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Grand Education

5 Questions for Ashley Harrison

Ashley Harrison is the assistant marketing director at Mall of Georgia, the Simon Property Group/Ben Carter regional mall that opened outside Atlanta Aug. 13. She joined the center in mid-May, having previously served as a marketing assistant at Phipps Plaza, another Simon property.

So was this your first grand opening?

It absolutely was my first; what an education! I truly didn’t know what to expect. Simon sent some of its best marketing directors to assist with the opening, which was quite a feat.

When did the real grand opening duties kick in?

For most of May, I was establishing merchant relationships, working with the district managers of the retailers where store managers hadn’t yet arrived, and trying to implement some marketing programs. But it probably hit me in mid-June that this was really going to happen.

What were your favorite and least favorite responsibilities?

My favorite part of the whole thing was the building of a new relationship. This center was brand new, so it was ours to create, and that was exciting. Scott Higley, the manager, always made me feel like I was part of the overall management team. Anytime I was walking through the dusty mall, or hauling boxes, he was right there beside me.

Did you have doubts you’d make it?

In the weeks before the grand opening, when the merchants were still building, yes, even though everyone assured me that this was normal. In the last two weeks, the construction pace picked up amazingly.

What will you always remember about the opening?

I’ll always remember just the thousands of people. I was just not prepared for the floods of people coming in. Our center opens on to the second floor, and I looked down and saw hundreds of people on line to sign up for our Mallperks [Simon’s frequent shopper rewards] program. … I was amazed at the interest, and we weren’t prepared for that many people. All the training modules in the world just go by the wayside.