The proposed trade center in Myrtle Beach could get its biggest boost yet when Gov. Mark Sanford comes to town Friday to hear details of the idea.

Sanford will join local legislators at Vidalia's Restaurant to chat with project supporters.

Chad Prosser, director of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and Bob Faith, secretary of the S.C. Department of Commerce, also are expected to attend the luncheon at the Radisson Plaza Hotel's restaurant.

State help, especially through incentives or tax breaks, would be a crucial component in making the trade center happen. That's why local leaders are trying to woo the state's top leaders now.

"This is one more opportunity to eliminate potential hurdles and keep the momentum," said Shep Guyton, chairman of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The idea is to transform the Myrtle Square Mall site into a trade center connected to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center across Oak Street. The complex would have 500,000 square feet of space.

Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. plans to close the mall in March when its Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall opens off U.S. 17 Bypass. B&C has offered the land, valued by the company at $40 million, for the project.

The center would help generate more year-round traffic and take tourism to the next level, supporters say.

The city, county, Partners Economic Development Corp. and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have endorsed the concept.

This meeting will bring state leaders into that loop, B&C spokesman Pat Dowling said.

"This is certainly a very important step in the process," he said. "We hope the state, city and county will join hands and make it a reality."

Other than the land price, supporters don't know how much the project will cost but have talked about possible ways to pay for it. Those include state-issued bonds, grants or revenue from taxes.

The area won't be ready for such a massive center for at least 20 years, consultants estimate. Air traffic and marketing budgets must quadruple, and another two or three convention-quality hotels should be built in that area, consultants say.