Limited-edition destination marketing series reaches local educators and students following East Point’s FIFA World Cup tourism marketing activations
The East Point Convention & Visitors Bureau (EPCVB) extended its H2O ‘8’ World Cup Water Series into the community Wednesday, September 2, with a special activation at Asa G. Hilliard Elementary School. Students received special gifts during the school-day visit, while educators received bottles from the limited-edition H2O ‘8’ collection, a destination-marketing campaign created to showcase the people, places, and cultural stories that define East Point. The activation marks the next phase of EPCVB’s use of the H2O ‘8’ series, expanding the campaign originally launched during the World Cup to include opportunities for community engagement and local storytelling.
The designs include Hon. Patsy Jo Hilliard, the Tyler Perry East Point Highway Exit sign, Celia Cruz, Soccer in the Streets, Black Art in America, East Point City Hall, Prince, and the Dick Lane Velodrome. Together, they provide a snapshot of the different experiences and stories visitors can discover in and around East Point.
Patsy Jo Hilliard represents the city’s history of civic leadership, while East Point City Hall anchors the collection in the community’s civic identity. The Prince and Celia Cruz designs draw from public art found in East Point, connecting the collection to the city’s visual and musical culture. Black Art in America, located in East Point, highlights the city’s growing presence as a destination for Black art and cultural experiences.
Sports are represented through two distinctly East Point experiences. Soccer in the Streets, created through a partnership involving the City of East Point, brings soccer into the heart of downtown near the East Point MARTA station, while the city-owned Dick Lane Velodrome has operated in East Point since the 1970s and remains one of the relatively few active velodromes in the country.
The Tyler Perry East Point Highway Exit sign adds another layer to the collection, referencing the film and creative economy that has become an important part of the visitor experience in and around East Point.
“This campaign was created to spark a renewed interest and curiosity about East Point,” said Chantel Ross Francois, President and CEO of the East Point Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Each bottle represents a different part of our identity and gives us another way to introduce people to the history, culture, and experiences that make this community distinctive. Extending H2O ‘8’ into our schools allows us to share that same sense of pride with the people who call East Point home.”
The H2O ‘8’ series was originally incorporated into EPCVB’s World Cup visitor and hospitality activations, including distribution through area hotels and transportation-related experiences. The collectible campaign encouraged visitors and residents to discover each of the eight designs while learning more about the stories behind them. Thursday’s activation expanded that concept from visitor engagement to community engagement.
The school visit reflected a core belief behind the campaign: that destination marketing is strongest when residents can see themselves in the story being told about their community. H2O ‘8’ gave EPCVB a creative platform during the World Cup, and Thursday’s activation gave the organization a way to keep using that platform to celebrate East Point in a meaningful way for the people who live there.
The East Point Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes East Point, Georgia, as a premier travel destination where the world meets. EPCVB strengthens tourism, supports local businesses and creates memorable visitor experiences through strategic branding, destination management, community partnerships and global engagement. East Point offers a vibrant mix of culinary experiences, rich history, arts, culture, and community spirit that continues to attract visitors from around the world. Learn more at visiteastpoint.org.
