US-BASED venue management firm, SMG, has signed a seven-year agreement to manage and market the Montego Bay Conference Centre, located in Rose Hall, St James.

The agreement, which was signed on Wednesday, will also give SMG the option to renew for an additional three years at the end of the contract period which runs to 2018.

The contract will see SMG involved in the reviewing of interior furnishings and furniture, developing operational plans, recruiting and training staff, developing sales, marketing, advertising and promotional programmes in co-operation with the Jamaica Tourist Board. SMG will also be responsible for booking and event management and all related services for the Centre.

Joy Douglas, general manager of the UDC, which owns the umbrella company Montego Bay Conference Ltd, has expressed confidence that SMG, based on its worldwide operations and its track record for marketing and managing convention facilities, is the right fit for the state-of-the-art Convention Centre.

The Convention Centre is the first in the English-speaking Caribbean to be added to the portfolio of SMG, joining Puerto Rico, the only other facility from the region.

SMG, in addition to its US-based operations, is also engaged in Europe, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, and Chile.

The Montego Bay Convention Centre was constructed by the UDC through the China National Complete Plant Import Export Corporation, to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the meetings and conventions market.

The first event scheduled for the centre is the Caribbean Market Place, which will take place January 16-18, 2011.