Hospitality management company, which specializes in tourist destinations, to assist with operations, marketing and administration at Pacific Northwest cultural attraction
TACOMA, Wash. (Feb. 10, 2011) – LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) today signed a five-year partnership agreement with Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, a hospitality management company based in Buffalo, N.Y. Delaware North, which specializes in managing tourist destinations, will assist with sales and marketing, as well as maintaining the facility and providing food, beverage and retail services for the Tacoma, Wash., attraction.
Delaware North currently oversees operations at properties ranging from Yosemite National Park and The Queen Mary to the Lizard Island Resort in Australia. Additionally, the company has worked with NASA since 1995 to transform the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex into an internationally known cultural and education attraction.
“We’re excited to be coming to Tacoma to share this unique attraction with the world,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. “There isn’t another one like it anywhere.”
The 165,000-square-foot museum, currently under construction and scheduled to open next year, will house up to 500 diverse vehicles at any given time, showcasing the LeMay collection, which at one time totaled more than 3,600 cars.
“America’s Car Museum is designed to be a destination where travelers experience America’s love affair with the automobile,” said David Madeira, president and CEO for America’s Car Museum. “Delaware North’s broad marketing experience with other high-profile tourist attractions shows they know how to manage a powerful destination to attract visitation while allowing us to conduct our traditional museum functions. This makes them a perfect partner for our institution, which is breaking the mold for traditional car museums.
“Day-to-day operations will be directed by museum staff, ranging from membership programs, education and messaging to direct outreach with the car enthusiasts and the local community. Delaware North will help us market to a broad sector, attract visitors from across the country and provide immediate management and administration resources. They’ll get us up and running…fast.”
The $60 million campus will be one of the largest auto museums and attractions in the world, bringing an estimated 425,000 visitors and some $34 million to the local economy each year. It will have a 3.5-acre show field, galleries, meeting space, car storage, a café/restaurant, banquet hall and administrative offices.
Details regarding the opening dates and festivities for America’s Car Museum will be announced later this spring.