The Grand Opening of Grand Openings
Market City Center, the tallest structure raised in 50 years in Chattanooga’s central business district, held its grand opening on September 14. Just nine short months earlier, Maycreate was working on names for this 10-story landmark, that includes 42,000 sq. ft. of retail, restaurant, and first-class office space, plus 125 one and two-bedroom apartments. It’s considered one of the most important developments in Chattanooga’s central business district in years.
When The Simpson Organization, the Atlanta based developer of the project, approached Brian May, president and senior creative director, they were looking for a name that captured the magnitude and importance of this development. Brian and Monty Wyne, senior copywriter, got to work. Some 200 names were presented to the client. Market City Center was the finalist, because it captured the significance of the location and the prominence of the building.
However, naming was just the tip of iceberg. In addition, Maycreate had to design and develop a brand identity package, a Website, create construction signage, take photographs, as well as design, write and produce sales and marketing materials for the grand opening, and shoot accompanying video. This was a lot of ground to cover with a short timeframe.
The entire staff worked on the project. Brian Murphy, senior art director, was responsible for the identity package, including logo design, brand colors, graphic representation, fonts, and tagline. Grant Little, senior art director, created the Website design, including site map and wire frames. Taylor Richards, Maycreate’s front-end developer, designed the user interface, maximizing the ease of the user experience and streamlining functionality. Video that showcased the apartment designs and individual features, as well as stunning rooftop views of the city were shot and edited by Sarah Smith, Maycreate’s photo and video producer.
Grant also took care of all the signage and interior graphics needed for the construction phase and the grand opening. He came up with a novel idea for marketing the retail, restaurant, and office space. He designed full-size, 3-D window graphics containing a 4-color photograph of what the finished space could look like, creating a vision for potential business owners. Inview Graphics printed and installed everything, including large floor mats for the entrance and other areas of the building.
When it came to a theme for the grand opening, Eliza Everett, our accounts manager, took charge. Her idea for the overarching theme was “Live Local,” and the secondary theme that supported it, was Downtown Living in Uptown Style. Everything that was designed, written and produced for the event reflected this. Eliza also worked on names for the individual apartments that represented familiar local landmarks or places.
The four-color sales kit was designed and produced by Grant Little and content was written by Monty Wyne. The kit consisted of a sophisticated 8 ½” X 11” folder with introductory copy and pockets that held individual sales sheets detailing the features and unique finishes for the retail, restaurant and office spaces, as well as the apartments. These were handed out to those attending the grand opening and will also be used as a sales tool for future prospects.
Both email and printed invitations had to be created for the grand opening, as well as giveaways, gift baskets, way finding signage, and video. Jen’ Rezac, senior art director, designed both the email and printed invitations for the grand opening. Gift baskets containing gift cards to restaurants, the aquarium and the theatre, as well as local products, and a staycation, were assembled by the staff and handed out to attendees and guests at the grand opening.
The project entailed a lot of organization, tight deadlines, and constant communication with our client. Maycreate didn’t miss a beat. When you have a group of talented and tightly knit individuals, the end result can be summed up in a word—success!