Whom You Know: MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND NYC & COMPANY ANNOUNCE THE MUPPETS AS NEW YORK CITY'S OFFICIAL FAMILY AMBASSADORS Muppets Will Encourage Families to Travel to New York City in 2012 by Highlighting Family-Friendly Destinations and Attractions In 2011, New York City Welcomed 15 Million Family Visitors, Contributing Approximately $14 Billion to New York City's Economy

Monday, April 16, 2012

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND NYC & COMPANY ANNOUNCE THE MUPPETS AS NEW YORK CITY'S OFFICIAL FAMILY AMBASSADORS Muppets Will Encourage Families to Travel to New York City in 2012 by Highlighting Family-Friendly Destinations and Attractions In 2011, New York City Welcomed 15 Million Family Visitors, Contributing Approximately $14 Billion to New York City's Economy

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC & Company, New York City's tourism and marketing organization, announced that the Muppets will return to New York City in 2012 as the official NYC Family Ambassadors. As part of the year-long collaboration, the Muppets will encourage family travel to the City by highlighting the best ways for families to experience and enjoy the many dining and shopping venues, cultural institutions, parks and attractions across the five boroughs. In 2011, New York City welcomed 15 million family visitors, contributing approximately $14 billion to New York City's economy. The Family Ambassador program began in 2009. Since then, family visitation to New York City has increased by 14.4 percent. The announcement was made at The Official NYC Information Center in midtown Manhattan, where Mayor Bloomberg was joined by NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great and Pepe the King Prawn.

"We are proud to enlist the help of key family experts, the Muppets, to promote the five boroughs domestically and abroad," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The Muppets believe in dreaming big - just like New Yorkers. Extending the NYC Family Ambassador program beyond the summer and for the entire year will aid us in attracting more family visitors year round and therefore help us reach our goal of attracting 55 million visitors to New York City annually by 2015."

"In 1984, the Muppets took Manhattan, and now they're poised to take visitors to all five boroughs," Deputy Mayor Steel said. "We're proud to partner with the Muppets to make people realize that New York is a great destination for family vacations."

"We could not imagine better NYC Family Ambassadors than the lovable and enchanting Muppets. For more than 40 years, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and their friends have been enormously popular and engaging icons of the big screen and small screen," said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company. "Appealing to fans of all ages across the globe, the Muppets will highlight what they love about the five boroughs and illustrate why New York City is the perfect place for families to visit this year."

"I've loved New York ever since I arrived in its harbor and saw that the Statue of Liberty is green. What a welcome!" said Kermit the Frog. "New York is a great place for families, frogs, pigs, bears and - uh, anyone else to visit. There's shopping for Miss Piggy, spectacle for Gonzo, laughs for Fozzie, plus great parks in every borough for tadpoles. We can't wait to show the world the best ways to hop around the city!"

"New York is the most fabulous city in the world. In fact, it's almost as fabulous as moi. And trust me, that's high praise indeed!," said Miss Piggy." So don't just sit there! Get ready world! You're about to take the ultimate diva's tour of moi's favorite city! Lucky vous!"

The program will highlight family-friendly things to do and see for visiting families as well as locals. On www.nyc.gov, the Muppets will share their personal City preferences: Miss Piggy will discuss shopping, Kermit the Frog will help visitors navigate the five boroughs, Swedish Chef will focus on cuisine and more. Showcased locations include the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Coney Island, East River Ferry, MoMA PS1, The Museum of the Moving Image, Rockaway Beach, Snug Harbor, The Natural History Museum and more.

In addition, NYC & Company will provide exclusive offers and savings opportunities at family-friendly retailers, restaurants, and attractions, as well as special summer hotel offers for visitors and locals alike.

The NYC Family Ambassador program was created in 2009 to help position New York City as a safe, welcoming, family-friendly destination and to encourage families to visit during the summer. The Muppets are the fourth NYC Family Ambassadors after Sesame Street in 2009, Dora the Explorer in 2010, and The Smurfs last year.

In 2011, New York City attracted 50.5 million visitors, who contributed more than $48 billion in economic impact for the City. The City set a new goal at the beginning of the year to welcome 55 million visitors to NYC annually by 2015.

For more details on the NYC Family Ambassador campaign check nycgo.com/family.

Recent Testimonials by Brand Ambassadors on their Experience with Whom You Know

"I work with Peachy Deegan because she's prolific at what she does. She's a hard worker, she's thoughtful and she's tasteful at what she writes which is very important. Peachy gets the facts correct, and just that alone is worth its weight in gold."

-Edward Tricomi, Master Stylist and Owner of Warren-Tricomi
https://warrentricomi.com/

"No one has yet to express their taste for our cuisine better than Peachy Deegan on Whom You Know. Thank you for transforming our flavor into words, unlike any other before.
Sometimes WHOM YOU KNOW, really makes a difference and Ammos Estiatorio is grateful to know Peachy Deegan!"
-
Dimitris Nakos, Founder and Owner of
Ammos Estiatorio
https://ammosnewyork.com/

“Whom You Know has done an amazing job of featuring our company over many years [seven]. Peachy has worked tirelessly to create a well-curated selection of topics and brands that are clearly of relevance to her growing audience of readers. Her articles are filled with great insights based on first-hand experience. She does her research, knows her business and is a pleasure to work with!”

-David Sasuga, Owner of Fresh Origins Microgreens
www.FreshOrigins.com

"Peachy Deegan has the pulse of the nation and highlights exceptional opinion leaders in more than 23,000 inspiring and entertaining posts. Her 100,000 twitter followers are a true testimony to Peachy’s ability to inspire, motivate and entertain. She is a feminine force to be reckoned with and an exemplary example of an influential voice in today’s world."

-Mica Mosbacher, author of the new book The Hurricane Factor: Stormside Patriots and tv political commentator

"It was an honour to be chosen for Movers and Shakers by Peachy Deegan. The questions in the interview were intelligent and insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed answering them. The reaction to the interview has been overwhelmingly positive and has helped bring my art practice to a wider audience."
-Damien Flood, Internationally Acclaimed Artist
http://www.damienflood.ie/

"We were so fortunate to hit Peachy’s radar. Her review of our Warmies was spot-on and came at a great time in our company’s early history.
Peachy has such a strong relationship with her readers. She provides honest and real comments; she is truly a trusted source in a very large circle
of consumers."
-Scott Wehrs
President
Intelex U.S.A.
http://www.intelexusallc.com/

"We at Primola love working with Whom You Know and are proud to have been a highly-ranked Manhattan restaurant by Peachy Deegan since 2012, and are featured seasonally. We appreciate the fantastic work Peachy does highlighting our cuisine with her sublime writing style and the whole neighborhood of the Upper East side. Also, we are glad that she has started a Made in Italy column! If you have the opportunity to be considered for review, we'd highly recommend working with her."
-Giuliano Zuliani, Owner of Primola Restaurant
https://www.facebook.com/Primola-Canaletto-restaurants-NYC-135616799831091

"
Peachy Deegan is a gem. She is wonderful to feature our Irish brands in 'Whom You Know'! The articles are beautifully and passionately presented, bringing products and brands to life, making both relevant and fun for her many faithful followers to read. I am immensely proud for our hand-crafted products to be included in this venue!"

-
Bill Follett
President, Belleek Group North America
www.Belleek.com

"As you know from my past features, Peachy Deegan and I were in the same class at Boston College prior to either of us becoming entrepreneurs. When we played together on the BC Alumni softball team in Central Park years ago, she mentioned she could not find a great dentist in Manhattan and could often be found networking on her phone in the outfield hiding from the ball. She was my second patient ever in 2006 when I opened my dental practice; I was one of the first sponsors on Whom You Know and the first Mover and Shaker featured in 2009 and have worked with her continuously since. She's even talked her friends that are doctors into being my patients, and they subsequently send their hospital colleagues. I don't know anyone that is as great of a networker and writer as Peachy, nevermind that she is upstanding and always good for her word. Cosmopolitan Dental is so happy to be in the company of the caliber of major brands she works with today, and although she will tell you a million ways to get your teeth dirty between Peachy's Picks, Terrific Takeout and Peachy's Pantry, Peachy Deegan will tell you there is only one way to get your teeth clean!"
-Dr. Garo Nazarian, Founder and Owner of Cosmopolitan Dental
http://cosmopolitandental.com/