redistricting. That debate will occur Sunday afternoon inside the convention center.

Competition for the seat has recently amped up, as several Myrtle Beach politicos – including City Councilman Randal Wallace and County Council Chairman Tom Rice – have declared their intentions. Former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and state Rep. Thad Viers are also in the mix.

The Republican Party will “certainly try to avoid having 15 or 20 candidates up on the stage,” but Connelly said details haven’t been ironed out yet. The party will also host a prayer breakfast on Sunday morning inside the hotel.

Connelly said the party wants to attract “national speakers and entertainment groups” but wasn’t able to provide more specifics. He said events would occur both at the Sheraton and other local venues.

Acquiring a ticket for the event will likely require a donation to the South Carolina Republican Party; Connelly said a donation pledge of $120 guaranteed a seat in Spartanburg, where more than 4,000 people requested about 1,600 seats. He expects a similar ticket plan for this debate.

This venue will hold at least 3,000 people, according to Connelly, and he expects thousands of ticket demands to go unmet. Hundreds of national and international members of the media will be inside the convention center as well.

“When we came to Myrtle Beach four years ago, it was phenomenal, and the people were great,” Connelly said. “We’re just hoping for the same results again.”

The Grand Strand has goals of its own; officials traveled to Washington, D.C., on several occasions to lure Fox News back to the Grand Strand.

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars – from its annual advertising budget – for national TV spots during the debate. Local leaders have promised an incentive package, which totaled more than $1.5 million for the two debates four years ago.

Final details of what Myrtle Beach will spend are still unknown, Dean said. But the investment will reap significant benefits, according to the chamber.

Couple the economic impact of $8 million to $10 million with millions more in free publicity, which results from the town being used as a scenic backdrop for national media. Four years ago, the debate brought hundreds of national mentions, an additional 67,000 copies of the area’s vacation planners went out, and the chamber’s website saw a 434 percent increase in traffic.

“We saw recognition for the Grand Strand go up significantly during that year after the debate,” Dean said.

The growing festival

Few events generate the buzz of a nationally televised debate, yet Martin Luther King Jr. festival organizers say they weren’t upset to hear their event would coincide with the GOP shindig.

Instead, they welcomed the news – quickly inviting all the candidates to speak at different events, scheduled to honor the civil rights leader and generate discussion around I-73.

Organizer Bennie Swans said all candidates would be invited to deliver a three-minute address on why they believe in the legacy of King, participate in every part of the festival and ride in the parade. So far, the feedback from candidates, both political parties and local business leaders has been tremendous, said organizer Swans.

“No one, regardless of party, can deny there’s a need for economic growth and development,” Swans said. “And I believe we can lead that in Myrtle Beach for the entire state.”

The festival – started in 2007 – has grown over the years; this year, it will bring several state and federal officials and marching bands from around the state. The celebration is partially a tribute to legendary judge and civil rights activist Matthew Perry, who died earlier this year.

Swans and fellow organizer John Bonsignor – a leader in local Republican circles – have developed a three-day program that includes a celebratory breakfast, a brown-bag economic development luncheon and a gospel concert.

Bonsignor said the celebration embraces the “kaleidoscope of people.”

“We’re not doing this for any particular person,” he said. “We’re doing this for blacks, for whites, for Hispanics, for everyone. And there’s no better time than now to do this.”