The Story Behind Explore Brookhaven’s Community-Driven Brand
Learn how a small destination created a big impact by building a brand rooted in collaboration, connection, and civic leadership.
Explore Brookhaven is more than just a brand. It’s a reflection of the people who live, work, and belong there. Born from a new city’s desire to build its own voice, Explore Brookhaven grew from listening to more than 700 community members and evolved into a mission, a message, and a movement. Today, the brand isn’t just visible across buildings and banners. It’s embedded in the city’s leadership, its downtown plan, and its daily life.
Built From Scratch. Shaped by 700 Voices.
When President & CEO Renée Areng joined Explore Brookhaven in 2019, she wasn’t handed a toolkit. She was handed a blank slate. With no brand, no identity, and a brand-new city just finding its footing, her team started with questions, not answers.
What does Brookhaven feel like?
Do you know when you’re in Brookhaven?
What do you want this place to become?
More than 700 residents, business owners, and visitors answered. Their collective voice formed the foundation of the brand’s mission, vision, and tagline: Belong Here. It wasn’t just a marketing phrase. It was how people already felt.
“We didn’t want just a logo,” said Areng. “We wanted something with real meaning. Something rooted in place, pride, and people.”
A Brand That’s Literally Built Into the City
The Explore Brookhaven logo tells a story. Its signature “fabric B” mirrors the actual geographic shape of the city and weaves in elements of nature: green for the tree canopy, blue for Peachtree Creek. It’s designed with intention and it's showing up everywhere.
Today, the brand is stitched into the physical fabric of Brookhaven. The “B” appears on street signs, city buildings, and will anchor trail signage and placemaking efforts across the city. Most notably, the city asked Explore Brookhaven to manage the new City Centre, a LEED Gold-certified civic space that now serves as the heart of downtown.
That kind of integration doesn’t happen by accident.
“I’ve never had this kind of support from elected officials and C-suite leadership,” said Areng. “They don’t just include us… they embrace our brand as their own.”
The People’s Building
With meeting rooms, rooftop spaces, performance venues, and public gathering areas, the new City Centre isn’t just a government building. It’s become what locals are calling “The People’s Building.”
Explore Brookhaven’s role in managing the space reflects their deep connection to the community. Set to open in summer 2025, the City Centre is already generating excitement as a future hub for civic life. From pop-up farmers markets and cultural exhibits to live concerts and weddings, the venue will host a wide range of events, including Taste Brookhaven. It will be surrounded by shops, restaurants, and continued development along the Dresden corridor.
And the building’s sustainable construction, made with mass timber and designed to naturally decompose over time, is a literal and symbolic nod to a city built with care and long-term purpose.
Punching Above Their Weight Class
Brookhaven may be a smaller destination, but that hasn’t stopped the team from thinking big. Even through challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow return of business travel, the brand has grown stronger thanks to relentless community engagement and consistent messaging.
To better understand visitor experiences, Explore Brookhaven partnered with Longwoods International on a sentiment study. The results were encouraging: visitors reported high satisfaction and a strong desire to return, especially for the city’s dining options and outdoor spaces. Internally, the team continues to pursue excellence with industry certifications. Explore Brookhaven has already achieved Georgia’s gold-standard accreditation and is now working toward full DMAP accreditation through Destinations International.
“This work proves that you don’t have to be a huge destination to lead the way,” said Areng. “We’re punching above our weight class, and proud of it.”
Advice for Other Destinations
For other DMOs looking to launch a new brand or reposition their destination, Areng has one clear piece of advice: bring people to the table early and make sure they feel heard. “Every voice is just as important as the other,” she said. “If you can build the table and include the voices at the table, then you have their support.” That collaborative spirit helped Explore Brookhaven create a brand that not only resonated with residents, but also earned the trust of city leaders and partners. Avoiding an “us versus them” mentality, she noted, is essential to long-term success.
Rising Tides Float All Boats
Being a newer DMO gave Brookhaven an advantage: it didn’t have decades of legacy systems or rigid expectations to navigate. That flexibility allowed Explore Brookhaven to respond quickly to a changing world and to build something that resonates now. “Ultimately, we’re in the business of bringing people together,” Areng said. “Therefore, we come together.”
From the inclusive planning process that shaped the brand to the leadership buy-in that helped bring it to life, Explore Brookhaven is proof of what’s possible when a community builds its identity from the inside out — and moves forward together. As Areng put it, “A rising tide floats all boats.” And in Brookhaven, that tide is lifting a city, a brand, and a shared vision for what comes next.
More Destination Effect Stories
A Brand Refresh for More Regional Coverage
The Palm Beaches: Building Community & Fostering True Hospitality
What An Elected Official Who Gets It Sounds Like
How a Tourism Office Helped Stillwater Say Yes to Animal Welfare
Honoring History: The Genesis of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail
Lighting the Way for Community Conservation
Additional Resources