Rialto Center for the Performing Arts in Atlanta is a converted movie house on the University of Georgia campus.
As director of public relations and communications for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), Rachel Peavy knows that not all 22,746,009 passengers who came through the world’s busiest Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport the first quarter of 2015 were on connecting flights scheduled to depart shortly after their first flight arrived.
Millions come to Atlanta every day with the sole purpose of enjoying all that the city has to offer. It is all part of the mix that feeds into Atlanta’s $12-billion hospitality industry, one that sustains 230,000 jobs for metro Atlantans and one that generates 42 million visitors each year.
“Atlanta has evolved into a vibrant city with rich cultural offerings for visitors,” Peavy said. “Last year, more than $1.5 billion in new attractions, restaurants and retail options opened in the destination and another $2.5 billion will open over the next five years, including two new stadiums and several new hotels.”
Atlanta is a hit with touring events due in large part to its accessible destination.
“More than 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour direct flight of the city,” Peavy said. “Atlanta is also positioned at the intersection of three major interstates, allowing visitors from around the southeast region to get to Atlanta easily by car.”
Philips Arena is just one of the many venues in Atlanta that has benefited when it comes to hosting events. Anchored by the NBA Atlanta Hawks and WNBA Atlanta Dream, the 18,118-seat venue hosts 160 events and 1.6 million guests annually. On the live entertainment side, Philips Arena hosted 64 events and 608,084 guests in 2014, earning the venue a spot among the world’s top 10 venues based on ticket sales.
“We stay in constant communication with promoters, agents and managers to create open dialogue about dates and potential tours and programming,” said Trey Feazell, executive vice president and general manager for the venue. “Atlanta has a terrific music scene with venues of every size.”
The Atlanta landmark has welcomed more than 23 million patrons through its doors since opening in September 1999 and has hosted several world-class events over the past 14 seasons.
UNDERSTANDING HOSPITALITY
As a 40-year veteran of the public assembly venue industry, Michael Taormina understands hospitality and what it takes to get locals and travelers to come to the Cobb Energy Performing Centre, a venue he opened in 2006 and has served as managing director. The venue has become a major regional asset achieving national recognition known for its diverse programming, outstanding arts education programs, the Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards and the permanent home for The Atlanta Opera and Atlanta Ballet.
“I believe that our location and the fact we are a state-of-the-art venue helps,” said Taormina, who is set for retirement at the end of this year. “But we understand we are most effective and desirable when we show Southern charm, we’re helpful, always polite, knowledgeable, and embrace the quality steps of customer service.”
The venue even became a YouTube hit when it was a “stand-in” for the first season of the “Walking Dead” series.
“Tour buses regularly stop by so that tourists and fans can take pictures of our exterior,” Taormina said. “At the end of the first season, they ‘exploded’ our building in the season finale.”
Cobb Galleria Centre GM and CEO Michele Swann boasts about her venue’s chef-driven food service and her staff, many of whom have been at the venue for 20 years or more. It is that group who sets the tone for outstanding customer service.
“We host approximately 600 events annually which are a combination of conventions, trade shows, consumer shows, meetings and social functions,” Swann said. “Some 70 percent of our business is corporate and 21 of our clients have been with us since we opened in 1994. Retaining customers is a result of our STEPS OF SERVICE training that we deliver to all new hires of our company.”
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY
With its origin traced back to 1928, the (truly) Historic Fox Theatre is one of Atlanta’s premier venues for live entertainment. The Fox’s 4,678 seat theatre is booked with more than 300 performances a year ranging from Broadway to rock to comedy to movies, and welcomes an estimated 750,000 people every year. Its ballrooms have hosted receptions and special events for visiting ambassadors, noted U.S. politicians, and internationally acclaimed dignitaries. The Fox, quite simply, is a jewel in the city. Then there is Mighty Mo.
“There is nothing like seeing the famous Mighty Mo theatre organ, the starry-skied auditorium and the experience of being transported back to the 1920s heyday of the Movie Palace era accented by our original historic lighting and furniture collections,” said Adina Erwin, vice president and general manager of the venue.
Erwin cited some “off-the-beaten-path” experiences that make Atlanta unique and a desirable destination for guests.
“Some things are authentic to our city like the Oakland Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in Atlanta and boasts of some famous burials such as Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone With The Wind” said Erwin.
In South Fulton County, the Wolf Creek Amphitheater is a world-class outdoor venue located on a picturesque 435-acre wooded site. Artists route to the 5,300-seat venue from its peak performance season from May through September.
“We’re the perfect location for live outdoor concerts, plays, performances and festivals,” said Sandy Ward-Poag, entertainment manager at the venue. “There is VIP table seating, reserved seating, spacious lawn seating and two state-of-the-art new sky boxes equipped with flat screens to stream the concerts and indoor and patio seating for a total of 150 extra patrons.”
College campuses in Atlanta are also getting in on lots of business, including the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The 833-seat theatre is a converted movie house that features artists from all over the world and regularly brings different cultures together to celebrate through music and dance. The customer service experience at the venue even includes the Rialto tradition of free chocolate for prized patrons.
Darlene Hamilton, assistant director of development, knows that while it is difficult to turn down chocolate, other factors come into play to keep people firstly coming to events and secondly coming back to events at the Rialto.
Like others, Hamilton cites the “Southern charm” aspect of Atlanta that makes the city such a strong destination.
“It has become the ‘Hollywood of the South,’” Hamilton said. “You never know what movie you will see filming in the neighborhood. We are glad to be a part of that. As a leading research institution ranked among the most diverse universities in the country, the Rialto is well known for presenting the very best international artists and has earned the moniker, ‘Where Atlanta Meets the World.’”
In Midtown, the Woodruff Arts Center is the heartbeat of Atlanta’s arts community and has offered a variety of performing and visual arts for 45 years.
Director of Marketing Holly Clausen believes that the diversity of talent that plays her venue is just one of the reasons that keep artists of all backgrounds interested in playing in Atlanta.
“We have a wide range of top entertainment for all music lovers,” Clausen said. “That is something that stands out about who you see playing in Atlanta. Our performers include the Zac Brown Band, Rod Stewart, Alabama Shakes and Rush. Atlanta is a multicultural destination for music fans worldwide.”
Finally, there is the unique locale of the Piedmont Park Conservancy, where Marketing Manager Terrell Henderson cites the Greystone and Dockside as the only venues inside the city limits that overlook a natural waterfront, Lake Clara Meer.
Piedmont Park Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that works with the City of Atlanta for the preservation of historic Piedmont Park. Since its inception in 1989, the Conservancy has successfully restored the historic portion of Piedmont Park. The Conservancy has raised and invested more than $60 million for park beautification, maintenance/security, programs, and also includes a 53-acre expansion of green space.
“Guests enjoy an amazing midtown skyline view in a lush, green park setting,” Henderson said. “There are historic buildings dating back to 1910, 1926 and 1945 on the property. It is very unique.”
Interviewed for this story: Holly Clausen, (404) 733-4998; Adina Erwin, (404) 881-2116; Trey Feazell, (404) 878-3000; Darlene Hamilton, (404) 413-9821; Terrell Henderson, (404) 875-7275; Rachel Peavy, (404) 521-6649; Michele Swann, (770) 955-8000; Michael Taormina, (770) 916-2802; Sandy Ward-Poag, (404) 346-7963