Brigantine Beach Could Use a Tourism Plan

Brigantine boring? That’s crazy talk. Maybe we need a cohesive plan to unlock the value of this Jersey jewel called Brigantine Beach?

It certainly does have a more laid back vibe than other shore locations. But our amazing Brigantine beaches are second to none. Our homes are currently under-valued….but ready to take-off. And how can we forget, Brigantine is just 2 minutes from the excitement of Atlantic City. Crazy close.

In Brigantine, we do the beach, fish, play tennis, golf &  jet-ski during the day. Then, it’s a quick ride for dinner at Bobby Flay’s Steakhouse inside The Borgata. Afterwards, we walk across the casino floor to see Jerry Seinfeld. Brigantine boring? Yeah right.

Why is all of this awesomeness hidden from the outside world? Well, I guess ya gotta ask City Hall and The Brigantine Chamber of Commerce about that one. That’s why BrigantineNOW has created our very own “Brigantine Beach Tourism Plan”. Have a good idea for boosting new revenue & tourism in Brigantine? Feel free to add to the list. Post your ideas in the comments section below. We’ll feature the best ones.

• Eco-Tourism The island of Brigantine is arguably the most environmentally unique yet most mis-understood South Jersey shore town. Pristine assets like beach, bays, bountiful wildlife. a majestic observation deck overlooking the National Wildlife Refuge featuring the Forsythe Environmental Center. All of this beauty and family friendly fun….right next to NJ’s most important investment: Atlantic City. Imagine the benefits if we were to carefully, and prudently leverage this fact for the good of all Brigantiners, taxpayers, visitors and local business operators.

• The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is another hidden jewel that many pass by everyday, but have never stopped to visit their compound. Always in desperate need for donations & fundraising, we encourage the City of Brigantine and the MMSC to work together for mutual benefit.

• Brigantine Striper Fishing is some of the best and could also be a much bigger draw if properly promoted and marketed. We think local tackle shops and boat charters wouldn’t object to that, especially with a gargantuan Bass Pro Shop just across the bridge and through the tunnel in Atlantic City. This will be a home run for Bass Pro Shops and for Atlantic City,” remarked CRDA execs (Casino Reinvestment Development). “Atlantic City is one of the great game fish areas along the East Coast.” Maybe Brigantine can smartly ‘borrow’ from Atlantic City marketing & new biz dev?

• Horseback Riding on north end of Brigantine. Spectacular, yet mostly unknown to residents & visitors alike. Watch video of Horseback riding on Brigantine Beach:

• Brigantine Triathlon Sponsorship
  • Regional advertisers would love to sponsor one of Brigantine’s premier, summertime events. But it seems that we don’t even offer sponsorship opportunities. Am I missing something? The current arrangement is to pay an outside company to run our triathlon. This makes total sense because of the expertise & tech needed to run the event. But what about sponsorships? Shouldn’t Brigantine handle and profit from that? Might be an easy $50k sitting there….from Comcast, Verizon, Nike, Gatorade, a local hospital or car dealer, etc. Does the city run this event at a loss?

• 4×4 Beach Blast & Parade
  • Recently cancelled. See pics here: Brigantine 2013 4×4 SUV Beach Parade. Car dealers are a perfect target to sponsor this popular event. Unfortunately, we might be running this popular 4×4 event at a LOSS when you consider overtime, clean-up & other city related services devoted to this day. Either way, this event is excellent and should be nurtured for Brigantine’s benefit.

    

• Jet Ski Weekend
  • Recently cancelled? 3 days of Jet Ski competitors showing off in the Brigantine Surf….right in front of the old Brigantine Hotel at 14th street. Wow. Events like this could really boost the future success of Brigantine. The Brigantine Jet Ski Weekend could be a sponsorship magnet. Watch video & see pics of  Brigantine Jet Ski Weekend 2012  here.

• 4×4 Beach Permits
  • Instead of just ‘one size fits all’ permits, why not sell a premium $75 early week pass to weekly vacationers as well? How about a ‘fisherman special’ that allows for short term 4×4 access on the Northend beaches? (Mon-Thurs only) And please….don’t force people to schlep to the Community Center to buy a permit. Let them EASILY buy it online or thru their smartphone. The tech is easy & cheap….and is already comfortable for almost everyone with a smartphone.

• Beach Tag Revenue
  • Plenty of beach tag revenue and tourism related cash goes scurrying into the surf when our ‘Beach Tag Beauties’ are in sight. We once saw a lovely tag checker go right into the surf after one of these ‘beach scofflaws’. Whoa. That was one hardcore tag checker. Smart phones with credit card swipers like SquareUP and other mobile credit card readers are easy & cheap solutions that could allow Brigantine to charge a fee to those who claim to ‘have no cash’. This would also allow the City of Brigantine to collect email addresses for future marketing campaigns.

    

  • What if a visitor is enjoying our beaches with no tags, no cash and no credit card? No problem. Just use the smart phone to get their name, address, email & phone#. Then snap a picture of them. Kindly ask that they mail-in payment, or pay online within 7 days. Most will honor this request. Much better than potentially having a police officer escort the so-called beach scofflaws from our sandy shores.

• Miniature Golf
  • Parents would love to take the kids to the ‘like new’ mini-golf course on 42nd street. Too bad that most visitors…and some full-timers…. have NO idea it’s there. It’s somewhat hidden and never promoted or advertised. This is due to the fact that the city ran this operation?
    

• Soccer Tournament Sponsorship
  • Sponsorship dollars are there for the asking. Too bad we don’t ask. Click to view pics from our Brigantine Soccer Tournament.

• Life Guard Races (Kuhn Races)
  • Mr. Kuhn would blow a gasket if he knew this annual gathering (in his name) is virtually invisible to non-residents. Bill Kuhn would also be disappointed knowing that much needed sponsorship revenue (to support the Beach Patrol) is being left on the table. Watching our Brigantine Beach Patrol do battle against the guards of Atlantic City, Margate and others is absolutely amazing. It all happens on OUR beach. Maybe we call it the “Kuhn Lifeguard Races of Brigantine Beach”….or something that gives visitors a CLUE as to what this awesome event is all about.

• The Seagull Motel
  • The last motel on Brigantine Beach. We could certainly use some motel rooms on the island. The Seagull has 30 units sitting on prime beachfront land. It’s easy to spot. It’s surrounded by salivating Real Estate agents, developers and a weird assortment of those wielding business propositions. While Brigantine’s Seagull Motel is rotating on…and off…. the market via the Real Estate service: MLS, we have yet to see any type of semi-high profile marketing of this ‘last of its kind’ commercial property.

• The Links at Brigantine.
  • Cryptic, insider jargon as a brand name? If the City needs to drive more golfing rounds, wedding and event business to this premium City asset, it’s time to use a name that makes sense. How about ‘The Brigantine Golf Course & Country Club’? Maybe the City and Chamber could post some of these awesome photos of our Golf Course.

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