NATCHEZ &8212; Natchez is preparing to host one of the state tourism industry&8217;s biggest events of the year.

The Mississippi Tourism Association and the state Division of Tourism will host the Governor&8217;s Conference on Tourism Feb. 25-28 at the Natchez Convention Center.

Participants will include representatives of convention and visitors bureaus, owners of tourism-related businesses, tour operators and the like &8212; 250 to 300 in all.

The event will include seminars on topics ranging from marketing trends to destination weddings; time for networking among tourism professionals; and a luncheon keynote speech by Gov. Haley Barbour.

Rene Adams, a founder of the chamber&8217;s Tourism Council and member of the Convention Promotion Commission, said the public is being asked to spruce up the city&8217;s appearance before the event.

&8220;We&8217;re asking business owners to help clean up our main thoroughfares, especially in front of their businesses,&8221; she said.

&8220;We&8217;re hoping to do a cleanup similar to what we would do before Spring Pilgrimage, not just for this but for the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, which is also coming up,&8221; Tourism Director Walter Tipton said.

Hosting the event is important for several reasons, Tipton said.

If staffers from other CVBs are impressed with Natchez, they could recommend tourists traveling through their towns make Natchez part of their routes.

Tour operators could also plan stops in Natchez, depending on what they see.

And Tipton&8217;s hoping that if participants like their experience here, the conference might return, perhaps after a convention-grade hotel is built across from the convention center.