The groundbreaking ceremony for the new amphitheater at the Macon Mall recently received national recognition when PR Daily named it one of the six best Press Events/Media Tours in its annual Media Relations Awards program.  Through this program, PR Daily celebrates the innovative strategies that secured media coverage, the people and teams that excelled in crafting engaging stories, and more. 

The event was put together by the Office of Communications – with Edna Ruiz as the lead and Chris Floore, Olivia Walter, and Rachel Gambill supporting – to celebrate the future construction of the amphitheater and revitalization of the Macon Mall and surrounding area.  

“This is an exciting time for that area and our entire county, and this team put together an event that captured that excitement, that made people cheer for what we will accomplish there together,” said Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller.  “This recognition is a testament to the creativity of the event, the vision of the project, and the excitement of the entire community for what’s happening in this area of Macon-Bibb.”

“I am so proud of our team for thinking big on this event and then making it happen on an even larger scale. This really couldn’t have been done without them, as well as a Mayor and leaders who said ‘OK’ to our wild ideas and trusted us,” said Public Relations Specialist Edna Ruiz. “We were up against some huge, national corporations with much larger teams and budgets compared to ours of four amazing people.” 

“Any team can organize a group of people to say nice words at a podium before turning over some dirt with a shovel,” said Chief Communications Officer Chris Floore. “It takes a truly creative team to come up with an event that matches the enormity and feel of what’s to come. This team rocks!” 

With excavators forming an M in the background, speakers were brought to the event site on an actual tour bus while local musicians performed cover songs by popular Macon acts. To complete the theme, they were all dressed as if they were performers on stage or going to a show at the amphitheater. Mayor Miller was rocking an Allman Brothers Band t-shirt, jeans, and a fake tattoo sleeve; Commissioner Al Tillman carried a small guitar; several people were in cowboy boots and hats; and more.  

Click here to see the video produced about the groundbreaking. 

Click here to watch the entire ceremony.  

About the Office of Communications

The Office of Communications includes Chris Floore, Edna Ruiz, Rachel Gambill, and Olivia Walter. Their charge is to find the best ways to let people know what the government and its partners are doing to improve the community through strategic communications, media relations, video & photography services, a weekly e-newsletter, event planning, message development, social media, online content, crisis communications, and more. 

In the past year, the Office of Communications has earned 13 national awards and recognitions, including being named the PR Team of the Year by PR Daily and a top five Team of the Year by PR News. Chris Floore was also named Government Communicator of the Year by PR News. Recognition has also been received for the Brookdale Resource Center Communications Plan (six top national awards), the Solid Waste Transition Communications Plan (one national award), MBC Crib (one national award) Trash Talk (two national awards). Prior to the past year, the office earned 15 national recognitions. 

About the Amphitheater  

The amphitheater stage will be on the southeast corner of the site and face toward Rocky Creek and Mercer University Drive, and it will have three distinct seating areas: 2,500 fixed seats in a stepped seating bowl, 1,500 temporary seats on a flat floor between the fixed seats and stage, and 6,000 lawn seats outside of the bowl and roof structure. VIP seating will be in 10 “boxes” between the pit and fixed seating. Two entrance plazas will have concessions, retail amenities, and restrooms, as well as overlooks providing additional VIP opportunities. There will be other concession and retail options around the amphitheater, and future plans could include the construction of a full-service restaurant.   

Performers will have use of a 60’ deep by 72’ wide performance stage with 20’ wide wings. A 12-15’ deep loading dock is being designed to accommodate eight truck bays covered with a canopy to better serve the performers and crews. There will be separate men’s and women’s dressing rooms, star dressing rooms, a green room and catering area, a makeup room, and break rooms and eating areas for the crews.  

About the Macon Mall Redevelopment  

The construction of the new amphitheater is part of a larger revitalization effort surrounding the redevelopment of the Macon Mall. In September, the Mayor and other leaders announced that Hull Property Group would donate the Macon Mall to the government. It will undergo a major redevelopment plan that would, in addition to building the amphitheater, keep its current retail stores, bring in more retail, attract new restaurants into and around the Mall, relocate government offices to vacant spaces, and include new sporting activities, such as a large indoor pickleball center.  

 “We are in the center of our community. A place we cannot run from, a place that still needs assets, love, money, respect,” said Mayor Miler at the time. “This area is getting ready to explode [in growth]. It’s nothing one person can do. It’s something that we can do together.”

The project will not cost taxpayers any additional money. Rather, bonds are being issued that will be repaid for with rents already being paid at the mall and future rents from new businesses and offices locating there. The bonds were authorized by the Commission in November, and those funds will be used to build the amphitheater, make upgrades to the Mall, and allow for interior buildout to occur to attract new tenants.