Meet AC
www.meetinac.com
Atlantic City is undergoing a renaissance that extends beyond the offerings of casino gaming. This destination seeks to attract additional tourism, meetings and conventions, while at the same time bolstering the local community through a joint public-private partnership and is expected to put approximate- ly $1 billion toward various improvement efforts in both tourism and hospitality.
And there is much reason for optimism in this effort’s future success, as Atlantic City is home to hundreds of thousands of square feet of function space that can host everything from intimate retreats to large-scale conventions. The city boasts a beautiful beach and a world renown boardwalk that has been popularized by the board game Monopoly. AC offers excep- tional hotels, spectacular shopping and dining choices and vir- tually limitless options for entertainment. Add to that a wide range of event planning resources and expert staffers, and it all adds up to enormous opportunity.
AC already is a great meeting and convention destination, and the future holds the promise of even better days ahead.
In fact, that future took a big step forward with the formation of Meet AC, which began operations last summer. Funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). The former Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority was merged into the CRDA, which led to the creation in June 2014 of Meet AC, a private, non-profit 501 C 6 organization with the sole focus of building up the convention, meeting and group market for Atlantic City.
The CRDA has been accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), and also operates the Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, and two Visitor Information Centers.
Jim Wood serves as the executive director for Meet AC, and leads a staff whose primary effort is to generate both citywide and single-property bookings in Atlantic City. Prior to his posi- tion with Meet AC, Wood served as president and CEO at the Louisville, KY Convention and Visitors Bureau, and at the Providence Warwick, RI Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Also newly created is the Atlantic City Alliance, a tourism mar- keting organization for the leisure market segment. Meet AC works in collaboration with the CRDA, the Atlantic City Alliance and Global Spectrum, the management company for both the convention center and Boardwalk Hall.
"Our primary mission is to attract meetings and conventions to AC," said Wood. "We also are responsible for attracting the group motor coach business into AC."
He said that the importance of growing the meetings and con- vention market cannot be overstated. "We need to maximize the revenue potential of the Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC). The ACCC is an economic engine designed to attract convention business that will have a significant economic impact on AC. The greater the number of meetings and con- ventions that comes to AC, the more economic impact it will have on our gaming and non-gaming businesses."
Growing the meetings and convention business in Atlantic City also can help to increase employment in the city, he noted.
There are plenty of reasons to love meeting in Atlantic City, observed Wood, "A few things that AC offers that its competi- tion cannot are our beautiful beaches, the boardwalk, plus all of the 'after 5pm' activities available here. AC is rich with entertainment, dining, shopping and gaming. Once delegates arrive, there is no shortage of things to do while attending a meeting or convention in Atlantic City."
At the present time, Meet AC is even offering meeting and convention groups a financial incentive to choose AC. Noted Wood, "We do offer a financial incentive for meetings and con- ventions, and like other cities, it’s based on the group’s overall economic impact, including food and beverage and hotel room pick-up. A Meet AC sales representative will evaluate a meet- ing planner's program and discuss the level of incentive they would be eligible to receive."
Looking to the future, Wood noted that Caesars Entertainment is currently building a new 100,000-square foot conference center at its Harrah's property, which is set to open in August 2015. "I would like to see several other casino properties fol- low Harrah’s lead by adding additional meeting and confer- ence space to their casino hotels, as well," Wood noted.
As Atlantic City continues its growth and evolution as a meet- ings and convention destination, the city's offerings continue to expand. The new conference space at Harrah's is just one of the many exciting new additions to AC. Tropicana is adding the AtlantiCare LifeCenter Fitness facility; Richard Stockton College is revitalizing the former Showboat casino as a college campus and hotel; Resorts is expanding; and several new restaurants are opening in AC, including offerings by celebrity chefs like Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsay and Steve Martorano.
Mid-Atlantic EVENTS Magazine 51
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