Greater Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 14, 2008 – Greater Fort Lauderdale and the Gospel music industry will make history this month during the official groundbreaking of The Gospel Complex for Education & Preservation. Also being billed as a "ground blessing" due to the extreme importance the project has to the faith-based community, the celebration comes after two years of strategic planning with leaders of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Gospel music industry. 

The ceremony will take place on May 25, 2008, at 3 p.m. Approximately 30 prominent church leaders – including the popular gospel ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones – are scheduled to attend. The Gospel Complex for Education & Preservation is due to be completed in late 2010. The facility will be located in Lauderhill, just west of the city of Fort Lauderdale.

Upon completion, the 90,000-square-foot facility will house a collection of Gospel music memorabilia and also include studio capabilities for television and radio productions, conference space and offices for Gospel industry executives and local community organizations. Its formal mission is to promote, preserve, and perpetuate the evolving history of Gospel music through education and economic empowerment. It will coordinate and unite the efforts of a wide array of Gospel organizations and associations to ensure accurate representation of Gospel music and the genre's continued positive influence. As such, a large part of its efforts will be directed toward youth groups.

"Not only will Gospel music have a permanent home in South Florida to showcase the rich history of this truly American music genre, but the location of the Gospel complex in the City of Lauderhill will provide the state with economic opportunities through tourism and educational programs," said Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, Jr.

The ground blessing was planned to correspond with the International Gospel Industry Retreat, which will take place May 24-27 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa. At the retreat, Gospel's chief ambassador, renowned musical director and television host Dr. Bobby Jones, is putting the spotlight on music lovers, performers, and industry insiders from countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan,  Korea, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Barbados.  The scheduled events surrounding the ground breaking include performances by such gospel celebrities as CeCe Winans, Dr. Albertina Walker, Melvin Williams and Vanessa Bell Armstrong.

The retreat will feature numerous professional workshops, multicultural youth forums, and televised performances by internationally-acclaimed gospel artists. Plans for the highly-anticipated Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation will be highlighted throughout the three-day event.

"We can now start the celebration, as our key leaders and organizations will continue to work together to make this project a reality for Greater Fort Lauderdale," said Nicki Grossman, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We anticipate that this project will follow in the footsteps of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which has spearheaded the $6.5 billion dollar industry in Nashville, Tennessee. In fact, we have already booked conferences and conventions in anticipation of the Gospel complex coming to our destination."

Florida State Senator Tony Hill, of Jacksonville, also has taken a leadership role in the project, including working with the Florida Black Legislative Caucus on its development. State Senator Hill said that "while the project is not in my district, the economic impact the Gospel complex would have on the state made it a project that the Legislative Black Caucus wanted to embrace and support."

For more information on attractions and activities tailored to multicultural visitors to Greater Fort Lauderdale, or to order a free Multicultural Visitors Guide, visit www.sunny.org/multicultural. For more information about The Gospel Complex, please visit www.gospelcomplex.org.

05/2008