Downtown Happy Hour

That's A Wrap! What an incredible Bender we've all been on these last 3 days. Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they close out the final day of 2021's 3 Day Bender and discuss all of the amazing speakers we had the privilege of hearing. See you next year!!! (and by see, I really hope we actually see each other next year!) Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

In an effort to better ensure that real estate developers truly reflect their city's diversity and that minority real estate developers are able to participate in growth and revitalization efforts, the Equitable Development Initiative was launched. Archive Design Studio's Vice President Dorian Moore, AIA will explain how to chart a new path toward inclusive economic opportunity and how this program combines our local knowledge, partnerships, and key strengths – including program design and project financing – to support minority developers to grow their careers and support communities. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Hear a series of inspirational stories about people who fought apathy and made a difference. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Over the last decade co-working spaces large and small have popped up across the country and it seems to be the next hip thing to pursue in the world of downtown management. All too often projects are pursued before contemplating the most important question: is it right for your downtown? This session will explore how one town's leap of faith into the co-working world went and how Covid-19 is changing the face of the industry and real-estate use. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Your Newest Business Owner Just Got Their Temps: How We Inspire Teens to Become entrepreneurs. Telling stories of how we've building a network of business idea competitions to help high schoolers do more than just their required service time. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Let's escape to our happy place. How would our cities, towns, and public spaces look if we created them to be happy places—if they took the emotional, psychological, and social needs of communities into account? The spaces that surround us—through their design, programming, and social characteristics—impact our physical and mental well-being. So when mental health—already a rising and leading cause of death and disability—is seen by many as the underlying crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, shouldn't we be doing more to create responsive, livelier, and happier places?

If you have ears, enjoy adult beverages, and live in a community then do yourself the favor of listening to the wrap-up discussion of Day 2! Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they discuss what they learned during the second day of 2021's 3 Day Bender. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Instead of going on expensive "fishing" trips for prospects elsewhere, learn how Marion tended to their own economic garden. Learn how this 8 week program created true success and cultivated a business community! Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Main Street managers are awesome. I did it a while back, did it again as interim, loved it, got sued, still loved it, won't do it again. Unless you ask nicely. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Get a better understanding of what a wayfinding system is (and is NOT) and how it benefits your community. This discussion will cover many of the different components that make up a robust and effective wayfinding system, from the interstate to the parking lot and beyond. We will also discuss what goes into the planning process, including destination selection, traffic patterns, and sign design, as well as things to look for during the implementation phase. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

We will hear from John about how several communities rallied behind telling their stories with film that is truly moving. How did it happen, what to expect, and what does good look like! Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Continuing the longest held tradition of the globally acclaimed and most historic Unconference, our esteemed hosts enjoy a cold beverage and recap the sessions from the day! Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they discuss what they learned during the first day of 2021's 3 Day Bender. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Downtown Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, as well as all the other sessions and a very lively community!

Want to learn how to stop making bad decisions about lighting? Come to this session. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Everybody is talking about microretail? What is it? What does it look like? How does it work? Hear Jules, Jen and Leigh discuss how a small town envisioned a beautiful microretail village, designed a pattern book to shape the character and then used their code to ensure their creativity becomes reality. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

This is one area of city management that both libertarians and demsocs agree upon: taxing the value of land is the fairest tax of them all. In this session we will not explore any history. We will not bore you with any hard to remember data. Mostly because we will be in the Three Day Bender, likely with a drink, and will actually not remember any data. What you will get is a great overview of the advantages of taxing land by its value, how this approach can create a trend away from suburban big boxes and towards downtown small buildings, and can encourage more dense, multifamily development. And how that can help your local economy. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

The story of the Vogue Theater's transformation from abandoned building to historic downtown movie house. The Vogue Theatre Project was a complete rehabilitation of the theatre – inside and out – including mechanical and plumbing systems, roofing and a totally renovated interior with two screens. The large “grand theatre” seats 187, while the smaller screen seats 45. The completely rebuilt lobby and lounge area and concession stand emphasize operational efficiency and provide a top-notch experience for film-goers. State-of-the-art digital projection equipment and facilities have been outfitted by industry leader Boston Light & Sound. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

At one time, storytelling was at the center of every tribe and culture. It strengthened relationships between people, connected them to their past, present and future, and cultivated pride in one's place. Stories provided strength and structure and a knowledge that “These are my people.” But aided in part by the immensity of the internet and the saturation of social media, we've exchanged local stories for national and international distractions. We've traded people for pixels. We've weakened OUR places by knowing each other less, exchanging an increasingly more virtual existence for increasingly less local lives. But we can fight fire with fire. In this webinar, we'll talk about why our places need humans and their stories at the center of place-based marketing as well as introduce a simple and no-experience storytelling process that can cultivate pride and create new connections in our places. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

From one of the Top 3 former-Onion writers working on downtown revitalization efforts in central New Hampshire, Chet Clem will explore how humor can be a tool to engage, disarm, and spur activity among downtown stakeholders– especially the disengaged. He'll talk about how humor requires common understanding to set up the “get-able” delivery of the message. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

To close out our incredible week, our noble hosts enjoy a cold beverage and recap the sessions from the day and the week overall. They are also joined by a very special guest for a very special announcement! Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they discuss what they've learned during the overwhelming event that was the 3 Day Bender. Please, take some time to give this a listen, visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video, and... Until next time?

Jenifer Acosta, Allie Quinlan, and Bernice Radle will prove to you in an hour flat that true communities need to involve development from diverse points of view. YOU WILL LOVE THIS SESSION. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Jeanette Pierce, founder of the Detroit Experience Factory and The City Institute will share lessons learned from Detroit on how immersive storytelling can help attract and retain talent and how you can use virtual experiences to help tell a city's story even during a pandemic. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Join Jeff Siegler, Jack Storey, and Phil Eich as they discuss how important community pride is in transforming place. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Jonathan Berk of Patronicity will discuss creative use of the space that we have to develop effective reopening strategies. Join us for a lively discussion and plenty of room for Q&A! Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Q and A with downtown and tourism expert and Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Barefield, moderated by Sarah O'Brien. These two will dig deep into the relationship betwreen the citizens, the leaderships, and crafting a safe strategy.

Once again, our heroic hosts enjoy a cold beverage and recap the sessions from the day! Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they discuss what they learned during Day 2 of the 3 Day Bender. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Brian Friedman will harness his 20 years of community development experience working in low to moderate income communities and discuss all the in's and out's of the Paycheck Protection Plan, things to understand, things to plan for, and what future rounds might mean. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Joe Borgstrom moderates a lively conversation with our Leadership Panel which includes Liz Parham, Director of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center at the Chamber of Commerce, Patrick McMahon, Connecticut Main Street Center, Mary Helmer, Director of Main Street Alabama. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Jay Schlinsog of Downtown Professionals Network discusses the Reopen Main Street website, concepts & resources, how they were developed, and how Main Streets are helping their districts across America. Hosted by Ben Muldrow. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Kirsten Borgstrom of Place + Main Advisors dishes out a delicious dose of knowledge on communicating in hard times, connecting with customers, understanding changing trends and generally being effective at communicating. Hosted by her partner in crime, Joe Borgstrom. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Our intrepid hosts enjoy a cold beverage and recap the sessions from the day! Join Ben Muldrow, Joe Borgstrom, & Jeff Siegler as they talk about what they've learned during Day 1 of the 3 Day Bender. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Tripp Muldrow of Arnett Muldrow & Associates discusses the short term and long term impacts of this global pandemic on both National and Local Retailers & Restauranteurs. This live Q&A session, hosted by Joe Borgstrom of Place + Main Advisors allowed for real time audience interaction. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Sarah O'Brien, Community Whisperer, will make sure everyone will walk away understanding the true challenge facing downtown, small businesses, destinations, and municipalities, strangely enough it remains the same as it was before COVID-19. Hosted by Jeff Siegler from Revitalize or Die. We are releasing one session per day in audio format so that you can catch up on any you may have missed or listen again to hear new insights. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full presentation video.

Please listen in as Trey Sherwood, Executive Director of Laramie Main Street Alliance in Wyoming, Josh Adams, Director of Owosso Main Street in Michigan, and Ben Wieseman from Rev Birmingham in Alabama discuss and share what they've learned since the beginning of the quarantine. Moderated by Ben Muldrow. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

Randy Wilson, president of Community Design Solutions, shares best practices and facilitate a discussion on how to address COVID-19 and other disasters. Come prepared to learn and participate in this fast-paced, highly visual webinar that can better prepare your community to respond to disaster from a Main Street design perspective. This is an incredible presentation, so it's highly recommended that you head over to the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video. Hosted by Jeff Siegler of Revitalize, or Die. We will be releasing one session per day in audio format so that you can catch up on any you may have missed or listen again to hear new insights.

In this session, Katherine Loflin, The City Doctor, Internationally-Recognized and Award-Winning City Consultant and Speaker, discusses the connection between people and place, and how to use that attachment to invite people downtown again. Hosted by Joe Borgstrom of Place + Main Advisors. We will be releasing one session per day in audio format over the next 3 weeks so that you can catch up on any you may have missed or listen again to hear new insights. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video.

The first episode of the 3 Day Bender podcast is live and features Jermain R. Ruffin, Host & Owner of The Streets Are Planning Podcast, and Development Director-West Region, City of Detroit. His “Building Trust Through Engagement" presentation and discussion with Ben Muldrow are important topics for everyone to hear, but even more so given the events of this past week. Please, take some time to give this a listen and visit the Down Town Happy Hour Facebook page for the full video. We will be releasing one session per day in audio format so that you can catch up on any you may have missed or listen again to hear new insights.

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Phil Eich, Founder of Full Steam Social Media. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Ilana Preuss, Founder & CEO of Recast City. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Jermain R. Ruffin, Host & Owner of The Streets Are Planning Podcast, and Development Director-West Region, City of Detroit. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Bernice Radle with Buffalove Development. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is please to welcome Andrea Barefield, Mayor Pro Tem at Waco City Council. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Randy Thelen, Vice President of the Downtown Denver Partnership. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!

Down Town Happy Hour is joined by Michael Wagler with Main Street Iowa. Ben Muldrow with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Joe Borgstrom with Place + Main Advisors, and Jeff Siegler with Revitalize, or Die. spend each Thursday with us and a cold beverage to talk about how communities are coping with the impact of COVID-19. Cheers!