Phillyist at the GPTMC 10th Anniversary Bash

On Wednesday, Phillyist got to spend some quality time with the very successful Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, best known as the team behind GoPhila.com. The GPTMC has been around for ten years now and it's happy to be starting year eleven with a bang. The afternoon's press conference at the Bellevue marked the official launch of Boundless Philadelphia, the GPTMC's new eco-friendly tourism campaign that will emphasize all the outdoor activities that Philly has to offer, and the relaunch of the "Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over" campaign, complete with new Pajama Man and an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-inspired commercial, set to launch June 11, which is (coincidentally?) the night of the Tonys. Between the press conference and the birthday party that happened after, we've now heard the new jingle at least six times, and we've already got it mostly memorized. (We will warn you, however, about some accidental Ben Franklin/Liberty Bell violence.)

The aforementioned party, complete with delicious food and good company, is where we took these snapshots. The GPTMC hosted a runway show of sorts to highlight its upcoming events, including a new section at the zoo, a new section at Sesame Place, upcoming performances of Cirque du Soleil's Quidam and Disney's The Lion King, and the annual Sunoco Welcome America celebration. The show ended with a final encore by the new Pajama Man and his posse -- all in glittery pajamas that made Phillyist quite envious. Almost enough to wish we were tourists, not mere residents.

All photos by the author.