Tuesday morning (April 9) at the Atlantic City Sheraton, the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA) announced its new $20 million ad campaign, as well as upcoming events for the spring/summer.

Representatives from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (ACCVA) announced new programs and initiatives to the local business community and provided an update on “industry-wide progress in the tourism district.”

Among the presentations Tuesday morning, Atlantic City officials:

•  Debuted Atlantic City’s $20 million 2013 advertising campaign focused on the close-by drive markets including New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore DMAs

•  Announced new series of spring/summer/fall events to drive tourism

•  Announced the Do Anything. Do AC Road Show

•  Announced new artists for the ARTLANTIC public art project and a new 3D sound and light show on Boardwalk Hall.

•  Highlighted convention and tourism results from 2012 with a look ahead to strategies and initiatives for 2013.

•  Gave an update on emerging projects and a countdown to Miss America returning to Atlantic City in September.

Among the officials in attendance were Sam Young,  the Greater Atlantic City Chamber chair;  Liza Cartmell, the Atlantic City Alliance president; Larry Sieg, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority V.P. of Marketing; and John Palmieri, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority executive director

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According to a report on the business Web site Bloomberg.com, New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie “is failing on [the] Atlantic City revival.”

Noting plunging casino revenues, more competition in neighboring states (sound familiar yet?), and a “state-controlled casino district” that isn’t living up to the hype, the report adds that Christie’s big plans for the city have not affected the city’s economy as hoped.

So far.

Bloomberg adds that bond investors are punishing the city for its decreasing gaming revenues and uncertain future while Gov. Christie has until Feb. 7 to decide about legalized Internet gambling via Atlantic City’s 12 gaming halls.

With the prospect of Internet gambling at the casinos, several big events being planned for the summer of 2013 — including a world-class sand-sculpting contest, concerts at Bader Field, and the opening of Margaritaville at Resorts — who knows where Atlantic City will be by 2016, five years after the governor implemented the plan for the state-run “tourism district” in Atlantic City.

Atlantic City, like many destinations, attractions and businesses around the country, may be holding a dicey hand right now, but the game ain’t over yet.

Read the Bloomberg article.

Hurricane Sandy was a real Scrooge coming to town right before the holiday season, but Atlantic City is ready to brighten up its streets with plenty of holiday spirit.

On Saturday, Dec. 1, the Atlantic City Tourism District will launch a new $600,000 holiday lighting program and holiday parade in Atlantic City.

Atlantic City’s main corridors, including Atlantic Ave., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Center City Park and O’ Donnell Park, will be putting on strings of holiday bling and provide a festive background for Atlantic City’s Holiday Parade this Saturday.

The parade will begin at noon and include floats, bands, community groups and costumed characters. The hour-long parade will also feature Miss Atlantic City 2012, Aliyah Montaque, and an appearance by that jolly fat man Santa Claus.

The centerpiece of this year’s holiday lights will be the addition of a 35-foot Christmas tree, which was donated by Tanger Outlets to the Atlantic City Tourism District and will turn on with the flick of a switch on Dec. 1.

It will reside throughout the holiday season at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway. — Carmella Shillito

The New York Times‘ “Frugal Traveler” blog featured a post yesterday that hopefully will help change the perception some folks (and groups) still have out there — that the Atlantic City Boardwalk was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

(The Boardwalk, as you can see below, is intact for the most part, minus a damaged stretch that was reportedly destined for demolition anyway.)

ABOVE: The cast of the Bally’s revue show Legends in Concert lead a Board-Walk parade to spread the word that the Atlantic City Boardwalk is open. (See a photo gallery from the event here)

Blogger Seth Kugel writes:

The morning after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, television networks broadcast startling images of the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It appeared to be shredded to pieces. Pylons stuck out of the water. Chunks of wood had been swept inland and deposited on city streets.

It was terrible news for Atlantic City tourism. It was also entirely misleading, as I learned during a visit this weekend.

Read more of the blog post here.

RELATED: Atlantic City Recovering From Sandy in Many Ways

The first of a five-part series examining Atlantic City’s redevelopment efforts has been published today by New Jersey radio station 101.5 via its Web site.

The article, “Clock Is Ticking on Atlantic City’s Redevelopment,” explores the Atlantic City Tourism District, N.J. Bill S-11, which created it, as well as the Atlantic City Alliance’s DO AC campaign, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and its efforts to make Atlantic City “clean and safe,” in addition to what the organization sees as positive signs for the future of the resort town.

The article quotes CRDA head John Palmieri as saying:

“Luxury tax revenues have been going up for the past three years, we expect it to go up based on what we’re seeing this year. That’s a very important measurement that identifies expenditures beyond the gaming tables.”

He adds:

“The important thing for us is to encourage private investment, in the final analysis we want more visitors to come. ”

Courtesy Jerde Partnership

Tourism has been the buzz word in the Atlantic City region now for several years — in fact, it always was — especially with regard to the slumping casino revenues, due in part, to competition sprouting up in neighboring states.

First the rise of the airplane (pun intended) made it easier for families — mostly middle class — to forgo A.C. vacays and set off for places like Florida and Las Vegas or wherever they wanted, leading to a decline in the “World’s Playground” status as one of the top tourist destination’s in the country for most of the late 1800s and early to mid 1900s.

Then, after states near New Jersey’s border — such as New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware — passed legalized gambling bills and started building casinos, etc., Atlantic City’s early 2000’s gaming renaissance, in conjunction with a restaurant and nightclub revolution, and spurred by the opening of the game-changing Borgata in 2003, the 150-year-old resort town was hit hard by the economic collapse of recent years.

Not only did several expected mega-projects (MGM, Bader Field, Bashaw-Barr, etc.) get the kibosh, but casino revenue saw month-to-month revenue declines and it was determined — thankfully — that the city needed a new game plan. Additionally, according the Atlantic City Convention & Authority (ACCVA), annual visit trips to Atlantic City fell from 33.7 million in 1999 to 28.5 million in 2011.

A.C. no longer had a monopoly on the gaming market in the Northeast.

In 2012, the buzz word is tourism still, but with new excitement and expectations.

With the state entity Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) passing a thoroughly researched and considered master plan for a new “tourism district” in Atlantic City this past February — an order given by Gov. Chris Christie in July 2010 — and the casinos getting behind a new non-profit agency — the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA) — to re-brand and market the city anew, and a new mega-resort, Revel, opening on the north-end of the Boardwalk in April, in addition for several other plans for the city to make it the world-class destination for tourists (a Vegas of the East), including a planned multimillion dollar revitalization of the Steel Pier, things are looking brighter for tourism in New Jersey than they have in several years — even despite the attention (positive or negative) of the MTV hit show Jersey Shore.

Founded in 2011, the ACA, headed up by former Aramark executive Liza Cartmell, has chosen one of the top independent New York-based public relations firms, Edelman, to address “some of Atlantic City’s challenges, while still highlighting all of the factors that make the city so great.”

The ACA has also brought in advertising firm Euro RSCG to handle the city’s new ad campaign, which is expected to be put into effect in April.

Starting today (March 14) at the Golden Nugget, the New Jersey Conference on Tourism will have a rekindled purpose and spirit. The annual conference in Atlantic City (March 14-16), put on by the New Jersey Travel Industry Association, New Jersey Department of Tourism, the ACCVA, and other sponsors, will include a plethora of speakers, luncheons, meetings and presentations. (See a full list here.)

Hopefully, this will all lead somewhere positive for Atlantic City, a city that has also been in the international spotlight via the hit HBO show Boardwalk Empire.

If only Nucky was still around.

Well, at least the Steel Pier is — minus the Diving Horse.

— Jeff Schwachter

SEE: Renderings of Future of Atlantic City Boardwalk and more.

ATLANTIC CITY —  Along with this week’s cover story interview with Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro, the Oct. 20 issue of Atlantic City Weekly features interviews with two very important new faces in the resort — John Palmieri and Liza Cartmell.

The former is the new head of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and the latter is the newly announced CEO of the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA), a non-profit agency tasked with rebranding and marketing Atlantic City not just as a gaming destination, but as a true world-class tourist destination. Although casino CEOs fill its board of directors, the ACA, with its $30 million budget, has been created to bring in more than just gamblers to Atlantic City.

Liza Cartmell

Both Cartmell and Palmieri have solid credentials and their experience is vast and impressive.  Additionally, both are very personable, pleasant to speak with and seem genuinely eager to make positive change in Atlantic City and the region.

Both have experience outside of Atlantic City, which is good, and both reside in New Jersey.

We have learned quite a bit about these two new faces in town from the pair of interviews we conducted earlier this week. The interviews also shed light on how how each of these leaders plan to tackle some of the biggest problems and projects the city has had to face in its 150-plus years.

You can find both interviews inside this week’s Oct. 20 issue of Atlantic City Weekly. Additionally, you can read much more from the Liza Cartmell interview on the online version at acweekly.com.

John Palmieri

Many are anticipating big things from these two, and we wish both of them the very best in their important endeavors. Some are calling this pair two of the most powerful people in Atlantic City right now.

They both have big jobs ahead of them and for the betterment of Atlantic City and the region, let’s hope that a clear focus, cooperation, a little thinking outside the box and a dash of courage prevails.

Read interview with John Palmieri here and the interview with Liza Cartmell here.

What do you think? Join the conversation on our Facebook page.

This just in …

A press release has just been sent out in conjunction with this morning’s Boardwalk Hall press conference revealing the CEO of the newly created Atlantic City Alliance.

Here is the release verbatim:

ATLANTIC CITY (OCTOBER 13, 2011) – The Atlantic City Alliance (ACA), has named Elizabeth Cartmell as the Chief Executive Officer for the corporation to develop a marketing strategy that continues Atlantic City’s transformation into a premier destination resort.

The ACA is a recently established New Jersey not-for-profit corporation whose primary mission is to develop and implement a full scale, broad-based, multi-year marketing program for Atlantic City. The ACA will work with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) to market and promote the Tourism District via a public/private partnership.

Elizabeth Cartmell at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Oct. 13, 2011. (Photo Lew Steiner)

“Thanks to Governor Christie, the Legislature and a united effort within the casino industry, the Atlantic City Alliance was formed with one overriding goal, to increase business volumes by promoting, marketing and developing Atlantic City as a premier destination resort,” said Don Marrandino, ACA Chairman and Eastern Division President of Caesars Entertainment.

“This Administration continues to enact an aggressive agenda to make Atlantic City a premier gaming and tourism destination while strengthening its role as an engine of business growth and investment for the city, state and regional economies,” said Governor Chris Christie. “The much needed reforms we are implementing will chart a new course for economic growth, job creation and prosperity in Atlantic City and the industry has been a vital part of this work.  In Liza Cartmell, the Atlantic City Alliance has selected an experienced leader who will work collaboratively with our team to continue vital progress on key revitalization measures. I am pleased to welcome her to the Atlantic City team.”

Marrandino continued, “We are excited to have Liza Cartmell leading this organization. She is a world-class executive with the right experience and vision to lead an organization that will successfully market and promote Atlantic City. Under Liza’s leadership, the Atlantic City Alliance will create a new and improved brand identity for Atlantic City that resonates with Atlantic City’s current customer base as well as to tourists who currently bypass Atlantic City. This strategy will include components geared to improve convention and meeting business, the city-wide event calendar, and clean and safe initiatives.  It will also develop a strategic marketing plan that will promote Atlantic City’s newly developed brand including the collective marketing of Atlantic City’s casino resorts’ vibrant nightlife, major concert venues with first-class headliners, upscale and celebrity chef restaurants, brand-name retail shopping and famous beach and Boardwalk. She’ll lead an organization that will make sure consumers know that our gaming and non-gaming entertainment offerings make Atlantic City second to none.”

Prior to joining the ACA, Cartmell served as the President of ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment.

“The combination of Liza’s financial background and management experience makes her a unique executive in her ability to lead and grow an organization, while making sure the organization is fiscally responsible and meets its goals,” said Peter Luukko, President and Chief Operating Officer of Comcast-Spectacor. “Liza and I have worked together on many projects over the past twenty years. She is the best in the business.”

Liza Cartmell will work alongside ACA Chairman Don Marrandino, the Eastern Division President of Caesars Entertainment. The ACA’s official Board of Trustees includes: Robert Griffin of Trump Entertainment Resorts, Tony Rodio of Tropicana Casino and Resort, Tom Ballance of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and Dennis Gomes of Resorts Casino Hotel.

(more…)

This announcement was recently dropped into the AC Weekly inbox from the CRDA”

Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Seeking Atlantic City Residents
to Serve on Tourism District Advisory Commission

(Atlantic City, NJ – April 25, 2011) – The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) is seeking Atlantic City residents to serve on its newly-formed Tourism District Advisory Commission.

“It’s very evident from our recent community meetings regarding the newly formed Tourism District that Atlantic City residents have a great passion for their community,” said Interim Executive Director Susan Ney Thompson. “We are now inviting those same residents to be part of the process and bring that passion to the new Tourism District Advisory Commission.”
(more…)

An announcement came from the office of Mayor Lorenzo Langford this morning, Thursday, Dec. 23, stating that the mayor will be holding a press conference on Monday, Dec. 27, at 11:30am at Atlantic City’s City Hall.

The intent will be to discuss the proposed “tourism district” that has been in the news since July and which has gotten more ink in recent days because of an assortment of bills, proposals and plans being made throughout the state with regard to Atlantic City’s future.

Here is an in-depth interview Atlantic City Weekly editor Jeff Schwachter did with the mayor at the end of November — in fact, it was the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — in which he touches on many of the matters that are on his plate with regard to his relationship with the governor, the CRDA and his desire to help the residents of Atlantic City and not just the tourists.

Read the interview via the link above and you’ll recognize there is a lot for the mayor to “discuss” on the Monday after the Christmas holiday weekend — and six months before Gov. Chris Christie’s deadline for the changes to the city to be made, as he stated this past July.

He may also discuss the CRDA plan for a proposed arts district in the Ducktown neighborhood of the resort.