BCR 2010 – A ghost town

Daytona Beach is a ghost town. No BCR signage and the hotels are empty. The once grand event that was BCR has rode off into the sunset. It’s a shame that Black College Reunion has dwindled to nothing, due to the of lack of support by the City of Daytona. From the complaints of noise from local residents to the occasional violence BCR has always had strong opposition. True, there have been isolated incidents of trouble at these events, but when you have 200 to 300,000 people in one area there are bound to be some bad apples. Instead of focusing on the majority of the crowd – The media, the city government and the residents used the negative factors to fuel their hatred for this event. Instead of living with blinders on, true leaders would be looking at the big picture. In a time where city governments around the country are laying off employees and cutting back on services, the top brass should be trying to exercise all avenues for revenue. This is short sighted planning. Everything that is here today is not guaranteed tomorrow. Depending on the NASCAR season to fuel Daytona’s budget for the year is reckless. To expect tourist to spend their vacations in an area with older hotels that have not been remodeled or update in years in silly. To bank on visitors coming to a beach that has increased their entry fees while reducing the lifeguard staff is laughable.

A major reason older businesses fail is from operating with a “Business as usual” attitude. Philosophies that worked 50 years ago will most likely be outdated. In the information age, ideas and processes die even faster. That being said, the City of Daytona needs to rethink, retool and reinvent itself. It IS possible to satisfy the residents and bring in millions in revenue at the same time.

Who suffers from demise of BCR? The businesses.

Daytona Beach is an aging city, from the residents to the hotels on the strip. What incentives are available to business owners to renovate? Why pour millions into repairs or renovations for rooms that are at 20 percent occupancy year round? Where is the money going to come from to pay the city’s employees? Property tax? Hotel tax? Sales tax? All of these revenue streams are drying up with foreclosures and the reduction of tourist dollars to the area.

This snowballing effect is based on old school thinking and older residents who will not be living there much longer.

…The ghost of BCR is watching and waiting to be revived.

How to get BET Spring Bling 2010 tickets

Short and sweet…

To request tickets visit: http://106andpark.com/springblingcasting

Good Luck Fam!

Freaknik Atlanta 2010??

There has been some SERIOUS buzz going around about Freaknik 2010 in Atlanta. Although the promoters of this event have created a huge following, the facts do no support what they are saying. The promoter’s website promote this event as if it was cleared by the City of Atlanta. As of today, they have not been issued any permits by the city. The mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed has gone on the record saying:

“It’s not my intention for the city to be supportive of it,” Reed said.

When asked about a PG version:

“No. And ‘no G’ version.” Reed answered. “I think we have too many challenges in the public safety space to deploy those kind of resources around a program or an event that is not well run or well managed.”

There you have it. Athough the idea of bringing back such an iconic event back to life is fantastic, it will not become a reality without going through the proper channels. If you are interested in finding out more about this event check out the promoter’s website.