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COBB TRAVEL & TOURISM REVEALS NEW ARTS INITIATIVE ‘COBB ARTS VIBE’

Cobb County, Ga. — (November 14, 2018) — Cobb Travel & Tourism unveiled Cobb County’s newest arts initiative, Cobb Arts VIBE, which will tell the story of the arts community. Arts play an important role in Cobb’s $3.05 billion tourism industry. The new initiative and logo were announced at Cobb Travel & Tourism’s Annual Meeting & Mixer on November 13.

VIBE stands for ‘Visionaries Imagining Bold Experiences’. Cobb Arts VIBE hopes to unite individual artists, arts initiatives, and organizations together to form a collective vision for the community. “What can local artists and arts organizations do together that we cannot do separately? That’s how the VIBE was created,” shared Holly Quinlan, President & CEO of Cobb Travel & Tourism. The VIBE believes that the organization can achieve more together than they can apart.

Cobb Travel & Tourism commissioned a three-month Arts Market Study at the beginning of 2018 involving leaders throughout Cobb County who represent the performing arts, visual arts, and cultural heritage arts. Led by Vanita Keswani with Cobb County PARKS, Jan Galt with the Marietta History Museum, and Market Street Services, the goal was to bring together leaders and stakeholders from throughout the county to create opportunities, conversations, and relationships. “This process was an important step in creating new collaboration in Cobb,” said Quinlan. “Our goal is to create a connected arts community.”

The Steering Committee includes 44 representatives from:

• Acworth Arts Alliance • ArtsBridge Foundation • Atlanta Ballet • Atlanta Lyric Theatre • Atlanta Opera • Center Stage North • City of Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, and Smyrna • Cobb County School District • Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre • Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. • Coca-Cola Roxy • Friends of the Mable House • Georgia Ballet • Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theater • Georgia Symphony Orchestra • Gone with the Wind Museum • Kennesaw Art & Cultural Commission • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park • Kennesaw State University • Marietta Arts Council • Marietta Cobb Museum of Art • Marietta Visitors Bureau • Mountain View Arts Alliance • Six Flags Over Georgia • Smith-Gilbert Gardens • South Cobb Arts Alliance • Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History • The Battery Atlanta • The Branding Project • The Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre • Theater in the Square

“People want to be in a place where they can be engaged by the world around them. The arts are an incredible part of connecting with the community and Cobb Arts VIBE will show the world that the arts are thriving in Cobb,” said Quinlan.

The Steering Committee will meet regularly at arts venues throughout Cobb County to begin implementing recommendations from the Arts Market Study. Cobb Arts VIBE is focused on establishing Cobb County’s reputation as a place that values art by providing engaging arts experiences to residents, which will in turn strengthen the county’s reputation as an arts destination for tourists.

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Cobb Travel & Tourism is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization that markets Cobb County and all of its assets as a 365-day destination. As the leading industry in Cobb County, tourism represents $3.05 billion in economic impact and supports more than 35,000 jobs. Each Cobb household would need to be taxed an additional $461 per year to replace taxes generated by tourism activity. By 2020, tourism in Cobb County is projected to have an economic impact of more than $4 billion.