March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 46 F

AAACCVB celebrates redesign of Visitor’s Center

AAACCVB 250x250Stopped by the 26 West Street Visitors Center lately? A colorful new sign just outside the building makes the main entrance easier to find. The sign is just one part of a Visitors Center redesign the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau (AAACCVB) will celebrate during a two-pronged open house at the Visitors Center on Wednesday, July 2, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The evening will begin with the official grand opening of the newly redesigned Visitors Center. It will be followed by a toast celebrating the AAACCVB’s new WeddingsInAnnapolis.com microsite that launched last month.

AAACCVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore says the Visitors Center has been redesigned with today’s visitors in mind. “We reevaluated its efficiency to see how we could better assist visitors and area residents in terms of traffic flow, handicap accessibility and information gathering. It was also the perfect time to introduce our new “Find IT Here” branding into the look and feel of the center.”

The AAACCVB shared its vision for the Visitors Center with Annapolis-based Sally Wern Comport of Art at Large, who planned and executed the redesign. Since directions are high on a visitor’s priority list, the center now includes three floor-to-ceiling maps for easy orientation. New information counters include mounted tablets the AAACCVB’s volunteer information specialists are accessing to better assist visitors. A weather-safe outside Plexiglas brochure rack has been added to give travelers 24/7 access to Visitors Guides and maps. Prominent exterior and interior signs help visitors to easily find the center entrance and restrooms, and a floor to ceiling iconic picture of Annapolis shot by local photographer Robert Peterson greets guests as they walk in the door. Comport has tied all of the new components together with a salmon and aqua color palate and a look that’s in harmony with the AAACCVB’s “Find It Here” branding campaign that launched last month.

Del Signore says Comport has created a space that is at the same time warm, welcoming and efficient. “Our Visitors Center is the face of the Conference and Visitors Bureau. It says who we are, so it’s important that it convey the warmth and provide the necessary services our visitors are looking for. Thanks to a series of effective marketing campaigns, our volunteer information specialists assisted 5,500 more visitors in April 2014, compared to the same month a year ago. As the numbers increase, it’s important that we continue to anticipate our visitors’ needs, respond to their feedback and stay relevant.”

The AAACCVB is using its new WeddingsInAnnapolis.com microsite to stay relevant with the weddings market. It provides couples with one convenient location for accessing the information they need to plan, stage and enjoy their special day in Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay. Individuals attending the open house will have an opportunity to check out the new site in the John C. Astle Conference Room. In keeping with the wedding theme, attendees will be invited to celebrate this latest addition to the AAACCVB website with a toast and wedding cupcakes.

It’s been seven years since the Visitors Center reopened following an expansion of the AAACCVB’s 26 West Street offices in 2007. Since that time, more than 1.5 million visitors have stopped by the Visitors Center.

The AAACCVB is a nonprofit, membership-based destination marketing organization that generates revenues for the local economy by promoting Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay to leisure and business travelers across the country and around the world.

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