For Immediate Release

Contact: Pam Roberson
(901) 259-4334

Peabody Place Elevates Outdoor Advertising to New Heights

MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Friday, March 31, 2000 - Fans attending the Memphis Redbirds exhibition game at AutoZone Park will experience several historic firsts as the stadium officially opens for business Saturday, April 1st. They’ll be the first to experience the new state-of-the-art facility and all its amenities. And they’ll also be the first to view the largest outdoor advertising ever erected in Memphis.

Belz Enterprises, developers of Peabody Place has literally wrapped the old Toof Building on Madison near Third Street with huge banners promoting its new 300,000 square foot entertainment and retail center, scheduled to open in November.

The building wrap consists of two signs. The smaller one - if you can call 74 feet wide and 60 feet long ‘small’- faces the ballpark and shows a car full of people along with a listing of the major tenants already on board for Peabody Place. The larger sign faces Madison Avenue, and is 145 feet wide and 64 feet long. Dean and Kristi Jernigan, owners of the Redbirds, were able to get special zoning permits from the city of Memphis to allow for the banners.

The signs were developed by Walker & Associates, and introduce the new Peabody Place positioning line "Come Downtown and Play." The signs were produced by Britten Media, located in Traverse City, Michigan. They’re made of a mesh-like material, which allows for air to flow through.

"Signs like this are used on sky-scrapers in New York City," says Walker & Associates senior art director Susan Doyle who was responsible for the design. "People in the office buildings where these signs are hung can see through them."

Muvico Theaters will be the center’s largest entertainment venue, occupying 90,000 square feet of space. The Muvico facility will feature 21 movie auditoriums along with an IMAXâ 3D theater.

Jillian’s, a multi-dimensional food and entertainment retailer, will occupy 55,000 square feet of entertainment space in the complex. It features a sports video café, restaurants, 12 billiard tables, 7 bars, private party rooms, bowling lanes, banquet facilities, and more than 200 electronic simulation games.

Tower Records is the latest to join the tenant list, and will occupy 20,000 square feet of space. Tower Records has long been recognized and respected throughout the world for its unique brand of retailing. Founded in 1960 in Sacramento, California, the company's phenomenal expansion over the last 3 decades has brought the Tower name and retail philosophy to 17 countries globally.

Another major Peabody Place tenant is NASCAR’s Silicon Motor SpeedwayTM, a 6,000-square-foot interactive racing center and retail store.

"Dean and Kristi Jernigan have executed a really big idea for the city of Memphis," says Andrew J. Groveman, senior vice president, Belz Enterprises. "We felt that to compliment that big idea, we wanted to let people know that Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center not only supports the Redbirds and AutoZone Park but will offer really big entertainment and shopping for downtown, the entire city and the region."

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