Leggett Launches "We're Open" Campaign in Anticipation of 2011 U.S. Open

Participating county businesses are offering discounts throughout the month of June as a major component of a hospitality campaign – dubbed “We’re Open” – geared to encourage residents and visitors to the 2011 U.S. Open to dine, shop and stay in the county.

The U.S. Open, a high-profile golf championship, The “We’re Open” campaign is geared to help boost the local economy as an anticipated 40,000 daily Open spectators visit the county next month, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said as he kicked off the campaign at a downtown Bethesda press event Monday afternoon.

 “The goal of this initiative is to generate more revenue and business for our county,” Leggett said.

The campaign includes branded banners and buttons – featuring a golf ball-themed logo – that will be distributed throughout the county. A discount card offering deals of ten percent or more at participating businesses will also be handed out and placed in each of the nearly 10,000 hotel rooms in the county, according to a news release.

Visitor spending in Montgomery County totals $2.1 billion annually, Leggett said.

“If you add to that the 40,000-plus spectators which are expected each day of the championship, it’s easy to see this event and the magnitude of the number of people taking place right here in Montgomery County will provide enormous positive economic impact,” Leggett said.

Holding up the card, Leggett said, “This will help us drive business and make certain people understand that we are in fact open and that you can get discounts throughout the county.”

More information on the campaign is available at www.visitmontgomery.com. At the event, Leggett encouraged businesses to sign up, saying that he expected “hundreds” to follow the lead of participating businesses including BlackFinn, Dave & Busters, Phillips Seafood and Potomac Pizza.

The initiative was launched as a partnership between the CVB, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, the Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce, the Bethesda Urban Partnership, and committee members representing local hotels, restaurants and businesses.