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vol. XVII no. 1 Southern Hospitality: continued Thinking in terms of "we'' rather than the "me" and how each contributes to the overall success of the city's hospitality is what frequently comes up when you talk to industry insiders. And that attitude of working together goes all the way to the top.
''One of this city's greatest assets is Mayor (Shirley) Franklin," says Pate. "She truly gets it — she's a big supporter of the efforts. As a matter of fact, she frequently volunteers to accompany the ACVB on business pitches whenever she travels and that's a major contribution."
While the convention center brings people into the city, Atlanta still faces the challenge of getting them to stay.
"We consistently rank as one of the top cities for conventions, yet we rank at the bottom for those all-important and profitable 'stay-over' days," says Ken Bernhardt chair of Robinson's marketing department
Bernhardt, who has also served on the ACVB Board of Directors for more than 12 years, says that the national average is 3.6 nights per stay while Atlanta averages just 27 nights. "We need to do more to make them want to stay." And Atlanta is up for that kind of challenge.
"We are the only city that has had to literally rebuild itself from the ground up," says Spurgeon Richardson, CEO and president of the ACVB. "Atlanta has always had vision, and because of it we have been able to successfully reinvent ourselves more times than any other city in the nation. Right now, there isn't a city in the country with more economic development than what we have here."
Just one look around and it's easy to see what Richardson is talking about. Located adjacent to the CNN Center Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena, the GWCC is within walking distance of a number of restaurants and hotels, including the Omni Hotel, which recently completed a $100 million expansion. However, the area lacks an entertainment destination. But all that is changing.
In 2005, the Georgia Aquarium, one of the city's most anticipated attractions, will open its doors. The $200 million, 400,000-squarefoot aquarium will play host to more than 50,000 freshwater and saltwater fish and mammals. Adjacent to it will be the new World of Coca-Cola, which is moving from its downtown location. Both venues will be within walking distance of the GWCC,
The addition of these two attractions combined with the recent addition of Imaginelt! The Atlanta Children's Museum, located just across the street, is expected to help attract more conventions to the city.
In addition to the area immediately surrounding the convention center, Atlanta has other projects in development that will help attract leisure travelers as well as convention-goers. They include:
"We've got the product," says Richardson. "We just need to do a better job telling our story."
Bernhardt agrees and says that Atlanta needs to package itself both with other parts of Georgia to attract domestic travelers and with neighboring cities to attract international visitors.
"Atlanta holds a lot of appeal for international travelers. We see this as a huge growth market for us," says Richardson.
According to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, which is set to open a new international terminal in 2006, international traffic has increased by more than 80 percent since the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In addition, studies show that international visitors to the United States stay for 10 days on average.
Overall, the feeling in the city is one of optimism, "We're definitely headed in the right direction," says Cannon. ''We've addressed a lot of critical issues like public safety, and there's a wonderful energy among everyone in the city's hospitality industry."
Eight years ago, Atlanta came together and welcomed the world. Today, the city is once again igniting the flame that will help spark the nation's economy.
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