COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Downtown Coldwater representatives Audrey Tappenden and Courtney Dirschell recently attended the three-day “Main Street NOW” conference in Richmond, Virginia alongside downtowns from across the country. They were joined by over 40 others representing Michigan Main Street communities at the conference.
Of the hundreds of sessions offered, Tappenden and Dirschell were able to attend over 24 presentations led by leaders in their industry.
Tappenden said, “The Main Street Now Conference offered solutions to common problems and new techniques to help our community thrive. We can’t wait to integrate these into our projects and programs.”
The ideas and the energy brought back from the conference were outlined at a recent Coldwater DDA/Main Street Board Meeting.
Tappenden highlighted the importance of establishing design guidelines/recommendations for the district and shared a data-driven case for making downtowns accommodating to pets and their owners, as people of all age groups are making travel and lifestyle choices that are increasingly influenced by their canine companions.
Dirschell focused on the need to use market data from geofencing to show who is currently using the downtown, or driving through it, and where they come from.
Some immediate recommendations included undertaking a branding campaign, hiring a photographer for downtown events, and partnering with Coldwater Recreation on evaluating and planning downtown events.
For more information about the Coldwater DDA/Main Street, please follow them on Facebook at Coldwater Downtown.
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