Atlanta a fast-rising star in world of major exhibitions

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Atlanta a fast-rising star in world of major exhibitions
February 8, 2010
by Nedra Rhone
AJC

Back in 2006, when the artistic showman Normand Latourelle wanted to bring his new extravaganza to Atlanta, there was a problem: The only space large enough for the equestrian arts production — the lot at Atlantic Station — was already occupied, not coincidentally, by Cirque du Soleil. So “Cavalia” headed out to Texas and a full schedule beyond, before finally trotting into Atlanta just last fall for its big local debut.

And what a debut it was.

The plan was to stay six weeks, Latourelle said, but they ended up staying for 10 weeks and could have hung around for five more — easily — to fill demand.

“It was breaking records for the first time in Atlanta,” Latourelle said. The show had been to Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Seattle, San Diego. “We had some success in other cities, but Atlanta was our most successful debut in a city.” It concluded in Atlanta with 125,000 tickets sold before traveling on to Miami.

Not that Latourelle expected anything less. Former executive vice president and a co-founder of Cirque, he knew Atlantic Station was the perfect venue — perfect enough to wait almost four years for a vacancy that meshed with Cavalia’s tour schedule that had also included a pass through Europe.

While the show itself is good, Latourelle pointed out, Atlanta’s venue is a standout. It helps that Atlantic Station is large enough to accommodate the huge, tented show; has good visibility from the highways and offers other entertainment options for ticket holders. “With all the elements together, we just had a great success. Atlanta was for most of us a discovery as a city.”

In the past four years, a number of companies have discovered Atlanta’s viability as a location for major shows and exhibitions. Industry insiders say the presence of large venues, reasonable marketing costs and enthusiastic patrons hungry for a variety of cultural offerings make the city ripe for blockbuster exhibitions.

● The newest exhibition to hit town in January, “Diana: A Celebration,” welcomed more than 10,000 visitors to the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in 10 days, putting it on track to reach or exceed an expected 100,000 visitors before returning to Europe in June.

● More than 400,000 visitors took in “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” at the Civic Center last year.

● Before that, “Bodies...The Exhibition,” which opened at the Civic Center in 2006, had 400,000 visitors before returning for a second run last fall at the Premier Exhibition Center in Atlantic Station. In 2008, “The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army” did similar numbers at the High Museum.

● That same year, “Titanic: Aquatic” had 150,000 visitors in the first three months at the Georgia Aquarium; while the following year, “America I AM: The African American Imprint” drew about 128,000 visitors to the Civic Center, significantly more than in cities such as Philadelphia where about 90,000 tickets were sold.

The numbers are good, but Atlanta hasn’t quite reached top tier yet when compared with markets with longer histories of hosting these exhibitions, said John Norman, president of Cleveland-based Arts and Exhibitions International. Tutankhamun, for example, had 1.1 million visitors in Chicago, he said.

“Atlanta is on its way to becoming a good exhibition market. It is an eight- to 10-year process, so we are heading in the right direction, building a strong foundation,” Norman said. A combination of quality shows and strong promotional partners will continue to raise the city’s profile among exhibitors, he said.

One space now attracting strong shows is the Civic Center. Since taking over space vacated by SciTrek in 2005, the Civic Center has hosted five exhibitions, according to its director, Ann Marie Moraitakis. The facility has about 100,000 square feet of open space, 50,000 of which can be used for exhibitions.

That compares favorably to an average of 20,000 square feet at many venues around the country, she said. Another bonus: high ceilings, which allow for intricate lighting.

“The people who put exhibitions together are artists, and they like to have space so they can be free with the way they set things up and make them look,” Moraitakis said. With ample parking and a downtown location near other cultural attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, the Civic Center has become one of the city’s primary venues for major exhibitions.

Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions was first to use the Civic Center as an exhibition hall. When the company was seeking a large space for “Bodies ... The Exhibition” in 2006, it tore down walls there to create space suited to the exhibition’s size. The company followed with “Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibition” later that year, and based on its success, created a smaller version for the Georgia Aquarium. “Titanic: Aquatic,” which opened in 2008, is now headed to aquariums around the country.

Atlanta also has the diverse population exhibitors look for when bringing in large-scale exhibitions. That was a factor last year when Premier Exhibitions chose Atlanta as a test city for “Dialogue in the Dark” before sending it out on tour.

“We needed a city we could launch it in and get a good indicator with people from all walks of life. Atlantic Station provided the perfect opportunity to do that,” said Katherine Seymour, vice president of public relations. “People in Atlanta are looking for what we like to call edu-tainment. It is basically an educational opportunity that families can go to that is still entertaining.”

Though native Atlantans may complain about the growing number of transplants in the city, those newcomers are why more exhibitors take notice.

“When you think about what [transplants] find in other cities, they are used to seeing big blockbuster events,” said William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Touring exhibitions go where there is the greatest demand for the product, and when they arrive, they often bring a host of out-of-town visitors (nearly 40 percent of traffic for Tutankhamun and Terracotta Army) that help boost the local economy. Hotels and restaurants benefit, Pate said, along with the various cultural institutions that partner with the touring shows.

Atlanta, he said, has figured out the formula for success: “Bring large blockbuster events to the city in a finite time frame so it creates a sense of urgency for people to get off the couch and purchase tickets.” And once they do get up and out, Pate said, most of them discover that Atlanta has a lot more to offer than they ever imagined.