Atlantic City Casino Campaign Will Stop At Baltimore's Artscape
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Philadelphia now has casinos. But it doesn't have a beach or an ocean -- something Atlantic City plans to hammer home this weekend.
The New Jersey casino resort is dispatching a mobile roadshow to tout its "DO AC" tourism campaign to Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City, trying to drum up business for Atlantic City. It includes free spa massages, games to win prizes and DJ performances.
First stop is this weekend at Philadelphia's Penn's Landing, where the exhibit will be open on the great Plaza from noon to 10 p.m. through Sunday. Later stops will include Baltimore and New York City.
It's called "Live from AC" and is part of Atlantic City's new $30 million annual promotional campaign.
The attraction "was specifically created to introduce Atlantic City to people in a new way, create a social media buzz and represent all 12 casinos in key markets," said Liza Cartmell, president of the Atlantic City Alliance, which promotes Atlantic City and is funded by the casinos. "We see the `Live From AC' roadshow as an opportunity to directly engage our target audience of fun-seekers, show them everything that AC has to offer and help them plan -- and possibly win -- a trip to AC."
The centerpiece will be a "pop-up casino resort," a 750-square foot trailer featuring televisions, furniture, Boardwalk flooring, a photo booth, a DJ booth, a gambling table and a bar. Spa massages, DJ performances and chances to win prizes are included, but there will be no actual gambling or alcohol provided.
It features six Atlantic City experiences designed to make vacationers want to visit. "Do Chill" offers a free five-minute spa massage. "Do Views" lets people recharge their electronic devices while seeing Atlantic City images and casino offerings.
"Do Chance" lets contestants spin the wheel and try to win an Atlantic City prize, while "Do Memories" lets them have their pictures taken in front of a variety of iconic Atlantic City backgrounds to automatically post and share using the Twitter hashtag, LiveFromAC.
"Do Thrills" offers a taste of Atlantic City nightlife with DJ Nigel Richards, and "Do Savor" is a game matching restaurants and hotels to win Atlantic City prizes.
A spontaneous Atlantic City trip also will be given away on Friday. Three people will win a Zipcar rental for an overnight trip to Atlantic City on Saturday.
The campaign will go to Baltimore July 19-21 at Artscape. A date has not been set for a stop at New York City's Flatiron District.
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