It All Comes Together Downtown

When you go to a new city, you want to see what makes that city unique, right? Get a feel for the local character? See stuff you won't find at home? Then you need to go downtown. The central business district of a city, whether it's Chicago, New York or St. Cloud, Minnesota, holds the key to the city's identity. Although suburban shopping malls and outlying attractions certainly bring in customers, more and more tourists are seeking out downtown experiences when they travel. As a matter of fact, heritage tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, and downtown historic districts are the major beneficiaries of that increase.

With this in mind, downtown associations and chambers of commerce have spent the last 15 years promoting downtown and bringing more visitors, both locals and tourists, into the central business district. So I am always amazed when the business people downtown don't know how to take advantage of this boom! Recently, I visited a city that had a historic commercial district and an active downtown association, but who couldn't get their members to participate in tourism events because they thought it would disrupt parking for their 2 or 3 regular customers! These same merchants refused to offer repeat-buyer discounts because they didn't want to go to the trouble of punching customers' cards. Amazing.

Downtown is hot these days. Every city in the nation is promoting urban living and urban lifestyles, including residential lofts, mixed-use developments and lots of pedestrian activity. Even suburbs and small towns are trying to emulate the bohemian lifestyle of the city. We are an urban nation, and finally Americans are embracing their urbanity. It would be in the best interest of every downtown association, merchant, and chamber of commerce to find ways to make their downtown as pedestrian and consumer friendly as possible. Sometimes, that is easier said than done.

That's why Grasshopper Communications specializes in downtown marketing. We help downtown associations not only promote their merchants, but also teach the merchants, restaurants and community leaders how to take advantage of each promotion. That way the promotional dollars won't go to waste. We are also well versed in working with historic districts and commissions, so we can help create a pleasant, consumer-friendly environment for every guest. Because at Grasshopper Communications, we know that downtown is where it all comes together.