Atlantic City Showed What It Can Do — And People Are Noticing

Hey Folks,

What a Saturday night in Atlantic City.

RÜFÜS DU SOL brought more than 35,000 ticketed fans to a sold-out concert on the Atlantic City beach, and thousands more were up on the Boardwalk taking in the music and the atmosphere.

If you were anywhere near the beach or Boardwalk Saturday night, you didn’t need anybody to tell you Atlantic City was busy. You could feel it.

People were walking the boards, eating in our restaurants, stopping into businesses, staying at the resorts and enjoying one of those summer nights that reminds you just how special this place can be.

35,000 People Don’t Just Show Up By Accident

Here’s something I think deserves to be said.

Putting more than 35,000 people on the beach — plus thousands more on the Boardwalk — and successfully handling a crowd that size takes a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes.

Visit Atlantic City deserves recognition for continuing to promote our destination and give people reasons to come here.

So do the Atlantic City Police Department, the Atlantic City Fire Department, emergency personnel, Public Works, the Beach & Boardwalk Division and the many city employees and workers whose names most visitors will never know.

Those are the people helping make sure a night like this works.

And when it works, everybody benefits.

When We Give People A Reason To Come, They Come

I’ve said this for years: Atlantic City has assets that most destinations would love to have.

We’ve got the Atlantic Ocean. We’ve got a free beach. We’ve got that iconic Boardwalk. We’ve got casino resorts, restaurants, entertainment, nightlife and a city built to welcome visitors.

Saturday night put all of that on display.

And here’s the bigger point: this wasn’t some isolated good night for Atlantic City.

We’ve seen over and over what happens when we bring concerts, sporting events, conventions, festivals and other major attractions into town. People come. They stay. They eat. They walk the Boardwalk. They discover businesses they may never have visited otherwise.

That’s economic activity, but it’s also something else that’s just as important: it’s momentum.

I Wrote About It In The Press

I felt strongly enough about what I saw that I shared my thoughts with The Press of Atlantic City, and I’m happy to say they published my letter.

My message was pretty simple: when Atlantic City gets something right, we should say so.

Give credit to the people doing the work. Build on what’s working. Keep the city clean and safe. Keep improving the visitor experience. And keep giving people reasons to come back.

You can read my letter in The Press of Atlantic City here.

What’s Coming Up

• Keep an eye on Atlantic City: Check Visit Atlantic City’s event calendar for upcoming concerts, festivals, shows and other Atlantic City events.
• Explore the Boardwalk: Whether there’s a major event happening or not, there’s always something worth discovering along the Atlantic City beach and Boardwalk.
• Support local: When you’re in town for a concert or event, make some time for the restaurants, shops and locally owned businesses that help give Atlantic City its personality.

There are always going to be things we can improve. That’s true of every city.

But I’m also a believer in recognizing success when we see it.

Saturday night was a success.

More than 35,000 fans on the beach. Thousands more on the Boardwalk. Businesses busy. Visitors enjoying themselves. Atlantic City doing what Atlantic City does best.

Let’s build on it.

Let’s keep doing what works.

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Live-Work-Play-AC!
See you on the 48

AC Mike