On Friday, a helium passenger balloon set up shop at Central Park’s Cherry Hill in honor of the 150th anniversary of the park's original greensward plan. For $25 a ride, passengers get a 360-degree view of the park from a height of 300 feet.
The third partnership between the Civic Entertainment Group and AeroBalloon, the ride, which previously visited Boston Common and San Fransisco for the 2007 MLB All-Star game, also boasts one of Central Park’s only advertising spaces—and certainly its highest.In an aerial interview with Ad Age broadcast earlier today, Civic co-C.E.O. Stuart Ruderfer espoused the opportunities that the dynamic billboard affords its sponsors. “What’s interesting here is that a marketer can provide to consumers a really special experience," he told reporter Andrew Hampp. “They can attach their name to that and all of the history of 150 years of this great park.”
Though the first effort of its kind in recent years, Central Park is no stranger to tethered balloons. Similar, smaller rides were a fixture in the park's early years. Balloons now require permits from the Federal Aviation Administration and are limited to an altitude of 500 feet.
The AeroBalloon runs daily through August 22, and if demand and positive local reaction are any gauge, expect a similar venture to find its way to the park in the future.
The third partnership between the Civic Entertainment Group and AeroBalloon, the ride, which previously visited Boston Common and San Fransisco for the 2007 MLB All-Star game, also boasts one of Central Park’s only advertising spaces—and certainly its highest.In an aerial interview with Ad Age broadcast earlier today, Civic co-C.E.O. Stuart Ruderfer espoused the opportunities that the dynamic billboard affords its sponsors. “What’s interesting here is that a marketer can provide to consumers a really special experience," he told reporter Andrew Hampp. “They can attach their name to that and all of the history of 150 years of this great park.”
Though the first effort of its kind in recent years, Central Park is no stranger to tethered balloons. Similar, smaller rides were a fixture in the park's early years. Balloons now require permits from the Federal Aviation Administration and are limited to an altitude of 500 feet.
The AeroBalloon runs daily through August 22, and if demand and positive local reaction are any gauge, expect a similar venture to find its way to the park in the future.
