Brookhaven investing $1.6M, using national firms to boost tourism

A DeKalb County city is enlisting companies from around the country to help promote it as a tourist destination.

The Brookhaven Convention and Visitors Bureau has a budget of $1.6 million this year, Executive Director Renée Areng said. While the bureau is a nonprofit and a separate entity from the city government, it is funded by the city’s hotel-motel tax.

The BCVB is using BrandStrategy, Inc. and Zehnder Communications to help in its branding and marketing effort. Zehnder will manage $700,000 of the bureau’s budget, while BrandStrategy, Inc. is being paid $116,000, Areng said.

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BrandStrategy, based in Washington state, is “leading an extensive research and market analysis project” that will form a marketing strategy for the city, the statement said. Zehnder, an advertising agency with offices in Louisiana and Nashville, will help with a range of marketing, public relations and advertising services.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau, created under the city’s charter, was established in 2018 as a way to market Brookhaven as a tourist destination. Brookhaven, a city of more than 50,000 people, incorporated in 2012.

“We are building a brand from the ground up,” Areng said in a statement. “This year will be a time of major growth for the Brookhaven CVB ... Our city has a rich history and so much to offer locals and visitors.”

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