SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Landers Center announced on Monday it will undergo a massive expansion including a convention center, full-service hotel and free-standing restaurant on its grounds.
The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors approved the $35 million bonding in a unanimous vote.
Mark Gardner, who is president of the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors, said they are excited about the project and what it will mean for the venue.
“The board of supervisors is very excited to partner with the DeSoto County Convention & Visitors Bureau and City of Southaven to bring a much-needed addition to Landers Center,” Gardner said. “This expansion will allow us to host large-scale conventions and trade shows, among other things, and has been a dream of ours since the start of the Landers Center project in the 1990s.”
The expansion will connect to the existing Landers Center and will allow DeSoto County to host more and larger events in need of broader and more specific accommodations which is what Landers Center Executive Director Todd Mastry says it has always needed.
“Since opening in 2000, Landers Center has had to turn down hundreds of event requests because we simply can’t accommodate and adequately serve the expected volumes the acts and events bring in from a space standpoint,” he said. “This expansion, which includes more square footage and parking, plus a full-service hotel, allows us to accept more acts and events, especially those with high attendance rates.”
The expansion will also make a significant impact on the Mid-South by adding about 300 more jobs to the community.
“This, in turn, will benefit tourism greatly, and bring even more revenue, events for our residents and approximately 300 more jobs to those in our community,” Mastry said.
Mayor of Southaven Darren Musselwhite says the expansion has the potential to give Desoto County the economic boost it needs.
“This is a great decision and great investment that will help take Southaven and Desoto County to a new economic plateau,” he said. “Landers Center is a great venue, but still has tremendous potential to bring more tourism and spur economic energy in our special Metropolitan District, which was created precisely for this type of development. This will, without a doubt, become a regional destination point with the attraction of combining business and entertainment in a walkable campus-type setting. This financial commitment and investment will be paid back exponentially to our citizens with future economic returns.”
The hotel addition will be the first full-service hotel in the area, complete with flexible options for meeting spaces, at least 200 spacious guest rooms, a resort-style pool and a free-standing restaurant.
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2022 and is estimated to take 24 months to complete.
For more information about the expansion, please visit their website.
