Independence Visitor Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter joined Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC) President James J. Cuorato, elected officials, hospitality and tourism officials and hundreds of guests at a gala celebration today marking the 10th anniversary of the Independence Visitor Center.

Since its opening in 2001, the Independence Visitor Center has become the premier visitor welcome and information facility in the nation, having served more than 20 million visitors.

"It has been an amazing decade of growth and accomplishment for the Independence Visitor Center," said IVCC President and CEO James J. Cuorato. "The number of visitors that have walked through our doors is double what we anticipated back in 2001, and the success of the Visitor Center has surpassed all expectations.  We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion with our friends and supporters and to announce new initiatives that will further enhance the visitor experience in Philadelphia."

"We congratulate the Independence Visitor Center on its 10th anniversary," said National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Regional Director Dennis Reidenbach. "The IVCC has played an essential role in elevating the Greater Philadelphia region as a top destination by serving as the primary gateway for visitors to Independence National Historical Park and to Philadelphia from across the state, the nation and the world."  The IVCC operates the NPS-owned Visitor Center in partnership with the NPS.

In addition to co-sponsoring the 10-year anniversary gala, the IVCC unveiled a new partnership with SugarHouse Casino that will run from April through October, the height of the 2012 visitor season. Serving as an investment in the future of IVCC, the partnership will feature several in-venue marketing elements and displays at the Visitor Center. It includes enhanced exposure of the Sugar Express, a shuttle service that conveniently transports visitors from a stop at the southwest corner of 6th and Market Streets across from the Visitor Center to SugarHouse Casino located along the Philadelphia waterfront.

"SugarHouse Casino has been a great partner for us, and we are excited to launch the 2012 visitor season with them, providing visitors extended coverage of all the casino has to offer, including daytime or evening dining on the riverfront and wonderful entertainment," said Cuorato. "We look forward to working together with SugarHouse to increase and improve the visitor experience in Philadelphia."

Along with the SugarHouse partnership, Cuorato also announced that the Visitor Center will expand its services by opening an additional location along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The additional site will be housed in the cafe pavilion at Sister Cities Park, currently under construction at 18th Street and the Parkway. Staff will be on hand to provide information to visitors and assist with tour and ticket sales to nearby museums and area attractions. Scheduled to open in May 2012, the satellite location will serve as a connector between the East and West sides of the City.

Also announced during the evening was the development of a mobile application entitled Philadelphia History This Way. The "app" is designed to steer the visitor through local historic treasures using their mobile device. It can be downloaded anywhere and will be offered by staff to visitors that come through Independence Visitor Center.

"In just a few years the amount of visitors accessing our Web site from a mobile device increased from less than three percent in 2009 to 10 percent this year," said Cuorato. "Our new mobile app is an exciting feature that will enable visitors to tour the historic area using their smart phones."

In its effort to help Philadelphia become the most sustainable region in the nation, IVCC has taken valuable steps in reducing its carbon footprint – such as upgrading its restrooms with energy-efficient hand dryers, to switching to LED light bulbs in order to illuminate the building's interior. As a result, the IVCC announced that it has officially become a "green" facility and will offset 100 percent of its energy emissions by purchasing hydroelectric Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through Exelon Energy. RECs allow customers to do their part to help the environment by promoting the production of electric power from renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and landfill gas. A single REC is equal to the environmental attributes associated with one megawatt-hour (MWh) of energy generated from a renewable source.

"Exelon Energy is pleased to be able to partner with the Independence Visitor Center to provide products that meet their business and sustainability goals," said Chuck Hanna, Director, Retail Sales for Exelon Energy. "The environmental impact of this effort is significant; based on the Visitor Center's projected annual energy usage; it is equivalent to removing 119 passenger cars from the road for a whole year."

The Independence Visitor Center is Independence National Historical Park's and the region's welcome center for people from all over the nation and the world.  It offers visitor amenities including trip planning service, easy on-site ticketing for area attractions, multilingual concierge staff, comprehensive daily listing of area events, attraction displays and regional maps, free, informative historical and orientation films, free wireless Internet access and much more.

The Independence Visitor Center Corporation is a Pennsylvania non-profit, 501(c)3 organization which operates in cooperation with the efforts of the National Park Service, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Independence Visitor Center Corporation