GDEcD News

CONTACT:
Bert Brantley
Georgia Department of Economic Development
404-962-4830
 

New Georgia.org Launched to Attract New Business, Visitors to State

ATLANTA, October 19, 2005 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today rolled out a transformed Web site, georgia.org, radically redesigned to make it easier to use and to provide a more comprehensive, continually updated resource for people who want to do business or travel in the state.

“We understand that people who come to our Web site want easy access to everything from travel information to small business assistance to stories about the people who made Georgia great,” said GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser. “The new georgia.org will enable the state to provide a whole new level of economic development assistance and will be an invaluable tool in helping us market the state’s terrific assets.”

The dynamic new site, at www.georgia.org, provides a wealth of information for businesses considering a move to or expansion in the state; travelers looking for unique and exciting places to visit; and researchers interested in learning about the state’s economic, cultural and academic resources. Site users will be able to drill down for specific pieces of information by entering dedicated tabbed sections for travel, business, culture, people and more, either clicking through the appropriate pages or conducting a search for the information.

In addition to a new Google-powered search engine, georgia.org’s interactive features include options to save favorite pages and sign up to receive the latest travel specials and news via e-mail. A continuously updating “news and events” section in various areas of the site, powered by a comprehensive new content management system, gives visitors something new to see each time they visit. The site features stunning images from around the state, highlighting some of Georgia's most well-known attractions and figures.

The revamped Web site offers a myriad of options to its visitors, including the capacity to:

• Find the perfect Georgia vacation destination

• Locate information on Georgia’s many educational and workforce training opportunities

• Discover how the state works to attract high-technology and biotech industries

• Learn how new incentives can help production companies filming in Georgia

• Pick up special discount travel offers

• Find out about holiday events in any of the state’s 159 counties

• Explore ways to partner a small company with a larger one in the Governor’s Mentor-Protégé program

• Find contacts for the 52 countries with diplomatic and trade connections in Georgia

• Read profiles of Georgia visionaries like Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jr., Juliet Gordon Lowe and Ted Turner

• Sign up to get the latest information on Georgia in a monthly e-newsletter

• List a property as a possible filming location

Other features include a comprehensive press center for journalists and contact information for key staffers. An analytical tool will provide information about how visitors use georgia.org, allowing GDEcD to track its efficiency, tailor it to its users and refine the site as needed. Future improvements include enabling visitors to find directions using Google Maps, book travel reservations, and download a favorite Georgia scene as a screensaver or wallpaper for their computer.

GDEcD, working with global interactive agency nurun | ant farm interactive, developed the Web site to complement the state’s new marketing strategy, which was unveiled in September at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. A key component of the new strategy is to use the web address georgia.org as a call to action for businesses and visitors to get more information about Georgia. The state’s new dynamic peach logo is featured throughout the site.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.

# # #