The CVB and Classic Center have teamed up for promotion to drive meetings and leisure travel for specific slow periods ("Hot Dates") this fiscal year.  The groundwork for business for future fiscal years will also be laid.
   

The full name of the campaign is "Athens Unleashed AND on Sale."  The Classic Center will extend a 40 percent discount off its rack rental fees, and participating hotels are also to extend 40 percent off their rack rates for specified "Hot Dates." 

The M&C program is focused on filling space at The Classic Center and nearby downtown hotels.  When The Classic Center does well, all of Athens succeeds.  We are in touch with hotels that are in close proximity to The Classic Center to determine which slow dates correspond with The Classic Center's slow times or "Hot Dates."   Targeted meeting planners will receive an e-postcard, followed by phone calls.

Hospitality Newsmakers

• Congratulations to Hotel Indigo, recipient of the 2010 Development of Excellence in Sustainability award, presented by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Atlanta.  The hotel is LEED Gold Certified, only the 10th hotel in the world to achieve this status.
  
• Barron's Rental Center has received the Georgia Bridal Association's 2010 award for Best Party Rental Company.  Brides and grooms from all over Georgia voted for companies based on service, quality, and price.
  
• Holiday Inn Athens is celebrating its 50th Anniversary!  As  thanks for a great first 50 years, the Benson family is asking folks to share their best memories.  Five winners will receive a weekend package in Athens November 26-27, including tickets to the big game vs. that engineering school from Atlanta!  More info here.

CVB Communications Mgr. Hannah Smith in Georgia Trend

Athens in the News

• Athens profiled in Georgia Trend, October 2010, p. 57-63
• "Dandy Dozen: Best College Football Towns," results from poll of AP Top 25 voters, Associated Press, Oct 8, 2010
• "Best Local Music Scenes in the U.S." Budget Travel reader's choice poll (Austin TX edged out Athens by just eight votes), October 2010
• "Top Tri Towns"for triathletes (ranked #10), Triathlete.com, October 2010
• Wuxtry Records named one of the top 25 Music Stores in the U.S., Rolling Stone magazine, Sept. 2010 
• "Automatic for the Diners," food critic Christiane Lauterbach reviews Athens dining in Atlanta Magazine, Sept. 2010
• Ranked #1 for Campus Life, BusinessWeek, Sept. 13, 2010
• "Top 10 College Towns: Great Cities for School & Life After Graduation" (Ranked #2), Livability.com, Sept. 2010, also reported by AJC.com, Sept. 13, 2010