The primary purpose of the Conference Center — which consists of a 20,000 square foot meeting and event space, including a large multi-purpose room, a courtyard, an auditorium and many other meeting rooms — is to provide a quality venue for the Library to offer free programs and events for the public. The library board hired a conference center manager and provided staffing to see whether the operation could support itself by renting space to the public. It proved it could. When the Library budget was cut by millions in 2013, the Conference Center became fully self-sustaining.

The Conference Center hosted 152 revenue-generating events last year, which brought in $278,679. The bulk of these events consisted of conferences and corporate meetings, galas, school proms, and 42 weddings. In addition to salaries and benefits, the revenue funds maintenance, furniture and equipment, and security services. These events bankroll the other 73 percent of the Center’s use: mayoral events such as the Education Summit; partnership events like the Florida-Times Union Spelling Bee and the World Refugee Day Naturalization Ceremony; and library events such as the Teen Battle of the Bands, the Young Adult Job Fair, and the Intermezzo Concert Series.

The Jacksonville Public Library has discovered an innovative way to generate revenue, expand library services, and showcase a premier destination. With just three full-time employees, the Conference Center operated 552 meetings and events last year with nearly 45,000 guests in attendance. The Conference Center has built a reputation in the community as a popular event destination and proven its ability to sustain itself by means of the 27 percent of events that generate revenue, enabling it to provide support for all those that do not — city government or library-hosted events — helping JPL to fulfill its mission.