By Hosting a Limited Number of Strategic Events, Downtown Attracts New Visitors

For years, downtown leaders in El Paso, TX, steered clear of hosting events. Joe Gudenrath, executive director of El Paso’s Downtown Management District, figured there was no need, considering other organizations put on a full slate of festivals, fitness events and gallery tours. “Plenty of events already are happening,” Gudenrath says. “We’re fortunate that we don’t have to be the sole source of downtown events.”

In 2017, Gudenrath and the Downtown Management District (DMD) had something of a change of heart. The DMD decided to organize a limited number of strategic events. “We knew that events were a way to attract an audience, and a diverse audience,” Gudenrath says.

“We wanted to host events that could highlight our assets — so not just a concert to have a concert.”

El Paso’s newly launched Eat Authentico Restaurant Crawl is one such example. In 2017 and 2018, the DMD organized a five-stop tour of restaurants that agreed to serve an appetizer, entree or dessert. Eat Authentico has now been joined by the Downtown Living Tour, Downtown Hotel Tour, and the Downtown Barstool Open.

More on these events, and El Paso’s strategic approach, appears in the May issue of Downtown Idea Exchange. Click to learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange and other resources for revitalizing downtowns and commercial corridors.

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