SPRINGFIELD -- Even in this day of smartphones and digital marketing, visitors to the city are still looking for an old-fashioned printed pamphlet and, probably more importantly, a friendly face, said Chris Russell, executive director of the Springfield Business Improvement District.

"It's that human connection," he said. "People are still looking for that personal touch."

It's the reason why the BID and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau on Thursday opened a new Springfield Regional Visitor Center at 1319 Main St., just across Bruce Landon Way from the MassMutual Center and across Main Street from the MassLive Building and Springfield's Court Square.

"What I wanted to develop and what I thought was critically important -- and you see in larger urban centers -- was something in the heart of downtown," he said. "There are so many things happening."

Mary Kay Wydra, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau president, called the spot a "crossroads" not just for Springfield but for all of Western Massachusetts. MGM Springfield is right down the street.

"There is a lot of foot traffic," she said. "And it's growing. We need to capture more of this foot traffic."

She said visitors to the center can even take a selfie on a sky-ride car that was once used at the Big E.

The visitor center will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will be staffed by people from the BID and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wydra said.

There are eight informational digital displays with headphones, a menu wall promoting local restaurants, ticket sales for local venues and souvenirs for sale. There is a Westfield Bank ATM and a public restroom.

Wydra said the center will be staffed by existing Convention & Visitors Bureau workers and two part-timers. She's paying for it out of money provided by local businesses.

Russell said the new center is neutral to his budget, although he didn't give specifics. The BID has moved its offices to the building and are in the rear of the visitor center space.

The BID soon will begin hosting events in the visitor center space. "We are going to model it after some of our summer events and just bring them inside," he said. BID summer events include the popular White Lion Wednesdays.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the visitor center, like previous incarnations of Springfield visitor centers, is named for former Mayor William C. Sullivan.

The visitor center was once in a stand-alone building on the riverfront, and for a time was in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame building. Most recently, a visitor center was open up at 1441 Main St.