NEW ORLEANS – On Thursday, Oct. 26, Scott Hutcheson, deputy chief administrative officer/senior advisor to the Mayor for Cultural Economy, Mark Romig, president/CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC), Bob Becker, CEO of City Park, and the 2018 NOLA Foundation lit the first of three Tricentennial sculptures.
The lighting took place at the New Orleans City Park's Big Lake as the city prepares for the opening of Voodoo Festival.
"City Park is thrilled to host such a monumental part of the Tricentennial celebration," said Bob Becker, CEO of City Park. "We love providing both locals and tourist with an open, public space to pass the time or make memories of a lifetime and what better way to do that than with this installation."
NOTMC and the 2018 Commission developed three seven-foot "300" installations to increase campaign awareness and attract social media engagement from locals and visitors during the city's Tricentennial year, reps said. The Big Lake City Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Parks' Audubon Plaza planter bed, and the top of the steps in Washington Artillery Park will house the sculptures.
"New Orleans is widely known for its rich history told through stories," said Mark Romig, president and CEO of NOTMC. "Our activations throughout the city aim to remind us of our history, build on our existing stories and encourage us to create more in the future. We are beyond excited to bring a new long-standing addition to the city landscape."
The "300" installations produced and installed by local production company, Event Producers, will be in place for the entire Tricentennial celebration in tandem with the "One Time, In New Orleans," the NOTMC Ad Campaign for tourism. New Orleans is celebrating the stories curated throughout history to drive tourists to the city during its Tricentennial year, reps said. A series of seven national print ads, featuring archival photography from the 1940's to the 2000's, will expand on the city's story-rich history. Additionally, the Story Booth, a reclaimed shipping container, layered with artificial intelligence software, will move to different festivals throughout the year to collect great stories from locals and tourists.
"We want to encourage reflection on the past to build the foundation of the future," said Hutcheson. "New Orleans is full of unique experiences, and throughout our tricentennial, we want to engage locals and tourist alike in continuing building our history."
The Tricentennial Anniversary of New Orleans acknowledges the city's rich history and sets the course for the future, reps said. The City of New Orleans and NOTMC will host local events, programs, activations and more for both locals and tourist to promote the city as a leisure tourism destination and celebrate 300 years of history, diversity and cultural traditions.
