One of the driving forces behind Philadelphia’s renowned LGBT-tourism efforts is now taking the lead at an agency tasked with driving tourism in Atlantic City.
Jeff Guaracino began his role Monday as executive director of the Atlantic City Alliance, where he previously served as chief strategy and communications officer, overseeing the advertising, marketing, events-planning and public-relations efforts of the organization.
The new position comes amid an agency restructuring, including the resignation of inaugural president and CEO Liza Cartmell. ACA, which was created through a partnership between the state and casino community, was funded through 2016, but a legislative proposal that could be voted on in the coming weeks would reassign ACA’s $60 million in funding over the next two years for property-tax relief.
Guaracino said the early shuttering of the ACA would be detrimental.
“It would be immediate and dramatic, not good at all,” Guaracino said. “With a city in crisis, you need more marketing, not less. You don’t want the last thing people to remember about Atlantic City is that casinos have closed.”
Guaracino said that, since its 2011 launch, ACA has made significant strides in communicating the value of Atlantic City beyond its gaming.
“We don’t want to lose the momentum we have had, as we’ve been gaining ground in people seeing us as an entertainment, dining and nightlife destination,” Guaracino said, noting that ACA furthered those goals, despite challenging conditions. “Atlantic City has been through a lot: murders, Hurricane Sandy, four casinos closing, an out-of-control city budget that is unsustainable at our current levels with the decrease of revenue, which has created an economic crisis. We didn’t anticipate that when we started, and the Alliance has really acted as chief crisis officer: working with the governor’s office, the mayor, the economic-development and tourism teams and media worldwide to manage the messaging about the crisis. Without that funding, we don’t have that system in place.”
Guaracino said everything hinges on the funding proposal, which he said Mayor Don Guardian noted has created a “Titanic or Noah’s Ark situation” at the ACA — which will also inform the path Guaracino’s work will take.
“As executive director, I’m responsible for the budget, legislative initiatives, reconfiguring the mission to match a new potential budget. Or, I’ll be responsible for shutting down the organization, which would be everything from legal, financial, staffing and contracted legacy programs,” Guaracino said. “There’s going to be a lot to do, either way. You learn a lot by turning an organization into a different one and also if you have to shut down a business. What you have to do is really begin to look at how do you reconfigure available resources to try and cobble together a tourism strategy for Atlantic City.”
Whichever the outcome, Guaracino said his experience in the industry has prepared him.
Guaracino served as vice president of communications at Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (now Visit Philly) before heading to Atlantic City. He joined GPTMC in 2001 as director of communications.
“It’s funny but I feel oddly prepared. Because of my work at Visit Philly and with [Visit Philly president and CEO] Meryl Levitz and the senior management team, I feel very ready for battle, for the challenge,” he said. “I also recognize that Atlantic City is facing very different challenges than ever before. But I’m a quick learner and I can work well with a variety of groups and people at all levels. The relationships I’ve made and the training I’ve had put me in the right position for this.”
One of the benchmarks of his Philly work was his leadership on the city’s groundbreaking “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay” campaign, launched in 2003. He has continued to promote LGBT tourism in Atlantic City, working last year to successfully stage Sandblast for the first time in the city and designating a section of the beach as the LGBT-friendly area, among other initiatives.
He said the LGBT community could play a vital role in the city’s rejuvenation.
“There’s beachfront housing with ocean views at historic lows, and the gay community loves that and is always looking for new places to come. Sandblast and other events can also play an important role in diversification. We’ve done it in Chelsea, in South Beach, in Wilton Manors. Atlantic City is prime real estate, and I think the LGBT community is going to embrace that and be a part of this renaissance.”
Regardless of the ACA’s future, Guaracino said he’s optimistic that change will come to Atlantic City.
“Marketing and events would drive people here but I understand that the enormity of the financial situation Atlantic City has gotten itself into is a problem. But this is a fight, to continue to do what’s right for the destination. I have many emotions toward it, but I believe in Atlantic City, in that boardwalk, that ocean, and I know it’s going to do great. I just hope we get a chance to continue to propel it forward.”