Clinton Center Grand Opening Catches World's Attention

The eyes of the world were on Arkansas for the dedication and opening Nov.18 of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Approximately 25,000 guests, including past presidents and heads of state, as well as news outlets from around the world converged in Little Rock for the event.

To accommodate the overflow crowds, the city of Little Rock hosted an extended block party with large screens projecting the dedication for the overflow audience in the River Market District.

At Thursday morning's grand opening, Clinton, his wife Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, President George Bush, former President Jimmy Carter and other dignitaries addressed the crowd. U2's Bono and The Edge performed, and the throng got it's first look at New York architect James Polshek's 150,000-square-foot glass and steel creation.

Now, the public can pay $7 admission to see the inside of the library, everything from the black marble floors, and exact replica of the Oval office, a Great Hall reception room and a 20,000-square-foot museum section with thematic alcoves, to a multimedia timeline and interactive flat-screen display.

A pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River and a Clinton family retreat in Hot Springs are slated for 2005.

Skip Rutherford, president of the Clinton Library Foundation, said the center anticipates 300,000 visitors on 2005, and he predicts those guests will lead to more people making trips to the city. Rutherford said the library itself already has 75 events booked. At the end of November and beginning of December, after what Rutherford calls the "big wave" of dedication and Thanksgiving visitors, school tours and foundations events start.

The library has directly or indirectly inspired $800 million in downtown development, 2,000 new or refurbished hotel rooms in the immediate area, renewed cultural events in the nearby River Market District, a streetcar line the selection of Alltel Arena as an opening-round venue for the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament, plans for a new minor-league ballpark, talk of a $100 million arts and entertainment district and efforts to start a nonprofit corridor anchored by Clinton's foundation.

Cities with presidential ties, such as Hot Springs, are aggressively marketing their Clinton connections to entice tourists. Hot Springs has already made a strong name for itself in presidential history with the Bill Clinton trading card series, and tied the latest trading card into the Clinton opening.

The new Clinton card featured a photograph shot at the library dedication. The card was distributed free to the public on Nov. 20 at the Old State House, where Clinton Announced his candidacy for the presidency in 1991.

Hot Springs went a step further by planning and hosting events during November to entice visitors who were in for the Clinton Center dedication to make the short trip to the Spa City. The events ranged from photo exhibits to the dedication of the new Kelly Room at the Convention Center, named for Virginia, Clinton's stepfather and a Hot Springs resident.

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism along with destination: Arkansas partners also marketed other in-state attractions to people who were in for the dedication. A booth in the media filing center throughout the week made Arkansas information available to hundreds of members of the media. Department personnel built relationships with the media, answered their questions and provided assistance.

Other ongoing efforts include the development earlier this year of Presidential Pathways and Heritage and Civil Rights Pathways in Arkansas, which give visitors a guide to historical and presidential-related sites around the state. A new locator map, which features Central Arkansas sites on one side and statewide destinations on the other, also was developed to help move people around the state and encourage them to extend their trip.

Another new product introduced during the Clinton Center opening is a 30-minute close-circuit video which showcases Central Arkansas and other destinations and attractions across the state. The video is running on closed-circuit system in Central Arkansas hotels and encourages visitors to stay longer and see more of The Natural State. Plans are underway to offer both the locator map and the closed-circuit program for customization by other cities in 2005.

Reported by Arkansas Tourism Industry Newsletter