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Committee reports: spring events, farmers market, sponsorships, retail outreach and website updates
Summary
Committee members reviewed Birmingham Blast lessons (zipline wait times), said Spring Stroll registrations doubled, reported about 20 farmers market applicants so far, discussed sponsorship strategy and planning for retail recruitment and property-owner outreach, and noted progress on a website redesign.
Committee chairs and staff gave updates on special events, sponsorships, retail recruitment and the BSD—s website redesign.
Events and sponsorships: Committee members said Birmingham Blast was popular but experienced long wait times at the zipline and discussed investigating a queue/notification system (texting or a restaurant-hold option) to reduce on-site waiting. The spring stroll registration has roughly doubled compared with the previous period, and the farmers market has about 20 applications in review; final vendor selections were not yet determined. Staff reported continued sponsorship interest and an increase in sponsor revenue compared with last year; committee members said they are balancing sponsor volume to avoid vendor saturation and are seeking higher-level series sponsors.
Retail recruitment & property-owner outreach: Staff and committee members described a property-owner outreach effort in which they visited multiple property owners and received feedback about use restrictions and business mix downtown. A volunteer guest, identified as Edna Ford (a retail consultant), provided a list of about 50–60 potential retailers and offered to remain engaged with committee meetings; staff said they will add many of the suggested targets to their outreach list. The committee emphasized marketing directed at office tenants to encourage midday and after-work patronage.
New openings & merchant outreach: Committee members reported several new businesses opening or about to open in the Triangle District and other downtown locations; staff said they are proactively contacting new ventures to offer resources and ensure businesses complete required city registrations. The committee also discussed merchant workshops planned for June, August and October and plans to improve merchant meeting turnout by offering targeted educational sessions.
Website and marketing: Staff reported the website redesign is in progress with GeoCentric and said mock-ups will be shown at an upcoming marketing committee meeting; functionality changes are the primary focus rather than a wholesale redesign.
Ending: Staff will continue property-owner outreach, finalize farmers market vendor selections, pursue sponsorships that fit space and brand goals, test queue/notification options for event lines and return to the board with updates.
