COLUMBUS – While Columbus was not selected to host a political convention in 2016, it will be an epicenter for political journalists and pundits, who will make repeat visits to the city through Election Day. To take advantage of the opportunity to engage with the national media, Experience Columbus is partnering with the Columbus College of Art & Design to roll out a “mobile media lounge” stocked with resources and information about the city for visiting journalists.
A 23-foot Airstream trailer designed by CCAD students as a mobile office and living space that would appeal to Millennials will be put into service as a mobile media lounge and taken to sites where presidential and vice presidential candidates are making public appearances that attract the media. The mobile media lounge will have local products, resources, images, b-roll and story ideas highlighting the city’s growth, creative capital and more.
“Bids to host the 2016 Republication and Democratic national conventions propelled our city into the national conversation,” said Brian Ross, Experience Columbus president and CEO. “Press about the DNC bid alone produced more than 4,000 media clips resulting in 6.8 billion impressions. Our city gained new respect and recognition as a major American city on the rise. We want these conversations to continue. With the mobile media lounge, our goal is to equip reporters with information that will help shape the Columbus narrative in the national news.”
Experience Columbus collaborated with the CCAD Student Agency to create graphics to wrap the trailer with a design that not only identifies the purpose of the vehicle, but also reflects the vibrancy of the city and CCAD’s role as a creative force. Designed by recent CCAD graduate, Lauren Rassenfoss, the wrap was inspired by Experience Columbus’ LIFEINCBUS image awareness campaign.
“It’s no secret that since moving to Columbus, bragging about the city has been a hobby of mine,” said Dr. Melanie Corn, Columbus College of Art & Design president. “And helping create real-world experiences for our students — while partnering with strong community organizations — is something that’s close to my heart. I’m really proud of the CCAD Student Agency and recent grad Lauren Rassenfoss for their work with Experience Columbus, and I hope that this project will help show off Columbus to media who visit the city during this election cycle.”
The mobile media lounge will be towed by a vehicle provided by Ricart Automotive Group.
“When we heard about this project, we immediately wanted to get involved to help increase awareness of Columbus within the national media,” said Rhett Ricart, Ricart Automotive Group president and CEO. “We’re excited to be a part of spreading our beautiful city’s story to the world.”
Plans are for the mobile media lounge to make a minimum of 24 appearances from mid-July until the election in November.
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ABOUT EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS
Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, dedicated to growing visitor spending that is generated by conventions, meetings, trade shows and leisure visitors. Annually, visitors make more than 37.9 million trips to Greater Columbus, generating $8.7 billion in economic impact and supporting more than 71,000 jobs. For more information, visit experiencecolumbus.com.
ABOUT CCAD
Columbus College of Art & Design teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the midst of a thriving artistic community in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1879, CCAD is one of the oldest private art and design colleges in the United States, offering majors in art and design that produce graduates equipped to shape culture and business at the highest level. For more information, visit ccad.edu.
