Event Pros Speak Out about the Inauguration
The inauguration of President Obama was one of the most-anticipated events of the last decade. Find out what you, the experts, thought about it
Published in February 2009 end quote | Inauguration | marketing | Departments
General Victor Renuart Jr.“It would make news for a terrorist element or rogue element to interrupt that event. So it is prudent to plan for the possibility of that event and to deter it or to respond to it.”
— General Victor Renuart Jr., commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, on security preparations for the Jan. 20 inauguration, in the Chicago Tribune
“The fact that this is an African American is not lost on us. We understand that this is a historic event; we understand that this is different from other inaugurations. It is one additional piece that we factor into the plan.”
— Malcolm Wiley, Secret Service spokesman, on security preparations for the January inauguration, in USA Today
“There are opportunities in marketing through the Internet and we’re hopeful that will help us get over the tide.”
— Birmingham hotelier Bill Murray, on overcoming the challenges hotels are facing in this economy, in the Birmingham Business Journal
“You can prepare for inaugurations like the ones we’ve seen in the past, but nobody has ever worried about where to put 10,000 buses before.”
— Peter Gage, the top planner behind Obama’s Inaugural Parade, on accommodating the millions of Washington visitors during the inauguration, in USA Today
Walt Baker“Smart marketers utilize this time to get in front of customers — whether they’re buying right now or they are going to be buying 12 months from now. Just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean people aren’t making decisions.”
— Walt Baker, CEO of the Greater Nashville Hotel & Lodging Association, on the city’s increased efforts to bring visitors to Nashville, in the Nashville Business Journal
“We have to spin straw into gold.”
— Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the company’s marketing efforts to increase tourism during a slow economy, in the Nashville Business Journal
“We are responsible for the lawful, peaceful transfer of power.”
— Jennifer Griffith, a staff member at the Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies, on the process of planning the inauguration swearing-in, on TheOlympian.com
Candace Smith“We’re going to carry as many [visitors] as we can. We can’t carry all of them. Quite honestly, the best seat is going to be in front of the television.”
— Candace Smith, spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, on the swarms of people that will descend on D.C. for the inaugural ceremonies, in USA Today