Member Memo May 15, 2008

Atlanta CityPass

North America's original attraction pass celebrates its 10th season with the introduction of the Atlanta CityPass. Atlanta CityPass offers its bearers nine days to pick and choose from eight world-class attractions.

Atlanta CityPass costs about half the price of regular admission to six of Atlanta’s top attractions: Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta, Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour, a choice between Fernbank Museum of Natural History OR Atlanta Botanical Garden, and a choice of either High Museum of Art OR Atlanta History Center. Atlanta CityPass captures the vacation highlights of this fascinating, historic, and complex destination, saving you money and time, too. You have a leisurely nine days from day of first use to use all six tickets and with a CityPass in your hand, you’ll also be able to avoid most ticket lines.

Inside each pocket sized Atlanta CityPass ticket booklet are six must-have admission tickets. Two are Option Tickets, allowing you to customize your trip with attractions that suit your interests -- or the weather -- on any particular day. You’ll also find attraction information, transportation directions, best times to visit, a map, special offers, and enticing suggestions from the pages of National Geographic Traveler, the most widely read magazine for inquisitive travelers. For more information or to purchase a CityPass, go to www.atlanta.net/citypass.

6 Famous Atlanta Attractions $69.00, a $118.93 value     $49 for kids!

AMTA Scholarship

Attention AMTA members…  AMTA is awarding two $425 STS Marketing College scholarships this year.  If you are planning to attend Marketing College this year simply email Jon Brasher, Jon.Brasher@morris.com and you will be entered into the drawing!  The next course is offered  July 27 - August 1, 2008  in Dahlonega, Georgia at North Georgia College & State University.  Want to learn more about Marketing College? Visit http://www.southeasttourism.org/marketing_college.html

Deadline to enter the drawing is  May 30  and the drawing will be held at the June 4 AMTA general meeting at the High Museum.

GDEcD Update

TRAVEL MEDIA MARKETPLACE 2008 WRAP-UP

Click Here for 2008 Travel Media Marketplace Leads.

This year's Travel Media Marketplace took place in Augusta from May 1 - 3. The event was a huge success! The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau went above and beyond to make this event the best yet.

The Marketplace allowed the writers to meet with representatives from around the state and with GDEcD's regional tourism reps to learn about the many new attractions, destinations and events bringing tourists to Georgia. Twenty-five travel writers participated in Post FAM tours from May 3 - 6 and ventured around the state on either the Genuine Georgia, Simply Southern or Georgia's Coastal Adventure trip.

Travel Media Marketplace is an annual event hosted by GDEcD's Tourism Division to showcase the very best that Georgia has to offer to travel media from around the United States and Canada. Past Marketplace events have been held in Savannah, Athens, Macon, Atlanta and Towns County.

Brittney Gray and I (Victoria Jones) attended on behalf of the Atlanta Metro Region. I will be sending out follow up letters to them next week. I have not and will not send them specific info regarding your attraction, hotel, or CVB, so you will need to do that. There were many inquiries and specific follow-up requests made.  Click above for leads.

2008 Techno Tourism Conference

Presented by the Georgia Tourism Foundation, the 2008 Techno Tourism Conference in Athens on April 14-15 gave attendees the opportunity to learn about new technical innovations such as podcasting, geo-caching and effective email marketing strategies.

• A podcast of the conference is now available at: www.citytrex.com/ttc.php
• Presentations from the conference are available at: http://my.georgia.org/net/content/page.aspx?s=132833.72586.26.3011 
• The registration list from the conference is available here: www.georgia.org/foundation.

AMTA Sales Opportunities

AMTA Motorcoach Blitz

The motorcoach blitz scheduled for  June 8-12  has been cancelled. Please be on the lookout for other AMTA Sales opportunities.

2nd Annual Hard Rock Café FAM tour and Mini-Marketplace

 Mon. June 16 at 1:30 pm  

• Vendors set-up / we provide 6 foot table / linen and skirted. Cost $100.00 per table for AMTA members only!) - Cost also includes dinner on June 14.
• Vendors can hand out sales information, decorate table as they wish.
• Tour Operators will have time to network with the vendors

Also, looking for goodies (approx. 35) for their welcome bags - if you're interested, please mail items to me at Hard Rock. Click here to read the full itinerary.

Jodi O'Gara
Sales & Marketing Manager
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta
P: 404.688.7625 ext. 25

Georgia On My Mind Day (Lavonia, GA)

Please join us  May 23rd for Georgia On My Mind Day  at the Georgia Visitor Information Center I-85 South, Lavonia. GOMM Day is scheduled for 8:30am-5:30pm (or stay as long as you like). This is a great opportunity to showcase your Georgia attraction, hotel or event. You will need to provide your own table for this event.

If you plan to attend Georgia On My Mind Day, please contact:
Pat Pierson, Georgia Visitors Information Center
Phone:  (706) 356-4019
Email: ppierson@georgia.org

New Members—May 15, 2008

AMTA Airways Flight 115 is filling up with new members!  Look at our progress!  Please help us fill the entire airplane by the end of the year! (½ window = 1 new member) The Membership Drive is flying high!  Remember, every time you sign up a new member, your name goes into the hat for a drawing for $100 cash!  The next drawing will be held on June 4 at the general membership meeting at the High Museum.  Make sure your name is in the hat! The June 4th meeting is the perfect time to bring a guest.  Look through your list of tourism industry contacts and call and invite a couple of them to the meeting.  Let them experience AMTA firsthand and then sign them up as members.  See the attached flyer and 2008 AMTA Membership Application - [pdf] - for all the details.  The next drawing will be held at our general membership meeting on June 4.  So get on board now and take flight! If you have questions, call Diane Stone, Membership Committee Chair, at 770-552-2628 or Brandi Warnock, Membership Committee Co-Chair, at 404-814-4032.

Upcoming AMTA Meeting

Mark your calendars! The  June 4th  AMTA meeting will be at the HIGH Museum of Art. The program will be presented by Julian Cox, High Museum of Art Curator of Photography.  He will present a program about their upcoming exhibitions Road to Freedom: Photography of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968 and After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy.  The meeting will be followed by special access and a preview of the exhibitions.  The exhibits do not open until June 7 and AMTA be walking through on June 4.

Exhibition Description:

• Road to Freedom
  Nearly 200 unforgettable images by professional photojournalists, social activists, and bystanders.  These moving photographs helped change a nation, increasing the momentum of the non-violent movement by dramatically raising awareness of injustices and the struggle of progressive social change. 
• After 1968
  An exhibition of newly commissioned works of art that honor the legacy of the civil rights movement and explore the continuing relevance of progressive social change.

AMTA Press Room

• May 8, 2008 Memorial Making Its Way to Alpharetta
• May 8, 2008 Atlanta Metro Travel Association Celebrates 25th annual National Tourism Week

AMTA members:   Feel free to send press releases in PDF format to Victoria Jones to be included in the AMTA Press Room.

Upcoming Events:

MAY Events

Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden World Tour" at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Encore Park
May 14, 16, 17, 20 @ 8:00PM , Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
VWAinfo@woodruffcenter.org  or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/
Ticket Prices: $65 Lawn, $185 Reserved, 404-249-6400

 May 21  “Wind down Wednesdays”
Avoid the rush hour traffic and come "wind down" after work at Heritage Green. This free, three-part series presented by Heritage Sandy Springs and the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce features local talent on the stage at the Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn. 6-8pm

Stone Mountain Park – Opens Memorial Day Weekend! Challenge your family to a new climbing experience this summer at Sky Hike. Set in the great outdoors at Stone Mountain Park, Sky Hike is an all new attraction sure to get your adrenaline going. Trek through the treetops on an adventures course more than four stories high while secured to the patented overhead safety system. Gain a whole new perspective from the top down! Stay tuned into http://www.stonemountainpark.com/ for details.

Memorial Day Weekend “Salute to the Troops” at Stone Mountain Park- Salute our troops and their families, in a three-day celebration of American spirit at Atlanta’s largest Memorial Day Weekend Celebration. Enjoy performances by military bands each evening. Plus, don't miss Lee Greenwood in concert on Memorial Lawn,  Sunday, May 25th .The Lasershow, concert and event activities are FREE with your $10.00* (cash only) vehicle admission or annual parking permit.

JUNE Events

 Friday-Saturday, June 6-7 
Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival
This all new annual festival will be held in downtown Douglasville. The event will include a formal ball, outdoor activities, garden tours, hat parade, home and garden expo, book signings and more! The event is named for the late Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society and frequent visitor to Douglasville and Douglas County. Stay tuned for more details or visit http://www.pennymchydrangeafestival.com/.

June 2008 Wednesday Concert Series at Classic Chastain Amphitheater
Featuring artists Frankie Valli ( June 18, 2008 ) and Kenny G ( June 25, 2008 ). Visit www.classicchastain.com for more information.