The Knowland Group™, the world’s largest data firm in the global meetings and conventions industry, today released a survey on the effects of the Jimmy Buffett Gulf Coast Benefit Concert on the local hospitality industry. The survey, conducted two weeks after the concert was completed, found many hotels within 75 miles of Gulf Shores, AL were booked, but future reservations failed to materialize.

Specifically, of the hotels surveyed, 49% reported that more than half of their guests who stayed at their hotel attended the concert. In addition, 45% of responding hotels stated that less than half of their guests attended the concert. Of those concert attendees, 41% stayed one night and 53% stayed two nights; making up for the evaporation of the usual weekend vacationers following the oil spill.

“I saw people in line at the bars and the souvenir shops,” stated an Orange Beach, AL hotelier. “This concert was the greatest thing we [sic] ever had in our area.”

The increase in room bookings was welcomed by the surveyed hoteliers, with 89% claiming the event was very helpful to their business and 11% stating it was somewhat helpful. None of the survey’s respondents stated that the concert had any ill effect.

“I even had a waiting list for my hotel and I can’t remember the last time that happened,” noted one Gulf Shores hotelier.

Fans enjoyed a somewhat impromptu performance with one impressive view.

Even if you don’t like Jimmy Buffett, there’s something wonderful about watching anything on a 33 foot truck-mounted LED screen. It’s one of those things you just don’t get to do every day.

BSUN Media Systems was the group in charge of setting up the simulcast for Jimmy Buffett’s recent charity concert, and they called on the GoVision mobile LED screen known as GoBigger. “We put the screen on a barge - no small feat - and had a tugboat pull the giant truck-mounted screen on the barge up to the dock,” explains BSUN owner Brad Sundberg.

2,500 people attended the resulting concert, though the screen was visible from up to a quarter of a mile away.

Alabama Unified Command’s efforts to recover wildlife along the Gulf Coast were enhanced with the donation of a special boat from singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

The popular entertainer has donated a boat to help recover oil-soaked wildlife. The boat, built by Dragonfly Boatworks in Vero Beach, Fla., was designed specifically to navigate the shallow waters and marshes of the Gulf Coast to retrieve injured wildlife.

The boat will play an important role in the efforts of Alabama Unified Command to ensure that local wildlife are rescued and transported to rehabilitation centers.

The boat is scheduled to begin wildlife recovery operations during the week of July 19.

Related article: Jimmy Buffett and Dragonfly Boatworks to Donate Boat to Assist In Wildlife Rescue Operations

Mayor A.J. Holloway said Wednesday he has little hope that Harrah’s Entertainment will finish building the Margaritaville Casino on the beach and he thinks Harrah’s may demolish what is on the site.

“I think Margaritaville is through — at that location,” Holloway said during Breakfast with the Mayor, sponsored by the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce at the Donal Snyder Community Center.

Last week, he talked with John Payne, the central division president of Harrah’s Entertainment, who told him the company is not in negotiations with any investors, Holloway said.

The mayor said he is frustrated when he reads that Harrah’s is buying properties when the project in Biloxi has remained idle since 2008.

“CMT Insider News Now - 7.14.10 - Gulf Coast Concert”

Jimmy Buffett sang “Mississippi on my Mind” at Sunday’s free concert in Alabama yet Mississippi was missing from the official concert T-shirts.

Coast native Del Oehms Hamilton’s friends pointed out that her home state wasn’t listed on the T-shirt she bought at the Jimmy Buffett and Friends concert at Gulf Shores. Hamilton contacted the Sun Herald.

Over a peace symbol mural with dolphins, a turtle and a pelican are TX, LA and then AL — no MS. Between AL and FL, Georgia was included in the list of states affected by the oil spill, although it doesn’t have a Gulf coastline.

“Oh, no. That is sad,” said California artist MB Hanrahan when she learned of the mistake on the logo she designed.

“Artist chagrined. It won’t happen again,” she said as she pulled out her atlas.

“We turned that around in record speed,” said Hanrahan, whose signature is on the tag of the T-shirts.

Some of the songs played included: “Pascagoula Run”, “I Will Play For Gumbo”, “Rhumba Man” (with Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussiant), “Mississippi You’re On My Mind” (with Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussiant), “Yes We Can” (featuring Allen Toussaint), and “When The Coast Is Clear” (with Gulf Coast lyrics).

The set list and comments from the show are now available.

Some articles on the show:
AL.com: “Jimmy Buffett Concert for the Coast photos: Images from the big show in Gulf Shores”
CMT: “Jimmy Buffett Offers Another Musical Gift to the Gulf Coast”

“I saw a sign out there that said, ‘What would Jimmy Buffett do? Throw a party at the oil slick!’” Buffett said. “You’re right!”

“Thank you all for coming from wherever you came to help support our good friends, neighbors — and some of my family down here, as well,” Buffett told the crowd after opening the show with “The Pascagoula Run,” a track from his 1989 album, Off to See the Lizard.

WWL.com: “Free Buffett beach show draws crowd on oiled coast”

Video from CMT.com: “When the Coast is Clear”

An interview with Jimmy is available from WKRG

WKRG.com News