The city council on Tuesday hired a Gadsden, Alabama-based company to manage the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater and tapped a downtown company to give the facility’s marketing some local flavor.
The council unanimously approved contracting with Lookout IT – at a total of $10,000 over the next two months – for branding and marketing services for the amphitheater under the final phase construction at the Island and is slated to be open by spring. City Engineer Kevin Stafford said the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau has expressed a willingness to shoulder the company’s $5,000 per month rate once the new fiscal year starts in October.
Stafford said Live Nation recommended Lookout IT to Columbus since the company manages several similarly-sized venues to the planned 3,500-capacity facility at the Island. He said the company will market 10-12 shows per year at the amphitheater, provide strategic guidance on everything from a launch strategy to ticketing to sponsorship to promoter coordination, and deploy its creative team from branding materials.
“There will be some things branding wise that you’ll start seeing,” Stafford said. “Right now we have no logo. We have no anything. So they’ll put all that together.”
More immediately, Stafford said, Lookout IT will work to create industry buzz around the venue.
“This is to start getting that messaging out there, ‘Hey, this thing exists,’” he said. “And it’s not for us. … It’s for the bands and promoters.”
On Tuesday, the council also agreed to work with Columbus-based NeonFROG to help promote the amphitheater on a local level at an hourly rate of $150, as needed. That could involve social media posting, press releases and other services.
“Telling the story of how we got here and where we’re going, even during construction to get people excited,” Stafford told The Dispatch, explaining NeonFROG’s role. “Today, I went out there, and the limestone rock is down where the hard seating is going to be. … Soon, you’ll see vertical buildings going up, restrooms, concessions, all that.
“… I think NeonFROG goes away once you get to the ribbon-cutting,” he added. “At that point, Lookout IT is taking us the rest of the way.”
Frances Glenn, tourism director for the CVB, said the city would need to request the CVB board take on Lookout IT’s contract next fiscal year. She could not comment further Tuesday on whether that would happen.
“I do think the amphitheater needs to be marketed properly, and I do think Lookout IT is the right company for that,” Glenn told The Dispatch in a phone interview after the council meeting.
Other business
In other business, the council:
■ terminated a police officer for dereliction of duty;
■ raised the incoming city planner’s salary from $75,000 to $80,000, with the possibility of raising it to $85,000 after six months on the job; and
■ reappointed Emily Johnson to a 3-year term on the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
