Baltimore Sets Record for World's Largest Human Smiley Face

BALTIMORE, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Under guidelines provided by Guinness World Records™, Visit Baltimore smiled its way to setting the new record for the world's largest human smiley face last night.  The giant grin took form with the help of 250 city residents and tourism professionals donning brightly-colored orange and black ponchos. This event kicked off the city's new "Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore" campaign and was staged outside the Maryland Science Center, overlooking Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100514/NY05011)

Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore is a citywide partnership that begins on Memorial Day Weekend.  A special microsite, www.BmoreHappy.com, will launch on May 21st 2010, and will direct visitors to happy stays hotel packages, give them the ability to build custom itineraries based on what makes them happy, and provide details on how to enter a "Sweet-stakes" to win great prizes including a cruise from Baltimore on Royal Caribbean, a trip to Sarasota, Florida for Orioles spring training and a variety of other prizes.  

Visitors can even pick up a "Happy Detector" at the Baltimore Visitor Center to uncover hidden codes around the city that will allow them to enter the Sweet-stakes multiple times.  The campaign will run through December 2010, coinciding with an exhibition at the American Visionary Art Museum, "What Makes Us Smile," opening in October.

"Baltimore makes us happy everyday, and we think the world's largest smiley face is the perfect symbol to kick off our summer travel season," commented Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore.  "No matter what makes you smile, we encourage travelers from all over the country to come and find their happy place in Baltimore this summer."

The Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore concept is derived from extensive research that shows people are looking to do things that make them happy after the economic downturn. According to the study by Context-Based Research, people are going back to basics and embracing life's simpler things that make them smile and laugh – spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, among others. Visit Baltimore is capitalizing on this national trend with a comprehensive program that promotes those places and things in Baltimore that are certain to make visitors happy.

Visit Baltimore – the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore that generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. For more information, please visit www.baltimore.org.

SOURCE Visit Baltimore