NATCHEZ — The Mississippi and Louisiana Bed and Breakfast Associations are coming to crash Natchez’s inns early next week.

Eighty members of the Bed and Breakfast Associations plus guests are staying in Natchez for their annual conference, which will be at the Natchez Convention Center.

“They likely chose Natchez because we havae approximately 180 bed and breakfast rooms,” Convention Center Director Walter Tipton said. “And our bed and breakfast inns have been recognized both nationally and internationally.”

The event starts Sunday with a chance for aspiring or new innkeepers to learn about their trade.

“It is an educational opportunity to test the water to see if they are really interested in opening a bed and breakfast,” Mississippi B&B Association Executive Director Maybelle Beasley said.

“Current innkeepers could also attend to get a refresher course on the basics to creating a successful B&B.”

On Monday, the author of several national award-winning gardening books, Felder Rushing, will give tips on how to effectively use plants to make your B&B stand out.

Monday, the conference will also tour Natchez’s approximately 40 B&Bs. President of the Mississippi B&B Association Peter Sharp said this will offer B&B owners an excellent chance to network and share ideas.

“Here innkeepers can learn what is working and what is not working from innkeepers from two states,” Sharp said.

“It is also a chance to make friends, so for example, if Jackson innkeepers discover one of their guests is heading to Natchez, they will have someone in mind to recommend.”

Tuesday will be the day to learn the business news to keep inns up to date. The President and CEO of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International Jay Karen will talk trends.

“(Jay Karen) will definitely give innkeepers a chance to learn what is going on nationally,” Sharp said.

Speakers will also talk about how to use the Internet to advance B&B businesses on Tuesday.

“To me, Internet social media sites are one of the most important and rapidly relevant ways to market your B&B,” Tourism Director Connie Taunton said. “More and more people are using Facebook and Twitter. It would be a mistake to ignore them.”

Wednesday will offer a venue that is open to the public, an innkeeper’s cook-off, followed by a presentation given by Celebrity Chef Robert St. John. Tickets can be purchased at High Cotton and the Natchez Visitor Reception Center. Brunch will be served to visitors.

“We will give the winner the bragging right of ‘Best Breakfast in the South,’” Beasley said. “They will win a medal that they can display.”

“Robert St. John is very entertaining,” she said. “He will also be signing books afterwards.”

Beasley said the B&B association is very excited about coming to Natchez.

“It’ll give people from all over the state a chance to see the different style periods of B&Bs,” she said. “Natchez has antebellum, Victorian, log cabin and more.”

This is a chance to enjoy Natchez’s restaurants and B&Bs while learning, Sharp said.

“We work hard all year round,” he said. “This (conference) offers us chance to relax and gain some knowledge at the same time.”