Every National Main Streets Conference provides you with something new.
New educational courses to enhance the work we conduct in our local communities.
New city landmarks, museums, theaters, restaurants, historic buildings, and parks to visit.
And ATL was no different.
There were a variety of highlights for me, in both what I learned in the conference courses, and what I experienced out in the city.
A few highlights from some of the courses. . .
Session One: Telling the Story of Main Street — Assessing Commercial Districts for Listing on the National Register
High, Medium and Low Integrity Buildings: Sometimes we look at our historic buildings and we ask ourselves, “Is it important or not? Looks like it has been altered, so it must no longer be contributing.” But its not that simple. Historic buildings can have varying levels of integrity, so even those that have been altered previously, still contribute to the historic district.
- Some building possess high integrity — we are all jealous of those communities with a downtown full of these buildings that look as they did when they were built 50+ years ago.
- Some possess medium integrity — slight alterations, but still great-looking.
- Some possess low integrity — they might still contribute to the district if historical events took place there, but other wise they have been altered extremely.
- And then some have NO integrity, meaning a property owner altered the historic property to such a degree that the original owner/builder would no longer recognize it.
So when looking at the historic buildings in your downtown, remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect to contribute to your historic district. Even the buildings with blemishes are pretty!
Session Two: The Power of the Picture
Tips on using Instagram: This great social media platform helps your organization build brand awareness visually. Here are a few tips for using it:
- Include the hashtags that your organization is using in the bio section, so your fan base can use the same ones. Atlanta makes great use out of this with the hashtag #weloveatl.
- Choose a profile picture that matches your brand, preferably your logo.
- Connect your Instagram profile to your website. It can link to whatever page you want people to land on first, and you can change it whenever you feel like it.
- Repost photos by visitors and locals of your district and events to engage those people and build super fans
- Don’t be afraid to show the “behind the scenes” of your organization, like prep for an upcoming event. People want to see the authentic you!
- Instagram should be instant, and you should only post one, maybe two pics from your activities and events so as not to bombard your followers. Save the 30 pics from the Fall Festival for a folder on Facebook.
- Jump on what is happening in the news, culturally, or in your area. Use popular hashtags and put your own spin on them to reach new people.
- An average Instagram post should have one or two hashtags in the caption. You can add additional hashtags in the first comment. An average post will have at least three hashtags, but they say 11 is the magic number!
Session Three: Tips for Understanding the Economic Impact of Your Main Street
Calculating the Value of Your MainStreet: While this session largely focused on the process of hiring a paid consultant to calculate the municipality’s ROI (Return On Investment) for municipal funding versus taxes generated in the districts, it also featured some good reminders regarding tracking other values your MainStreet program provides.
Don’t forget to track, and report to your municipality and partners, on the following:
- Placemaking projects
- Branding for the organization, district, events, etc.
- Entertainment and events
- Amenities for visitors to the district
- Cleanliness and safety
- And of course, share the data that New Mexico MainStreet asks you to collect on a quarterly basis!
A few highlights from being out and about in ATL. . .
SkyView Ferris Wheel: What fun floating above downtown Atlanta in a Ferris wheel, and looking down upon the Olympic rings in Centennial Olympic Park, where a variety of concerts and events are held throughout the year.
High Museum of Art: A stunning space with amazing art, including a large selection of African American artwork. Check it out here: http://www.high.org/
Bicycle Tours of Atlanta: This local company offers several bike tours. I participated in the three-hour, 10-mile tour that took me through neighborhoods with stunning Victorian homes, to the busy streets of downtown ATL, and back to MLK Jr.’s resting place and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he and his father served as ministers. Awesome. http://www.biketoursatl.com/
Great Food: Pitty Pat’s Porch offers amazing fried chicken. Finger lickin’ good! Empire State South takes a modern approach to classic southern dishes in an elegant, yet rustic, contemporary setting. Cooks and Soldiers features delicious tapas (small plates) from the Basque region of Spain. Deliciouso!