Knowledge Center

Marketing, Communications and Events

Place managers narrate and communicate the identity and outward facing mission of the place to residents, tourists, businesses, and other stakeholder groups, thereby communicating the place’s unique brand. By expressing the identity of the place, the brand should invoke a sense of place, leaving individuals with the intangible feelings that one gets when engaging with the authenticity of the place.

The brand is used to market the place to these various stakeholder groups, attracting and inviting them to live, work, play and invest in the place. A diversity of tactics are used to market a place ranging from events, messaging, online engagement, street-level activation and more.

Trick-or-Treat with East Midtown

April 15, 2019 Award

The East Midtown Partnership launched a free Halloween celebration in 2015 inviting neighboring residents into the commercial core of the district to trick-or-treat and also familiarize themselves with downtown retail. An estimated 1,000 families attended the event in 2015, with just under 60 participating businesses. Because of their event’s initial success, The East Midtown Partnership expanded the event in 2016 and participation doubled to 2,000 families, and more than 80 businesses!

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Downtown Cleveland Alliance 3-tiered Marketing Campaign

April 15, 2019 Award

Downtown Cleveland Alliance accomplished the goal of creating economic impact for their community through a strategic and innovative three-tiered marketing campaign involving the development of print and digital advertising, the production of an annual video, and the creation of native advertising content.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Downtown in December

April 15, 2019 Award

In 2016, Downtown Greensboro, Inc. (DGI) was tasked with taking over the annual Festival of Lights, a hallmark holiday event for the community. With the goal of “lighting up downtown” throughout the holidays, DGI expanded holiday programming and created “Downtown in December,” a month-long celebration featuring the Festival of Lights, a holiday parade, carolers, Santa visits, an ice rink and a Santa-Con pub crawl.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Downtown Rideau Mural Boxes Art Exhibit Tour

April 15, 2019 Award

Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Area (DRBIA), in partnership with the City of Ottawa, expanded an initiative initially designed by the city as a project to reduce graffiti removal maintenance costs on utility boxes by vinyl wrapping them in a transit motif design. The D.R.B.I.A took the initiative to an entirely different level by building on its brand as Ottawa’s Arts, Fashion & Theatre District and turning the utility boxes into original works of art.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Downtown Skywalk App

April 15, 2019 Award

The Downtown Des Moines skywalks provide a simple and convenient way to get around no matter the season. The SkyWalkDSM app is a handy way for visitors and locals to navigate downtown through the climate-controlled skywalks. The skywalk itself is nearly four miles long and connects individuals to businesses, restaurants, shopping, events and hotels. The skywalk network system is nearly four miles long and connects individuals to businesses, restaurants, shopping, events and hotels.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Growlifornia Activation

April 15, 2019 Award

Downtown Fresno was dealt a heavy blow when the San Francisco Giants announced they were pulling their Triple-A team from the city after 17 years. The Fresno Grizzlies and downtown Fresno decided to embrace their core traits and idiosyncrasies, celebrating the elements that made them unique, proclaiming the community a “Growlifornia Republic” – a rally cry for downtown.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Inspired by IDA: The 2017 State of Downtown

April 15, 2019 Award

In 2014, Downtown Fresno Partnership (DFP) reimagined their State of Downtown as a happy hour event that engaged a non-traditional audience instead of the standard sit-down meeting. During IDA’s Conference in San Francisco, Kate Joncas, deputy mayor of Seattle, said, “You gotta leave people wowed.” When planning began for the 2017 State of Downtown, DFP set out to make it a celebration of the businesses, organizations and partnerships that work every day to form downtown’s unique atmosphere.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Main Street Food Truck Festival

April 15, 2019 Award

About six years ago, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership began focusing on Main Street’s empty buildings by boarding up the windows and creating the Main Street Food Truck Festival (MSFTF) DLRP’s aim was to bring people back to downtown. Since the festival began in 2011, restaurants, offices, a technology park, theaters, and art galleries have opened or reopened on Main Street. In that same time, food truck participation has increased 271% with diverse trucks from across the state joining.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

SouthSounds: The Little Festival that Could

April 15, 2019 Award

Mobile, Alabama is home to a lively music scene with fans who wanted something new. Old-style festivals kept patrons on-site, minimizing the impact to downtown businesses. A committee formed and came up with a novel concept for a music and art festival. The festival had to be fresh, with a focus on emerging Southern music. Stages would be set up inside existing bars and restaurants.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Biscayne Green – A Public Space Intervention Showcasing a Reimagined Biscayne Boulevard

April 15, 2019 Award

The 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan includes a goal to permanently transform Biscayne Boulevard into an urban boulevard that features a pedestrian promenade, emphasizes transit, and provides bicycle infrastructure. An objective of the Biscayne Green Temporary Intervention was to bring awareness of the barrier effect Biscayne Boulevard represents and to showcase how these spaces can be turned around into a local destination for green space, entertainment, and community.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!