Speaking with Visit Atlantic City President and CEO Gary Musich yesterday before the brand’s Annual Meeting in Review at the Atlantic City Convention Center, he shared that at least 210 local stakeholders, including casino-resort executives, and venue and event managers, along with business, cultural, academic, healthcare and other community leaders, would be attending.
“That number is most encouraging as we aim to work together as a team, have a consistent message and move forward,” he said before taking the stage with Anthony Molino, vice president of sales, and Karina Anthony, executive director of marketing, to present the destination’s comprehensive multi-angled plan for 2026.
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“Momentum” is a driving theme,” Musich said, adding that the destination enjoyed a banner 2025. “Much of last year’s success stems from the integration, announced at the 2025 Annual Meeting, of meetings and leisure marketing and communications efforts under the unified Visit Atlantic City brand, which Musich likened to “a new company.”
On the group front, the restructured organization, newly empowered to execute the growth strategy, closed out 2025 ahead of 2024 numbers, welcoming 533,242 attendees to 205 meetings, conventions, and tradeshows to the tune of 328,067 room nights and $362,253,473 in economic impact.
Adopting a regional focus aimed at expanding tourism, boosting revenue through extended guest stays and converting business customers to leisure guests, Visit Atlantic City is going all out to get the word out to raise awareness, consideration and action through return and conversion.
Leveraging brand continuity between meetings and leisure, the full-funnel approach includes an out-of-home advertising strategy with signage, bus wraps, taxi toppers and TVs, digital billboards, and other media in high visibility locations. New Year’s Eve revelers in NYC saw the messaging in Times Square and at Macy’s. Plus, the campaign was also visible on area highway signage, at Newark (NJ) Airport and around Philadelphia, including the airport, at Eagles games at Lincoln Financial Field, last year’s Super Bowl parade route and during PCMA Convening Leaders in January.
Last month also saw a wildly successful three-day pop-up consumer activation at Washington D.C.’s Union Station with a life-sized MONOPOLY board spotlighting the destination’s iconic attractions and experiences.
[Related: Atlantic City Rides High on a Wave of Change as Musich Takes Charge]
In concert with other wide-ranging engagement efforts, including coverage on national broadcast media, Spotify, organic search, media placements, monthly newsletters and influencer programs, the outreach is driving significant traffic to the Visit Atlantic City website and its booking engine, RFPs included.
On the Road Again
The convention sales team is hitting the road in a big way, with IMEX America, SISO CEO Summit, IPW, MPI WEC, ASAE Annual Meetings & Expo and numerous other leading industry shows among 224 scheduled travel events in 40 cities throughout 2026. Starting with Chicago in July, the team is also planning road shows in seven cities, including Washington, D.C., and Dallas.
[Related: Atlantic City's Borgata Continues Its Hot Hand]
In-destination and external partnerships are also a major focus, ranging from local neighborhood and community programs to collaborations with PCMA and Maritz.
Atlantic City continues to invest in success. In recent years, the city’s casino-resorts have committed more than $900,000 to upgrades and enhancements. Caesars Entertainment’s four-year, $400 million capital hot streak includes the just-announced all-new Solana Tower at Tropicana Atlantic City, featuring 604 transformed rooms and suites.
Group incentive and cost-offset programs are paying huge dividends, with outsized returns across diverse bookings. For example, an investment of $50,000 in long-time repeat customer Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) annual Pool & Spa Show yielded 13,000 attendees and $13M in economic impact.
Carrying almost 30% of the annual room night goal, the Atlantic City Sports Commission continues to play an increasingly influential role in the destination’s success. Major wins include Atlantic City’s unanimous selection as host of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from 2027 through 2031. The historic five-year deal is projected to deliver more than $19 million in economic impact. Also expected to spike the coffers is 3Step Sports volleyball action, delivering an anticipated $22 million in annual economic impact from 2026 through 2028.
Expanded to the entire month of March with 65-plus restaurants already signed up, Taste Atlantic City is among several tourism-boosting local events on the 2026 calendar, along with Global Meetings Industry Day and the second annual Visit Atlantic City Soar & Shore Festival, both in May.
Convention Center Expansion in the Works?
No stranger to challenges, the destination is turning roadblocks into opportunities. On the transportation front, Breeze Airways just announced two new affordable nonstop routes from Atlantic City to Charleston, S.C., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and one-stop, no-change-of-plane service to Tampa, Florida. Just 12 miles outside of the city, Atlantic City International Airport is also served by Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air, with bus service from Landline.
The city is also undertaking proactive beautification and safety efforts, as discussions continue regarding enhancing the convention campus, including the headquarters Sheraton hotel.
Reflecting the national trend of fewer, smaller, more localized meetings due to budgetary and cost constraints, hotel meetings are ahead of convention business, with both strengthening in the current quarter. The destination is also positioning value—in terms of drive-market access, bundled value—and built-in entertainment, to protect ROI when costs exceed budgets.
[Related: How Women Lead at East Coast Gaming Resorts]
“Limitations aside, we are doing very well with what we have,” said Musich, as Atlantic City, which does not lack for resources (including 1.8 million square feet of meeting space and 18,000 hotel rooms) continues to outpace its competitive set on dining, entertainment and other “experiential attributes.”
Despite the expected post-pandemic impact on booking cycles, 2026 included, the future pace is bright in “Iconic in the Everyday” Atlantic City, a key new campaign message. Visit Atlantic City has already booked multiple citywide events for this year, valued at more than $86 million, including the remarkable in-year, for the year, signing of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199 meeting.
“We have business on the books through 2032, including a 15,000-room night event that year and the American Bus Association in 2031,” Musich said. “That’s unheard of—and money in the bank.”
