What I Learned From Detroit

As I settle back into my regular routine in my hometown, Downtown Rochester, I can't help but think about the last week spent in Downtown Detroit with 1400 of my closest friends at the National Main Streets Conference.  It was an event a year in the making, with over 225 volunteers working diligently to make it happen.  I had the pleasure of serving as co-chair for the Opening & Closing Committee, so I had a front row seat for the creative show.  

Choosing my favorite part of the event is like choosing my favorite pair of shoes - an impossible decision because they are all so fabulous.  From the Opening Plenary kicking off with the incomparable Selected of God Choir that totally blew the roof off Cobo Center to the Big Bash at historic Eastern Market featuring everything from a marching band to a graffiti artist and so much more.  So I stepped back and tried to take a wider view.  And it came to me, the best part really came down to the people.  I wrote a blog for the conference a few months ago, and I told everyone that the best part of their visit would be meeting the people of Detroit, and understanding their passion and energy for their city.  And I was absolutely right.  All I heard from anyone attending the conference was how amazed they were by everyone and everything they encountered in Detroit.  They didn't expect Detroit to be, well, cool.  They expected ruin and despair, but instead they found beauty and promise.

This is the first conference that I feel that I learned more from the host city than I did from the educational sessions (which were awesome).  Detroit is, in my opinion, the ultimate example of what Main Street is all about.  While they do not have a formal Main Street program in place, they are doing everything the Main Street way.  Specifically, Detroit, purely through its existence is inspiring individuals, businesses and organizations to invest time, dollars and talents in the City with one singular goal - to revitalize Detroit.  As attendees explored the streets of downtown this week, they marveled at the grand architecture, the vibrant public spaces and the people making it happen every day.

But most importantly, it was the energy in Detroit that caused all the buzz.  People found that Detroit is indeed a city on the brink, but on the brink of great things.  I made a lot of new friends this week, including a gentleman from Arkansas who told me that what we did through our conference efforts was create ambassadors for Detroit and those ambassadors would be going back to their communities to sing the praises of everything they discovered in Detroit.  And what a perfect way to dispel the negative national publicity that Detroit always seems to attract.

I'll take it one step further.  When I attend the National Main Streets Conference, I always look for at least one great idea to take home. And I believe that every attendee is taking home the same thing from Detroit - Hope.  It's a simple, yet powerful word.  If you look around Detroit, or any city, it's easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged by everything that needs to happen.  But if you hold the hope in your heart, if you keep Detroit in your rear view mirror as you look forward to the new challenges in your own community, you will be successful.  Downtown is never done.  It is a journey filled with challenges and opportunities.  And just like Detroit, there is nothing so insurmountable that you can't go on.  You find your hope, find your hustle and make it happen.

See you downtown!


Kristi
The Downtown Geek

Making An Impact For Your Town...In 15 Minutes or Less

My eyes popped open Monday morning with an overwhelming feeling to create something.  As I went through my usual morning routine, my mind marveled at the possibilities.  What could I do today that could create an impact for my town?  As sang with wild abandon to AC/DC on the road to downtown I started to think about all the things that I had to accomplish - writing a press release, merchant newsletter, etc., and suddenly my resolve to create something new started to waiver.  Maybe I wouldn't have time to create because life was going to get in the way?  No, no that just won't do, I'll just have to think a little smaller.

So instead of going directly to the office, I took a little detour to drive around downtown to see if inspiration might strike.  The parking lot piled two stories high with snow could make a great venue for a snowman building contest this weekend?  With the chilly weather, maybe an online contest for gift certificates to bring visitors downtown?  As I drove around, it struck me how beautiful it was - crystal blue sky with the sun making the abundant snow shimmer like diamonds.  And then it hit me.  Why not take photos of everything I'm seeing and share it with our fans on Facebook?

So armed with my winter woolies and my new Samsung Galaxy, I ventured out to catch spectacular snow shots on the creek, in the park and all over downtown.  After critically reviewing my work, I used PhotoGrid (my favorite new toy) to create a photo collage which I promptly uploaded to the Downtown Rochester Facebook Page.  Start to finish, I spent about 15 minutes putting this little promotion together.  But was it time well spent? 

The answer came quickly as the likes and comments started to roll in.  After it was all said and done, we had 791 Likes, 25 Comments and 53 Shares, with a total reach of 15,720 people!  Not too bad for an on-the-fly idea.

So what's the point?  Is social media is a downtown marketing juggernaut?  Absolutely, but I'll save that one for another post.  Some days, it's easy to wake up energized and ready to take on the world, only to have your hot pink balloon of enthusiasm popped by the harsh pin of reality.  I liken it to when you download a few new songs on iTunes.  Suddenly, your whole music library feels fresh again.  It's easy to get caught up in doing your job, but if you don't take time to step back and look at the big picture, you're only going through the motions and not really doing the job you want to do. 

When was the last time you made an impact?  If you can't remember, then maybe today's the day!

Happy Creating!

Kristi, The Downtown Geek

A New Year's Revelation

Yes, revelation.  Not resolution.  I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions.  Frankly, the idea of reserving one day a year to make life changing decisions gives me hives.  If you want to make a change, make it.  Don't wait for a holiday.  But I digress, back to my New Year's Revelation.

It was actually New Year's Eve and being the jet-setting family that we are, we decided to skip the parties and get take out.  We decided to be adventurous and try a little Mexican carry out joint we'd spied one day while running errands in Lake Orion.  So there I was sitting in the parking lot at Revere's Mexican Carry Out wondering if I made the right choice.  Why you ask?  The parking lot was fairly empty and the windows were steamed up to the point that you couldn't even see inside.  But I had a hungry family to feed, so in I went, not knowing what to expect.  Then I met Deb.

In the 20 minutes that followed, I had one of the most pleasant experiences that I can remember in a darn long time. Deb, the owner of Revere's was an absolute delight.  She took my order, then proceeded to prepare the food while continuing to have a conversation with me.  We talked about her business, Lake Orion, her grandchildren, even our shared love of Disney World. 

But what was even more amazing, Deb knew every person who walked in the door by name.  More than that, she took the time to ask them about their family, all the while, continuing to prepare orders for the long string of tickets in front of her.  It was sweet, borderline charming and an experience that could only be found walking in the door of a small business. 

And that's when it hit me (here comes the revelation).  It's no big secret that I love what I do, but one of the things that I love the most is working with small business owners.  And that 20 minutes spent with Deb reminded me of that fact.  Small businesses owners are smart, savvy and most importantly to me, passionate about what they do.  Her restaurant was rockin', the phone never stopped ringing, but Deb never broke a sweat and still managed to make every customer feel like they were the only one in the place.

And just in case you were wondering, the food was terrific!  And we've been back several times to see Deb and I can tell you it wasn't a fluke.  Every time I go to Revere's, it's been the same - great food, special service and a good feeling every time I walked out the door.  And within that lies my new challenge.  How can I share that kind of experience our downtown customers?  I know that those same things happen every single day in my downtown, but how do I harness that energy, maximize it and of course, market it?  And that's what I'll be working on these days.  Did you see what I did there? I made a decision to make a change and it's not even a holiday.  I know, I'm crazy like that.

Happy Revelations!

Kristi
The Downtown Geek

Are You A Downtown Opportunist?

A lot of people ask me what the most important skill a downtown manager should possess to be successful.  And by skill, I don't mean education or experience.  No, I'm talking about a hard-wired skill that is not something that can be learned, but rather something inherent to who someone is deep down in their soul.

I believe in many things (like that Don't Stop Believing is meant to be sung as a duet), but none so strongly as I do this absolute truth:  The most important skill a downtown manager can possess is to be an opportunist. Yes, I know that when you hear the word opportunist, it typically has a negative connotation, so let's call it a downtown opportunist (because when you add downtown to anything, it organically becomes better).  I define being a downtown opportunist as having the ability to recognize and create opportunity at every turn.  And it's not an either/or proposition.  They are not mutually exclusive concepts in this context and one cannot be successfully employed without the other. 

Recognizing Opportunity

It's the ability to walk down the street in your downtown, the same street that you have walked down every day for years and still see something new.  It may have always been there, but today, for some reason, you saw it in a different light.  You saw an opportunity.  Think about it, every really exceptional idea that has happened in your town is because someone decided to look at something differently, and to create something new.  And it's not just about the built environment.  What are you hearing from your community - why do they come downtown?  Look at what your businesses are doing?  What are their success stories?

A business in my town, South Street Skateshop, started an event a few years ago called Deck Art.  The event encouraged the community to create artwork on skateboard decks. The decks were then displayed in businesses downtown for about 10 days.  We saw this as a wonderful event with a ton of potential so we approached the business owner to see if she would be interested in partnering with us.  We weren't interested in taking over the event, but through our substantial marketing muscle, we thought that we could deliver increased awareness which would in turn translate into increased sales and foot traffic downtown.  The result was an incredible downtown event that saw over 275 artists participating (a 40% increase over the previous year), with decks displayed in over 50 downtown businesses.  The lesson learned?  Opportunities exist everywhere, you just have to always be looking.

Creating Opportunity

Yes, it's hard.  It's easy to seize opportunity that is right in front of you. Constantly creating something new takes stamina.  But honestly, nothing is more satisfying.  True downtown opportunists will tell you these moments are what they crave, what they live for (professionally speaking). It's not something that can be taught, although many people have tried.  The ability to take an idea, build it completely in your brain and turn it into something tangible and coherent that can become a living idea, well, that my friends is an art form.  But with a downtown as your canvas, the possibilities are endless.  Why?  Because while downtowns will always be at the core, the center of the community, they do change and evolve over time.  Businesses move in and out, new developments come to town, demand for events and activities increases, etc.  And while many people dread the changes, true downtown opportunists will see them for exactly what they are - chances to create, grow and prosper.

Never think that you know everything, that every new idea has already been thought - you don't and they haven't.  Being a downtown opportunist is a hard, tedious, often obsessive trait.  But the rewards far outweigh the stress and angst that you will endure on the road to the next big idea. 

Kristi
The Downtown Geek

Downtown Success: A Journey, Not A Destination.

Having just come off a win of the 2013 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA), you can imagine the enthusiasm and buzz here in Downtown Rochester.  But as the initial excitement starts to settle down, there are a lot of serious conversations happening around the same question - where do we go from here?  On this topic, people are clearly in two camps.  There are those (including myself) who believe we are entering a new phase development for our downtown and the organization.  There are many mountains to climb and we need to get our plan in place.  There is another group that believes that we are at the pinnacle of our success and it's been a great run, but maybe we are done.

Yes, as you might imagine, I almost croaked when I heard that there was discussion of being "done".  To me, it is the cardinal sin of any downtown organization.  My first instinct was to shout from the rooftops all the reasons why we need to continue.  How could someone in my town actually say that we are done?  But then it hit me, maybe we haven't been doing a good job of communicating.

When you look at the Committee Work Plans, you see projects with defined budgets and start/finish dates.  It's a simple system to keep everyone on track and it accomplishes that goal.  But what it doesn't do it allow people to see the big picture of what our organization is about. We were established in 1983 and back then, anyone could tell you why we were established and what we needed to do.

Our Mission Statement:

To maximize the economic development potential of Downtown Rochester for the benefit of the community by maintaining an ongoing, comprehensive downtown management program with broad-based community involvement, seeking reuse of historic and architecturally significant buildings whenever possible, respecting the natural environment, and by preserving downtown's overall unique historical character.

Fast forward thirty years and downtown has definitely changed, and so has our organization.  And while our mission is the same, the way we are executing it is much different.  It's absolutely to be expected and we should have seen it sooner.  Back in the day, our organization was focused on physical improvements - lightpoles, streetscape, downtown facades, purchasing parking lots, etc.  Now we are focused on development of our properties, business recruitment/retention and attracting visitors to our district through innovative promotions and spectacular special events.

I've learned so many things since our GAMSA win (ooh, I feel another blog post coming on), but what it opened my eyes to is that while I believe that there is no real end goal for a downtown organization we have to continually prove our existence. Downtown success truly is a journey, with many exciting stops and challenging detours along the way.  But if we want to continue down this road, we have to take a hard look at who we are and what we need to do to keep our downtown vibrant and viable.  All I know is, I love a challenge and I can't wait to see where we take things from here!

What I Learned in New Orleans

Now that I've been back from the National Main Streets Conference for about a week and a half, I've started to reflect on the trip.  Did I enjoy the trip?  Hey, I was in New Orleans - of course I enjoyed the trip!  More importantly,  did I learn anything?  Absolutely! Having attended 15+ national conferences so far, I think I have a pretty good idea what I hope to get out of the conference each time and New Orleans certainly did not disappoint.  I typically have two goals - recharge my Main Street batteries and get my brain spinning with new ideas.  The recharging is easy.  If you can't get excited about what we do after spending 4 days with Main Streeters from across the country, you might be in the wrong business.  But getting my brain moving, that takes a bit more effort.  This was also a very different conference for me because of a few other distractions that we'll get to shortly.  So back to the big question, what did I learn?

Main Street Is Forever

It's easy to say, but you really have to believe it.  I had the pleasure of presenting a session at this year's conference, "Secrets of a Main Street Manager".  Different from my sessions in the past, I decided rather than focusing on best practices and giving lots of ideas to R & D, instead I would switch things up and talk about something that I know many of my fellow managers struggle with all the time - how to keep going.  While I'm sure that most of you know what an incredibly "glamorous" job Main Street Managers have, sometimes you have those days, those people, those projects that make you ask yourself a very dangerous question, "Why Am I Doing This?" Indeed, while most people in your community would never guess, self-doubt is something we all engage in on a regular basis.  While I've been told that I have confidence to spare when it comes to my job (actually, I think the word was cocky), I always worry that my greatest fear might come true and that I will become irrelevant.  They say that admitting your fear is part of the solution, so I guess that's why I'm always attending conferences, volunteering for new projects and writing this blog.  I'm not just trying to stay relevant, but continuing to create relevancy for our entire Main Street Movement in my own little way.

Awards Don't Suck

In case you hadn't heard, my town, Rochester, Michigan was the proud recipient of a 2013 Great American Main Street Award.  It was our third attempt at the award and amongst friends, I had become known as the Susan Lucci of the GAMSAs.  As you might imagine, I was eager to shake off that curse and bring it on home.  It was especially sweet because of the location.  Back in 2006, we were in New Orleans for the National Main Streets Conference.  It was my first conference since I had come back to the Rochester DDA after my hiatus and stepping into the Director's Chair.  I remember vividly having dinner at Emeril's with my volunteers and Marketing Coordinator, talking about how the DDA was off-track and brainstorming ways to get us back where we needed to be.  Fast forward to 2013 and there I was, sitting at Emeril's again with my team talking about winning GAMSA.  I've always been one to say that you shouldn't measure success by the number of awards on your wall, but this one is a little different.  For me, it's less about success and more about the journey taken to this point and continuing to challenge ourselves to see where we take things from here.

Michigan Main Street Peeps Rock

For anyone who attended the Closing Session, you got a sneak peek of what awaits you in 2014 in Detroit.  For those who didn't, imagine the lights going out and a hush falling over the crowd as the Opportunity Detroit Spot from the World Series hits the screen.  With Kid Rock's Bawitdaba playing in the background, it is immediately clear that 2014 in Detroit will be like no other conference you've attended. Then Kid Rock's Detroit, Michigan hits the speakers and dozens of Michigan Main Streeters hit the crowd, passing out Faygo pop and Detroit 2014 conference swag.  The crowd got so pumped up that a spontaneous dance party broke out! 

Many cities host the conference to show off their successes.  What's amazing about Detroit is that while we will be showcasing our successes and true soul of our city, we absolutely exemplify the theme of the conference, "Works In Progress".  Detroit has so much to be proud of and there are good people making amazing things happen every day.  To me, that is what Main Street is all about and why we do what we do.  I truly believe that Detroit 2014 is the conference people will talk about for years to come.

See you The D in 2014!

Kristi
The Downtown Geek

Board Members - It's All About Relationships

Why are some downtown managers excited to go to work every day, while others face each day with dread?  It could be a million different reasons, but I contend that one of the most challenging parts of the job is relationship building and if you haven't perfected it you are doomed to a pretty unhappy existence.  People are at the heart of everything that we do as managers, but many people avoid that interaction (or more specifically avoid certain people) and that just won't work.  It's an all or nothing proposition.  If you are going to promote the fact that your organization is inclusive, then you have to practice what you preach and as the manager, you need to lead by example.  And when it comes to your Board, you simply do not have a choice.  So where do you start?

I was watching Sesame Street the other day with my 4-year old and the word of the day was "Volunteer".  It was defined as someone who donates their time without expecting anything in return.  Sorry, no, I don't buy that.  I've been working with volunteers for 15+ years now and they all are in it for some reason.  Not necessarily something covert or nefarious, but let's face it, everybody wants something.  As a manager, it's your job to give it to them.  Every year, I receive 2-3 new board members.  Then it's time to play my favorite game show, "Tell Me What You Want".  Of course, they will never actually tell you what it is - you have to guess, pry it out of them, hire a psychic, beg, etc. 

I've found that they usually fall into a three categories:

The Givers

I really, really like these people.  Very easy to work with, no hidden agendas.  They are few and far between, but if you can find one, hold on to them with everything you've got.  They are wonderful mediators for disagreements at the Board because they hold no allegiances and speak their minds.  They have the potential to become your biggest cheerleaders if given the chance.  Engage them immediately and figure out where they will best fit in your efforts.

The Takers

We've got something they want.  It could be funding, power to make things happen (or not happen) or just the prestige of being able to put their service on the resume.  They are pretty easy to identify, they come in like bats out of hell, blowing up virtually everything you've been working on and wanting to start over.  Whatever it is that they want, you need to figure it out - and fast.  Bite the bullet and take them for lunch to see what's on their mind.  The sooner you find out, the sooner you can set them on the path to focusing their energy to something that they are passionate about rather than running rogue and hindering your organization's progress.

The Fixers

Oh, you all know these people.  No matter what you do, no matter what has been done by your organization, it's all wrong.  But have no fear, they joined your Board to "fix things".  (What? You didn't know anything was broken?)  While the Takers can run the gamut of personalities, Fixers need one thing - they need to be needed and to get attention and credit for what they do.  Maybe they weren't hugged enough as a child? They didn't get that Boba Fett with Launching Rocket that they asked Santa for that fateful Christmas?  Whatever the reason, it's now your job to fill that void.

Inevitably, they'll ask for a litany of reports and information that it will take endless hours to put together. Don't get defensive or take it personally, instead reach out to them and ask how they would do things.  Instantly, you're flipping the script and putting the burden on them to step up and make things happen.  You'll find out quickly if they really have the answers or if they are just crying out to be heard.  I believe that being a Fixer is a temporary condition and with a little bit of time and effort, they can transform into Takers, or believe it or not, even Givers.

At the end of the day, downtown organizations are centered around people and you have to perfect your relationship building skills.  Everyone has the capacity to be a positive contributor, but they don't always know it.  Take the time to get to know your Board members and while you may not strike up lifelong friendships, you might just find champions for your organization that you never knew existed.

Kristi
The Downtown Geek

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