Sparks Gets Its New Brand... Maybe

Even though "Rail City" isn't as catchy as "The Biggest Little City in the World," Sparks officials and citizens are still chewing on the recently received recommendation to change the city's nickname, or brand, to "Nevada's Festival City," followed by the tag line "It's Happening Here." Along with this comes the suggestion to rename Sparks Marina and Victorian Square, to Celebration Lake and Festival Place, respectively.

Starting with a community forum back in June, 2008, Sparks has been working on creating its own brand as part of an initiative designed to both enhance the city for residents and increase tourism. The city engaged the services of Destination Development International (DDI) which, using its CommunityBrand™ process, gathered input from residents, city leaders, and business owners to identify the city's assets and recommend ways to capitalize on them. The recommendations described above were spelled out at a public meeting on February 18.

The branding plan, which includes 28 recommendations, is still considered a draft. It remains up to the Sparks City Council to implement some, all, or none of the recommendations. At the roll-out meeting, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said, "It’s something we’ll have to take under consideration. It’s really too new to decide on what we want to do today, but if we’re trying to create a tourist destination here, then we need to make some changes that are going to make us a tourist destination."

Go to the City of Sparks website to read the complete Draft Branding Action Plan. For more information, contact Adam Mayberry at the City of Sparks, (775) 353-7894.

Source: City of Sparks press release, Reno Gazette-Journal.

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