Shout out to the Tampa Downtown Partnership and the International Downtown Association for hosting a fantastic conference last week in Tampa, Florida! At a time when we needed it the most, you found a way to bring our industry together for a week of epic local experiences, meaningful conversations, and a series of educational sessions that have motivated and inspired us to go back to our communities and kick it up a notch.
Together we tackled an array of topics, including public safety, diversity, equity and inclusion; opportunities to boost your downtown economy through sports, travel and leisure; and public transit. I personally enjoyed the many breakout sessions and facilitated roundtables that allowed us to connect with each other face-to-face to talk about our struggles and triumphs over the last 18 months.
Thank you to our sponsors, exhibitors and speakers for sharing your knowledge and experience. Thank you to the people of Tampa who welcomed us with warm smiles and open arms. The IDA staff really pulled out all the stops!
I have never been more grateful for the opportunity to talk shop with fellow urban place managers. The only thing that would have made it better was if our colleagues from around the world could have been with us too. We greatly missed everyone who was unable to attend.
I can’t wait to see you all in Vancouver in 2022. In the meantime, keep up the good work, everybody and stay connected!