Contacts:
Sara Hisamoto, Visit Baltimore 410-659-7071
Jen Bloomer, National Aquarium 410-576-3860
Todd Scott, Maryland Science Center 410-528-5400
Amy Burke, Waterfront Partnership 410-243-3790

SUCCESSFUL BALTIMORE “WATERFRONT INVASION” TOURISM CAMPAIGN RECOGNIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION
Joint marketing campaign increased summer attendance at partner attractions and hotels

(Baltimore, 10/7/09) – The Baltimore “Waterfront Invasion,” a joint, summer-long marketing campaign by Visit Baltimore, the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium, and Baltimore’s Waterfront Partnership received an Award of Distinction from the International Downtown Association for successfully driving summer visitation to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and partner attractions through shared advertising, public relations, special events, promotions, and social media efforts.

The Waterfront Invasion was the first time the organizations have pooled marketing and public relations resources to create a summer promotion centered around two popular attractions and the Inner Harbor. The partnership allowed each organization to amplify its promotional efforts, both locally and regionally, and maximize individual budgets to offer a complete travel experience for out of town visitors, as well as activities that will appeal to the local community. Joint marketing efforts included television, radio, outdoor, print and online advertising in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania. A dedicated Web site offered special Waterfront Invasion ticketing options, retail and restaurant discounts, hotel packages, and special events information.

By all measures the promotion was a success: attendance numbers at the Maryland Science Center and National Aquarium surpassed projections, business at area hotels had bookings through the “Invasion” packages, and multiple events brought area residents and tourists to the Inner Harbor. Major achievements include:

· The ticket upgrade sales for Chinasaurs at the Maryland Science Center doubled projected numbers.
· Overall summer attendance at the National Aquarium was 13 percent above projections.
· More than 874 room nights booked through Waterfront Invasion packages.
· Waterfront Invasion local and national media coverage reached 23,385,771 people and generated $648,911 in advertising equivalency.
· Campaign Web site “waterfrontinvasion.com” received 54,782 unique visitors and 237,000 page views over four months.
· Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore held over a dozen of new family friendly events on the waterfront.

“This first-time marketing partnership helped each organization leverage its marketing dollars and, as a result, generated great buzz for Baltimore summer travel,” said Tom Noonan, president and CEO, Visit Baltimore. “We look forward to creating more promotions that showcase the city and its events throughout the year.”

The “Waterfront Invasion” promotional partnership began Memorial Day weekend when the Maryland Science Center and the National Aquarium opened Chinasaurs: Dinosaur Dynasty and Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out Of Balance respectively – two new exhibits that unleashed prehistoric predators on the Inner Harbor. In addition to the new exhibits themselves, the summer-long promotion also included family-friendly events and activities led by Baltimore’s Waterfront Partnership and eye-catching “invasion” décor elements around the Inner Harbor that reinforced the “invasion” theme.

“This award acknowledges the power of partnerships. With Visit Baltimore, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore joining together to launch Waterfront Invasion, we extended our advertising reach, attracted more visitors and provided new opportunities for free family fun on the waterfront,” said Laurie Schwartz, executive director of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.

About Visit Baltimore
Visit Baltimore is the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore that generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors.

About the Maryland Science Center
The Maryland Science Center in Baltimore is visited by more than 500,000 people each year. Popular exhibits include: Dinosaur Mysteries with full-size dinosaurs and interactive paleontology activities; a day in the life of the human body in Your Body: The Inside Story; and dozens of interactive experiments in Newton’s Alley. Other attractions include the Kids Room, the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, and the world-famous Davis Planetarium.

About the National Aquarium, Baltimore
The National Aquarium is a world-class aquatic institution dedicated to environmental education and stewardship. Its living collection, at venues in Baltimore and Washington, DC, includes more than 16,000 animals from more than 600 species of fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals in award-winning, recreated habitats. The National Aquarium’s mission is to provide transforming experiences that inspire people to enjoy, respect and protect the aquatic world.

About Waterfront Partnership
The driving force behind a cleaner, more attractive and more exciting waterfront, the Partnership provides direct services to keep the waterfront clean, safe and friendly. All summer long Waterfront Partnership Hospitality Guides assisted visitors along the promenade by providing information, directions and taking photos of visitors. Additionally, the Guides assisted in providing a range of free family-friendly activities along the promenade. The Partnership also sponsored free family concerts in West Shore Park, movies and sport activities. Safety Guides ensure a safety presence along the waterfront and the Partnership’s landscaping team keeps the harbor area lush and colorful all year round.

About the International Downtown Association
Founded in 1954, the International Downtown Association has more than 650 member organizations worldwide including: North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Through our network of committed individuals, rich body of knowledge and unique capacity to nurture community-building partnerships, IDA is a guiding force in creating healthy and dynamic centers that anchor the well being of towns, cities and regions of the world.

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Daily Record

For the second time this year, the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s bond rating has been downgraded by an investment service, but attraction officials remain upbeat about the future.

Citing the aquarium’s recent investment losses, Moody’s Investors Service announced this week it is lowering its fixed and variable rate demand bonds to a medium investment grade with a negative outlook from its previous rating of upper-medium grade with a questionable outlook.

David Pittenger, the aquarium’s executive director, said Wednesday the lowered credit rating was mostly a reaction to the endowment’s loss over the past year and the institution’s recent tapping into that account for capital expenses.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Amy Burke, Profiles, Inc.
aburke@profilespr.com
410-243-3790

National Aquarium Announces New Board President and Members
Bill Roberts named Chair of National Aquarium Institute and National Aquarium, Baltimore Board

(Baltimore) – May 11, 2009 - The National Aquarium announces the appointment of several new members and a slate of new officers to its Boards.

National Aquarium, Baltimore
William “Bill” Roberts was appointed Chair of the Board of the National Aquarium in Baltimore. In this role he also chairs the National Aquarium Institute Board that includes members of the Boards of the National Aquarium Foundation, the Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation (CALC), and the National Aquarium, Washington, DC.

Mr. Roberts was named Region President for Verizon Maryland and the District of Columbia in December 2007. Roberts began his career with The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company (DC), now Verizon Washington DC, in 1980 as a business office manager. He has held positions in operations, human resources, marketing, public affairs, and government relations.

Mr. Roberts serves as Chair of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and is on the Boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Maryland Chapter of Commerce, and MedStar Health. He also serves on the Morgan State University Board of Regents.

Born and raised in Talbot County, Mr. Roberts graduated from Morgan State University and attended graduate school at Harvard University and Eastern Michigan University. He has two honorary doctorate degrees — a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Maryland University College.

Mr. Roberts is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society and has completed executive and leadership development programs at the University of Richmond (Va.)-Robins School of Business; the Institute for Public Service in Washington, D.C.; and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C.

New members to the National Aquarium, Baltimore Board are:

• Charles A. Phillips, Jr., Senior Vice President of KCI Technologies, Inc
• K. Lee Riley, Jr., Attorney-at-Law with Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler
• W. Charles Rogers, III, Attorney with Rogers, Moore & Rogers LLP
• Rhoda Washington, Senior Regional Manager, State and Local Government Relations for Wal-Mart

National Aquarium, Washington, DC
Bill Perry retains the position of Chair of the Board of the National Aquarium, Washington, DC. The Board is pleased to welcome new members, including:

• Dr. Carole C. Baldwin, Curator of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History
• Mrs. Jane W. I. Droppa
• Ms. Marianela Peralta, Shareholder, Littler Mendelson, PC
• Mr. Mark Rovner, Principal, Sea Change Strategies
• Mr. Steven W. Smith, Director, Citicorp North America, Inc.
• Ms. C. Elizabeth Wagner, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service

The National Aquarium is a world-class aquatic institution dedicated to environmental education and stewardship with the mission to provide transforming experiences that inspire people to enjoy, respect and protect the aquatic world. Its living collection, at venues in Baltimore and Washington, DC, includes more than 16,000 animals from more than 600 species of fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals that live in award-winning, naturalistic habitats.
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Early in April, I headed downtown one Saturday morning with my wife to go to the National Aquarium for the opening weekend of their new Dolphin show.

The Aquarium had sent invitations via Twitter to various people online in the area and I’m really sorry that making my post on the trip was delayed this long.

Jayvie of One Fine Jay sat next to us for the show and has his pictures up here. My pictures are up here.

My wife took videos which are up here and here.

The show was much faster moving and dynamic than the previous show which I had seen a few months ago. The video screens were used well in cojunction with the live narration and the dolphins in the pool. The dolphins themselves are amazing.