LIVING IT UP IN JACKSON

We’ll be working and playing at the Westin Jackson and the Hilton Garden Inn (King Edward) where you'll be able to connect to the birthplace of American blues while celebrating the city's rich history and legendary artistry. Ideally located in the heart of downtown Jackson, The Westin Jackson and the Hilton Garden are within walking distance of the Mississippi Museum of Art, Federal Courthouse, Planetarium and the historic music and arts theatre, Thalia Mara Hall. 

Summit Plenaries will take place at the Westin Jackson, with a few group sessions taking place at the Jackson Convention Center.

WHATEVER THE WEATHER? 

Expect weather around the 70s during our stay in Jackson. For up-to-date information click here.

WHAT TO WEAR
We like you to be comfortable at our Summit- dress is casual.

FUN FACTS ABOUT MISSISSIPPI

The region that is now the city of Jackson was historically part of the large territory occupied by the Choctaw Nation, who inhabited the area for thousands of years before European colonization.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum shares the stories of a Mississippi movement that changed the nation. The museum promotes a greater understanding of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the strength and sacrifices of its peoples.

Jackson is also home to the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center where through art, artifacts, and photography, the work, lifestyle, and artistic contributions of African Americans are celebrated, evoking a greater understanding of the African-American experience in the deep south.

Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers lived and worked in Jackson. The international airport (Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport) is named after him. 

Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi.

Jackson, MS is known as the “City with Soul” because of its perseverance and triumphant spirit. It has many historical marks that have shaped this country and beyond, from Civil Rights, to Civil War, to music, to world-class museums and exhibits, to thriving festivals and events, to award winning attractions to James Beard Foundation chefs and restaurants; she has so much to offer. 

The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) the state of Mississippi. Jackson is home to more historical markers celebrating blues heritage than anywhere else in the state. 

Legendary authors like Eudora Welty, Richard Wright and Margaret Walker called Jackson home. Moder writers like Kiese Laymon and Jesmyn Ward are also from here. 

The settlement on the Pearl River that gave birth to Jackson was first called LeFleur’s Bluff, named for French-Canadian trader Louis LeFleur, who had founded a trading post on the site. In 1821, four years after Mississippi achieved statehood, the state legislature decided to erect its capital city at this strategic locale. Lawmakers also chose to name the city after General Andrew Jackson, who had become a national hero by defeating British forces at the Battle of New Orleans, the final skirmish of the War of 1812.

Chemist and native Jacksonian Harry A. Cole invented Pine-Sol floor cleaner in 1929. 

The Jackson Zoo originally consisted of fireman’s pets, squirrels, deer, raccoons, alligators and rabbits. This collection was housed in the Central Fire Station in downtown Jackson (now the Jackson Chamber of Commerce Building).

Dr. James Hardy performed the first human lung transplant in 1963 in Jackson Mississippi. 

Seventy-five million years ago, present-day Jackson sat on a volcanic island. Roughly 2900 feet below the intersection of East Pascagoula Street and I-55, a long-extinct volcano has its origins. Today the Mississippi Coliseum, a 6500-seat multipurpose arena, sits on top of its caldera. 

The Mississippi State Fair is one of the South’s major fairs with 673,098 attending in 2010. The mile-long midway, free major entertainment, livestock shows, and 120,000 sq. ft. of exhibits are the main attractions.

Four cities in the world have been sanctioned by the International Theatre/Dance Committee to host the International Ballet Competition: Moscow, Russia; Varna, Bulgaria; Helsinki, Finland; and Jackson, Mississippi.