Whitney Downard / The Meridian StarJacqui Thake, with the English newspaper the Daily Mirror; Brenna Holeman, a Candadian blogger with thisbatteredsuitcase.com; and Mike Gerrard, a freelance writer with the Huffington Post; take notes on a kitchen exhibit that features dishes by famous Mississippi chefs. 

The first international visitors didn’t have to wait until doors officially open Saturday at 10 a.m., but rather took a brisk tour of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience just after noon on Friday. 

The group of writers from publications across the United Kingdom and Germany walked through the museum even as workers put the final touches on exhibits in preparation for Friday night’s gala. 

Though they didn’t get to spend a significant amount of time in the museum, Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau Director Dede Mogollen, who led the group of bloggers and traditional print journalists, promised them they’d have another chance to visit the museum Saturday for a full three hours. 

“We’re doing a Mississippi museum tour around the state,” Zach Holifield, the international travel program manager for Visit Mississippi, said. 

Holifield said Visit Mississippi invited writers from Germany and the United Kingdom because they represented the two biggest groups of international tourists to Mississippi.

“They’re seeing all of the different museums and cultural aspects we offer to consumers,” Holifield said. “We know that Mississippi may not be full of five-star properties but it’s a five-star experience.”

Before visiting The Max, the group had toured The Mississippi Craft Center, in Ridgeland; The B. B. King Museum, in Indianola; the Grammy Museum, in Cleveland; the Viking Cooking School, in Greenwood; Rowan Oak (William Faulkner’s house), in Oxford; the birthplace of Elvis Presley, in Tupelo; and Tennessee Williams’ home, in Columbus, Holifield said.

Holifield said the group would end its trip by visiting the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History. 

Though the group didn’t have long to explore, a few exhibits notably caught the eye of the group, including John Grisham’s narration of his writing process, an interactive kitchen exhibit and a build-your-own pottery digital demonstration where visitors can make their own creations digitally. 

“I was talking to one of the others and we both said, ‘Wait, John Grisham is from here?’ ” Mike Gerrard, a freelancer working with the Huffington Post, said. “That fact that Mississippi has produced so many artists… it’s impressive.”

Gerrard said he splits his time between Arizona and England and frequently used his cellphone to take photos during his walk-through. 

“It’s for reference, so when I write the story afterward it can help me recreate the scene, especially since we’ve visited so many different places,” Gerrard said. “Things that maybe people in the United Kingdom don’t associate with Mississippi.

Mark Tullos, The Max CEO and president, also visited the group to answer a few questions and talk about the museum’s potential programs for children, international tourists and more.

“We believe that we have a story to tell that the world is interested in experiencing,” Tullos said.