In an effort to balance sidewalk safety, downtown aesthetics, and small business owners’ desire to increase outreach to customers, many communities are re-examining portable signage ordinances. Because digital signage has become more affordable, it is also increasing in popularity and must be taken into consideration when drafting new regulations. The February issue of Downtown Idea…Continue reading
For Downtown Long Beach Associates, the secret to hosting over a dozen major downtown events each year, is to act as an event backer. The Downtown Event Sponsorship program makes $15,000 available to sponsor downtown events with funds that are awarded in amounts of up to $2,500. A multi-step application process ensures that all sponsored…Continue reading
The Small Business Saturday event launched by American Express in 2010 has been a boon to independent retailers in many communities each November. But in Concord, NC, downtown stakeholders were not content to mark this event only on the Saturday following Black Friday. Instead, the Concord Downtown Development Corporation carefully crafted a campaign to celebrate…Continue reading
An innovative pilot program in Cleveland, OH, is providing affordable artist housing while also building a stronger creative economy for the city. The Artist in Residence Program is a joint venture between the Northeast Shores Development Corporation and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Several tools have been developed to attract artists and help…Continue reading
Offering men the opportunity to attend a fun event while getting some help with holiday shopping and wrapping is a good way to encourage more male customers to venture into downtown shops. Many individual retailers offer men-only holiday shopping events, and downtown organizations are beginning to see value in this approach, as well. For example,…Continue reading
An effective, accurate survey can help demonstrate the economic boost brought to city centers during downtown festivals and events. Having those numbers in hand can help event producers defend budgets, attain funding, and quell objections from those who think downtown events are too disruptive. This month in Downtown Promotion Reporter newsletter, Patrick Tierney, chair of…Continue reading
Through an intensive data gathering process, the University City District in Philadelphia, PA, has converted a barren stretch of sidewalk into a successful public plaza. The space was originally devoted to 33 parallel parking spaces, but was converted to a 55-foot by 500-foot sidewalk area during a DOT project. The District, “quickly humanized the space”…Continue reading
While there are many rewards to be gained from downtown branding, misunderstandings about what branding is, and is not, can make these efforts less effective. Branding is not simply a matter of a new tag line, logo, or ad campaign; it is about accurately identifying and communicating a promise about the most valuable aspects of…Continue reading
In an effort to encourage owners of parking garages to activate their spaces during down times, the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative created a pop-up rooftop performance venue at a downtown parking garage. “We were hoping owners would see that garages could be put to really good use during the evening hours when it’s not as…Continue reading
One of the quickest ways to get the word out about community assets is to attract travel writers. The August issue of Downtown Promotion Reporter looked at two small communities’ successful media programs and provided tips on how to garner press coverage. For example, every state has one or more writers associations that can be…Continue reading
