By Ashu Ebot-Tabi

Acworth’s Tourism Bureau Authority held its monthly meeting at City Hall.

The first item on the agenda was a financial report, the last one for the city’s fiscal year. It was noted that June revenues were higher than those of past months, which is attributed to schools being out; the council noted that this trend typically lasts throughout July and August. 

A staff report was then held, first detailing upcoming city events. A recurring theme among them was promoting businesses downtown, with Meet the Merchants, a networking event hosted by the city’s Downtown Development Authority, and the Small Business Advancement Series.

Updates were given to current and upcoming city projects: the city’s walking tour was said to be nearing completion, aside from needing a proper landing page. The city’s council was said to have allocated funds to the public art master plan, with the tourism bureau currently planning out its early stages.

Next on the agenda was an update on the city’s marketing efforts, which had achieved high email open rates and solid performance on social media channels. The bureau had, however, noted the impact of artificial intelligence on their search rate; specifically, the ability of tools like Google’s AI Overview to summarize content results in fewer people clicking on links, an issue that has gotten national attention.

A new media plan was outlined for the upcoming fiscal year, with three goals in mind: to reach 3,000 email newsletter subscribers, grow their Instagram following to 10,000, and increase web traffic by 25%. This last one is a primary goal of the city, which seeks to promote city events on the site.

“We are excited to continue updating and enhancing our Visit Acworth website in the upcoming year through fresh blogs with a focus on our downtown restaurants, local merchants, and all of the fun events and recreational opportunities that visitors can experience in Acworth,” Marketing and Communication Manager Taylor Aubrey said.

More details about Acworth’s Tourism Bureau can be found on the city’s website, alongside upcoming events.

Ashu Ebot-Tabi is a senior at Kennesaw State University, where he’s currently pursuing studies in Journalism and Emerging Media. With seven years of writing experience with the North Cobb Chant and Kennesaw State Sentinel, his coverage spans both local community events and significant cultural trends.