...a
glance at what's making the news...
Brand Atlanta
The Brand Atlanta Campaign is a team of volunteers
and professionals working together to create a
new, compelling brand identity and integrated
marketing program for Atlanta that will attract
visitors, businesses and new residents to the
City of Atlanta. Mayor Shirley Franklin and the
Atlanta Development Authority's New Century Economic
Development Plan inspired this public/private
initiative to help drive business growth in the
City of Atlanta, especially in the hospitality
and tourism industry. By boosting the tourism
and hospitality industries, Brand Atlanta is expected
to support the creation of 60,000 jobs for Atlanta
residents by 2009.
The national campaign will begin on November 10.
It will highlight new world-class developments,
like the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coke exhibit,
the expansion of the High Museum of Art and Atlantic
Station. The CNN Center, The King Center, The
Carter Center, the Atlanta History Center, Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA), Centennial
Park and historic Auburn Avenue also add to Atlanta’s
unique makeup.
Brand Atlanta will unveil its new image with events
around the city including:
· October 17: At 12:00 p.m., Mayor Shirley
Franklin and the Brand Atlanta committee unveiled
the new Brand Atlanta graphic design at a news
conference in the City Hall Atrium.
· October 24: Atlanta anthem debut written
by Dallas Austin during the Falcons-Jets Monday
Night Football game at the Georgia Dome.
· November 10: Open House Celebration,
Atlanta will unveil its new advertising campaign,
see the new logo and slogan unveiled at Centennial
Olympic Park and celebrate the festivities and
hear Atlanta 's new anthem. Event begins at 5pm.
· November 18-20: pARTicipate! An Arts
and Culture Celebration. More than 100 organizations
will join for pARTicipate, a three-day showcase
of Atlanta's arts and culture scene. Organized
by the Brand Atlanta Campaign, the Metro Atlanta
Arts & Culture Coalition, Atlanta PlanIt.com
and ACVB Cultural Tourism, the celebration is
an opportunity to sample Atlanta's arts, culture
and heritage institutions. Visit www.atlantaplanit.com.
For more
information on the Brand Atlanta campaign, please
visit www.brandatlanta.com or www.atlantaga.gov
City Continues its Coordinated Response
to Help Katrina Survivors
The City of Atlanta and compassionate residents
continue a coordinated response to assist the
victims of Hurricane Katrina as they begin the
arduous process of rebuilding their lives. Efforts
have focused on identifying affordable housing
units, organizing job fairs, donating food and
clothes and helping with job training and placement.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
(HJAIA) and the Atlanta Fire Rescue recently sent
workers as well as supplies to the region to help
and the Atlanta City Council voted to allocate
$1 million toward relief efforts. The City of
Atlanta has also adopted the city of Wiggins,
Mississippi, a small town located 25 miles from
the Gulf Coast, where damage from Katrina was
extensive. The City of Atlanta is determining
the needs of Wiggins and assessing how to use
its resources to help the city rebuild.
For more information on continued efforts please
visit www.atlantaworkforce.org or www.atlantaga.gov
RaceTown Atlanta
RaceTown Atlanta is a FREE street festival to
be held in the heart of downtown Atlanta Oct.
28 - 29 at Centennial Olympic Park from Noon to
8 p.m. with concerts beginning both days at 6
p.m. The Park will be transformed into a racetrack
environment to create the excitement and entertainment
value of a live NASCAR Nextel Cup event.
RaceTown Atlanta will feature racing displays,
show cars, live music and NASCAR drivers -- including
Richard Petty, Kasey Kahne, and Dave Blaney...and
it's all FREE!
RaceTown Atlanta combines the excitement of motor
sports with food and live concerts. Plus RaceTown
will also feature appearances, interactive games
and prizes, an amazing assembly of NASCAR showcars
and simulators, and nonstop feature entertainment
on the main stage. The event provides the perfect
backdrop to the Bass Pro Shops 500 NASCAR Nextel
Cup race scheduled for Oct. 30, 2005 at the Atlanta
Motor Speedway. www.racetownatlanta.com
Innovative Thinking Raises $20 Million
for Homelessness
On September 19th, legislation to facilitate the
issuance of $20 million in Opportunity Bonds to
fund facilities for the homeless was approved
by the Atlanta City Council. The bonds will be
issued by ADA . The funds raised through the bond
issuance will be dedicated to capital projects,
such as permanent supportive housing and other
projects identified in the Commission on Homelessness's
"Blueprint to End Homelessness." The
Opportunity Bonds will allow the Commission on
Homelessness to meet its fundraising goal of $40
million...years ahead of schedule.
The plan's objective is to shift Atlanta's approach
to homelessness from costly emergency and crisis-oriented
interventions to long-term solutions that can
end a person's chronic homelessness. Funding is
expected to be available by November 1, 2005 and
can be spent citywide over a three year period.
Atlantic Station
After nearly eight years of planning, development
and construction, Atlantic Station officially
opens to the public Thursday, October 20 at 10
a.m. An entire weekend of festivities have been
planned. For more information visit www.atlanticstation.com.
Esquire Honors Mayor Franklin
Congratulations to Mayor Shirley Franklin for
being selected among Esquire Magazine’s
“Best and Brightest Leaders!” Mayor
Franklin will be featured in the monthly magazine’s
December issue.
Downtown Works
Great things are happening in Downtown! Find out
why office tenants, restaurants, retailers, commercial
and housing developers and residents are flocking
to Downtown Atlanta! November 3rd, 7:30 a.m. to
12:20 p.m., Downtown Works: 2005 Development Day.
Organized by Central Atlanta Progress www.atlantadowntown.com
Georgia Aquarium
On November 23rd the Georgia Aquarium will open
it doors. Promising to be the largest and most
engaging aquarium experience in the world, the
aquarium will feature more than 100,000 animals
from 500 different species in over 8 million gallons
of water. www.georgiaaquarium.org.
City to Build Downtown Public Safety
Headquarters
Last week, the City of Atlanta’s Office
of the Mayor presented a plan to construct a new
public safety headquarters for police and firefighters
at a location close to City Hall. The new downtown
headquarters will enable the City to maintain
effective and efficient inter-departmental communications
and create a best-in-class public safety headquarters.
The City of Atlanta plans to fund the new headquarters
by selling City Hall East for $35 million to develop
Ponce Park, LLC. If the sale is approved, all
departments in City Hall East will relocate to
downtown Atlanta within 30 months of sale. Construction
on the new public safety headquarters would begin
at the end of 2006.
At Mayor Franklin’s insistence, the developer
will maintain the City’s commitment to building
a live-work-play complex that also serves as a
development engine for jobs in the area. Approximately
20 percent of its housing will be set aside as
affordable housing. The new development also includes
proposed designs for access to the Beltline with
plans for a public gateway to a 2.4 acre park.
Hospitality Hall of Fame
The 7th Annual Hospitality Hall of Fame will be
on November 8 at 6:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton,
Atlanta. Honorees are Julia Emmons, Atlanta Track
Club; James and Robert Paschal, Paschal's Foods,
Inc.; and Bernie Marcus, The Marcus Foundation.
Tickets are $125 or $1,250 for a table of 10.
For reservations please call Judy Claxton at 404.521.6606.
For sponsorship information please call W. B.
Baldwin at 404.521.6608
Destination South Awarded
Destination South was awarded Best Entertainment
Production at the International Special Events
Society Esprit Awards Celebration.
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Celebrates
Milestone Year
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
(HJAIA) recently celebrated the 25th anniversary
of its terminal complex. In 1980, the terminal
complex at HJAIA was built for $500 million. Officials
estimated then that the airport terminal could
accommodate 55 million people annually. This year,
HJAIA will serve more than 88 million passengers
and forecasts accommodating more than 90 million
in 2006.
HJAIA was named one of the most efficient airports
in the world by the Airport Transportation Research
Society (ATRS), a global aviation think-tank group.
The airport has begun a 10-year development project
that includes aesthetic upgrades to the facility
and building an International Terminal. Construction
of a fifth runway is on-budget and on-time and
scheduled to be complete on May 27, 2006. The
rest of the expansion projects are scheduled to
be complete in late 2006. For more info on HJAIA
visit www.atlanta-airport.com
Franklin Selected Best Leader
Congratulations to Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
for being selected as one of America’s Best
Leaders by U.S. News and World Report and the
Center for Public Leadership at Harvard! The issue
of the weekly news magazine featuring Mayor Franklin
will be on newsstands October 31, 2005.
Israel Chamber Orchestra Salutes Law
Enforcement
The Israel Chamber Orchestra presents a one-time
performance bringing together the force of the
orchestra and law enforcement in ways you will
not want to miss on Thursday, October 27 at 8
p.m. at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts.
The Force of Music: A Salute to GILEE (Georgia
International Law Enforcement Exchange) www.theforceofmusic.com
Mayor’s Office of Communications
Wins Award
Congratulations to the City of Atlanta’s
Mayor’s Office of Communications (MOC) for
placing third among 29 entries in the Community
Awareness category at the National Association
of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA)
2005 Conference in Washington, D.C. The Office
of Communications won for the “Atlanta Victim
Witness Assistance Program” which aired
on City Channel 26.
2005 Business Growth Exposition
On Thursday, November 10, the Atlanta Business
Chronicle and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
will host the 2005 Business Growth Exposition.
For decision-makers from Atlanta's fastest growing
companies, this full-day event will showcase the
best ideas formulated for growth and success.
Thursday, November 10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre
from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $49. For
more information visit www.atlantabusinessgrowthexpo.com/
or call Joel Welker at (404) 249-1069.
5th Annual Horizon Awards
This first class event provides the "World
of Sports Business" with an annual recognition
forum to celebrate the accomplishments of the
thought-leaders and innovators from the sports
industry. The 5th Annual Horizon Awards for Sports
Business will be an evening of entertainment,
hospitality, surprises and high-level networking.
This year's event will be held on Wednesday, November
2 in the Georgia World Congress Center's Georgia
Ballroom. For event or ticket information, call
404-586-8510 or visit www.thehorizonawards.com.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Featured
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Robert Spano
was recently featured on the cover of Travel magazine.
Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund presents
the MetLife National Arts Forum Series
The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund, a partnership
of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, presents
the MetLife National Arts Forum Series on Tuesday,
October 25 at 6 p.m. at the Georgia-Pacific Auditorium
Downtown.
Entitled, "Engaging the Next Generation of
Arts Philanthropists," this panel discussion
by national arts leaders and philanthropists will
focus on the retiring Baby Boom generation and
Generation Xers moving into leadership positions
and focusing resources on agendas more relevant
to what they perceive are their own generational
issues and concerns.
Register online at www.MetroAtlantaArtsFund.org.
For more information call 404-588-3216.
Atlanta in the Top 10
Atlanta was listed eight on the list of Top 10
Cities as Destinations for Combined Business/Pleasure
Trips by the Travel Industry of America's TravelScope
Survey.
News compiled from: City Newsbytes At-A-Glance
(Mayor’s Office of Communications), Membership
Communique (Atlanta Convention and Visitors
Bureau), Downtown Live (Central
Atlanta Progress), Metro Atlanta Chamber
of Commerce Newsletter, www.downtownATL.com,
The Pulse of Progress (Atlanta
Development Authority) and the Georgia
World Congress Center newsletter.
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