Industry Trends Archives - International Downtown Association

Industry Trends

Advancing Places: Cementing UPMO Leadership Role in Economic Development

With businesses facing an existential crisis and municipalities cutting budgets in 2020, UPMOs were forced to take the lead on triage and recovery. This session will explain how the pandemic experience and crisis management can translate into a permanent and lasting role in economic development.

Greg Pepitone Master Talk

Greg Pepitone is a Senior Economist at Tourism Economics with over 13 years of experience providing strategic advisory services to clients in the tourism, sports, and meeting sectors. He focuses in the areas of economic and fiscal impact assessment, market viability and strategy, business planning and analysis, and facility and other capital project planning. Prior to joining Tourism Economics, Greg was a Manager in PwC’s Hospitality & Leisure Practice.

Kathleen Rawson Master Talk 2021

Kathleen Rawson has more than 30 years of experience in both Hospitality and Destination Management. For the past 25 years, Kathleen has served as the CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., a private/nonprofit company contracted with the City of Santa Monica to manage programs to enhance the vitality of the District. During her tenure, Kathleen has successfully transformed Downtown Santa Monica into the largest property based assessment district, by budget, in the State of California.

HR Strategies Roundtable

This roundtable discussion with HR practitioners discussed topics around employee relations, benefits and compensation, compliance, employee engagement, recruitment and learning and development.

Bringing Innovation to Sponsorships

The most unique and successful sponsorships utilize available assets such as events, initiatives, infrastructure and more to deepen a connection with the target audiences. If a BID is innovative and nimble when developing the sponsorship strategy and activation, both the sponsor and the BID will win. A strong activation is defined by the way the brand/sponsor, assets and promotional levers are used together to drive results and tell a larger story.

Operations 2020: Never Would I Ever Thought I’d Be Doing “_____”!

This year has been unlike any other and essential workers in the operations realm had to adapt quickly to unprecedented challenges, often directly on the front lines. If you’re doing things you never thought you’d be doing, then we want to hear about it! Join your fellow Operations colleagues in an open-forum discussion where you will have an opportunity to share your wildest experiences and hear how your colleagues have adapted as well.

COVID & Beyond: A Parliamentary Perspective

Please join MP Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure & Community, as he shares sections of the Throne Speech and Budget relevant to helping Canadian businesses and the associations which support them. Mr. Fillmore will also provide details of the proposed $31 million program available to BIAs and SDCs to support public infrastructure, active transportation and digital commerce.

Saving the Night

The evening and night-time economies find themselves under pressure. This key part of urban life and culture is vulnerable economically due to the impacts of COVID-19. This session will ask if Purple Flag, an international accreditation focused at creating a gold standard in urban place management after dark and its origins in public health can support the reimagining of night-life to bring people back together again, safely.

Inner City Pressure

The rise of work from home and the fall of public transport appear to be creating a toxic mix for cities. The very places that were resilient to the great recession of 2008 are struggling now with post-lockdown recovery slower in cities than in smaller conurbations. How do we support cities through this crisis? Is it too soon to start talk of reimagining the role of our cities as regional economic hubs? Or can cities emerge from the ruins of COVID-19 relatively unchanged?

Health and Safety in the Public Realm: Frontline Staffing

The COVID-19 pandemic and public protests have put additional pressure on clean and safe teams to consider higher levels of cleanliness and safety unlike anything they have dealt with before. Join operations professionals to discuss keeping frontline staff and the public realm clean, safe and healthy.

Post-Pandemic BID Re-entry Strategies Roundtable

Downtown districts have developed strategic initiatives inviting visitors back and preparing for employees’ return to work. However, the path forward is not completely clear. This roundtable discussion will focus on what has been successful and the various plans and programs that are built to bring people back downtown in a clean and safe manner. Discuss with other attendees the best ways to move ahead and take a leadership role preparing for a return.

End of the Future? (ATCM)

The ‘social business economy’ and ‘experience economy’ are at the mercy of the pandemic. Arts, culture, events, hospitality, leisure, commercial, entertainment, international tourism and other sectors which bring people together face an existential threat under physical distancing. So, we ask, is this the end of the future we had mapped out for urban economies? Do we need to go through the process of reimagination again?

Rising to the Occasion: Operational Insights to Crisis Management (Block by Block)

Discussion on the pandemic, social unrest and natural disaster response.

Tami Door – 2020 Conference

Tami Door is the CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. She joined the Partnership in 2005 after serving as executive vice president of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest regional chamber, and as vice president of a five state division of NBD-First Chicago. She is the co-founder of Denver Startup Week and The Commons on Champa.

Maurice Jones Master Talk

With deep experience in both public and private sectors, Maurice A. Jones became LISC’s fourth President & CEO in 2016. He previously served as the secretary of commerce for the Commonwealth of Virginia, deputy secretary for HUD, commissioner of Virginia’s Department of Social Services, deputy chief of staff to former Virginia Governor Mark Warner and, during the Clinton administration, director of the CDFI Fund.

Dana Telsey Master Talk and Q & A Session

Dana Telsey, a thought leader and influencer in the world of consumer and retail, blends her Wall Street acumen with real-time insights into the trends shaping consumers’ purchasing decisions. In 2006, Dana founded Telsey Advisory Group (TAG), the leading consumer-focused research, banking, and consulting firm on Wall Street. As the rapidly changing consumer landscape forces companies, Boards of Directors, investors, governments and other stakeholders to rethink the consumer paradigm.

Jennifer Vey Master Talk

Jennifer Vey’s work at the Brookings Institution primarily focuses on the connection between placemaking and inclusive economic development in the digital economy. She is the author or co-author of numerous Brookings publications, including Transformative Placemaking: A framework to create connected, vibrant, and inclusive communities and Assessing your Innovation District: A how-to guide.

Kathleen Rawson – 2020 Conference

Kathleen Rawson has more than 25 years of experience in both Hospitality and Destination Management. For the past 20 years, Kathleen has served as the CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., a private/nonprofit company contracted with the City of Santa Monica to manage programs to enhance the vitality of the District. During her tenure, Kathleen has successfully transformed Downtown Santa Monica into the largest property based assessment district, by budget, in the State of California.

Bruce Katz Master Talk

Bruce Katz is the Founding Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Previously he served as inaugural Centennial Scholar at Brookings Institution and as VP and director of Brooking’s Metropolitan Policy Program for 20 years. He is a Visiting Professor in Practice at London School of Economics, and previously served as chief of staff to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development and staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs.

P.U.M.A.’s Global Trends Report: Pandemic July 2020 Update

In late 2019, P.U.M.A. and IDA jointly released the 2020 Global Trends Report highlighting opportunities arising from converging shifts in demographics, lifestyles and a new category, “disruptive forces,” that are shaping our cities. Little did we know that months later we’d be in the midst of the disruptive events of our lifetimes – the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on public health and economies, and the American protests for racial justice that could accelerate dramatic social change.

Top Issues Council: Municipal Partnerships – A Toolkit for Municipal & Urban Place Management Organization Relationships

The Municipal Partnerships Top Issues Council examined the fundamental nature of working relationships between UPMOs and governments to identify the best practices for producing the most beneficial and enterprising partnerships. The report is a useful toolkit for understanding the scope and breadth of these relationships, including case studies and sample agreements from organizations around the globe.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: It’s Not Just About Cars Anymore

The advent of smart and shared transportation systems, spanning from automated shuttles to electric scooters, is rapidly changing mobility in our downtowns. From creating loading zones for rideshare pick-ups, finding space for expanded bike share docks, and defining micro-mobility parking zones, to re-purposing travel lanes, designing shared spaces, managing increased shipping + deliveries, and removing parking requirements, downtowns across the country are handling new challenges creatively.

Vitality Defined

This session will present the first iteration of the IDA Vitality Index, powered by Stantec. The Index will be an interactive, online tool to benchmark the vitality of downtowns across the U.S. It includes select indicators of economy, inclusion and vibrancy to enable urban place managers to objectively quantify and benchmark their district’s strengths and weaknesses against peer cities. During the session, panelists will share the Index and discuss how districts can use this data.

Setting the National Agenda for Cities

Discuss the big-picture policy issues impacting cities, and the role of place management organizations in advocating for thoughtful solutions. Case studies from different countries involved in collective advocacy and organizing will review the national climate in their respective places, and open the floor for a discussion about key policy goals and priorities. This session will be a continuation of conversations from the IDA Ideas Forum and the Canadian National Policy Summit.

Peering into the Crystal Ball: Adapting to a Changing Climate

Addressing sustainability and resilience is critical to the future of our cities. Urban management districts are uniquely positioned to implement key strategies, from grassroots efforts to more large-scale planning initiatives. Learn how several downtowns across North America are catalyzing and advancing sustainability in their districts.

The Power of International Partnership

Ahead of Mayflower 400, the downtown orgs in Baltimore, MD and Southampton, UK have “twinned” with each other after meeting at the World Towns Leadership Summit in Berlin. With a mirrored history of waterfront regeneration, the two organizations have identified common themes and shared, knowledge, ideas, staff, and artists. The Japan Area Management Network will review its new collaboration with Singapore and South Korea on common issues and opportunities resulting from the summit in Tokyo.

Global Trends 2020: What’s Next for Downtown

P.U.M.A.’s award-winning Global Trends Report has been a go-to resource for downtowns for more than a decade. This debut of the 2020 edition will provide insight on what’s next for downtowns given shifts in demographics, lifestyles and competition. The panel will also provide provocative recommendations on how downtown managers can adapt to and get ahead of trends shaping our cities.

Molly Alexander Master Talk

Molly Alexander is the Executive Director of the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation a new 501(c)(3) organization of the Downtown Austin Alliance. For 30 years Molly’s enjoyed a successful career focused on downtown revitalization and economic development, including enterprises in both the public and private sectors. Molly will be speaking about the global growth of cities, our role as city shapers and place anthropologists.

David Downey – Baltimore

As President and Chief Executive Officer, David is responsible for the overall strategic positioning of IDA as a world leader and champion for vital and livable urban centers. Prior to joining the IDA, David served as the Managing Director for the American Institute of Architects’ Urban Design Center and as Executive Director for the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association.