We were among the 800+ folks at the North Carolina Main Street conference March 11-13 in Mooresville. So many interesting sessions and bits of advice, including the following:
- If you don’t trust the private partner in your public-private partnership, get a new private partner.
- The features of your community that may be old hat to your residents will still be new and interesting to your potential visitors.
- Remember that you are always building for tomorrow! You must meet the needs of NOW, but you should spend time contemplating the needs and wants of future generations since your buildings will be around for decades to come (hopefully!) Designs should leave room for flexible uses and be accessible for all users, not just those in cars. This applies to how you design your Main Street but is certainly relevant for other investments like schools and water systems.
- Understanding your trade area isn’t just a perfect circle around you can help you figure out where people are really working and spending their money. Analyze commuter patterns and spending patterns instead of relying on gut instinct to understand the underutilized locations within your municipality.
- Make sure your nonprofit’s articles of incorporation, bylaws and actual ways of doing business are all consistent. If they’re not, make whatever amendments you choose to make them consistent.
- It’s great that your residents are “satisfied,” but what you need is to get them “attached.” If they are “satisfied” with your delivery of basic services, that’s simply the price of admission. What keeps folks around (including business owners) is a feeling of “attachment.” The keys to “attachment” are aesthetics, social offerings and “openness” (a feeling of welcoming and being welcome).
- If you can co-locate offices for your various economic development groups — like Main Street, County and City economic development, the Chamber, the Tourism Authority — you’ll likely enhance coordination and break down silos.
If you’d like to hear more about our experience at the conference or share thoughts on any of the items above, please reach out – we’d love to talk more!