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Westborough EDC praises awards event, weighs moving it off school vacation week
Summary
Committee members praised the recent EDC awards as energetic and well-produced but discussed shifting next year's timing to avoid school vacation week and whether to return to a larger private venue, noting higher costs and the need for more sponsorship or a revolving account.
The Westborough Economic Development Committee on May 6 reviewed its recent EDC awards event and discussed changes for next year to increase attendance and avoid scheduling conflicts. The meeting facilitator said the event was "a high energy event," with a full room and strong presentations from award recipients and a well-received speaker, noting that video production by Westpro TV "brought it to a whole new level."
Members raised concerns that holding the event during school vacation week reduced participation by some select board members and staff. One member said the governor's office had reached out expecting attendance that conflicted with the vacation calendar. Several members suggested starting planning earlier, in late winter or early spring, to avoid future calendar conflicts and to allow more time for fundraising and sponsorship outreach.
Committee members also debated whether to return the ceremony to a larger private venue such as the DoubleTree, which could host roughly 200 people but would carry significantly higher costs. "It's very expensive," a member said, noting the challenge of securing enough sponsorship to cover a private venue without fundraising capacity for the committee. Others said past iterations at private venues had used donated space or tiered sponsorships that reduced net costs.
The committee agreed to explore options sooner: staff were asked to form a working subgroup to begin conversations about venue, sponsorship models and whether to create a revolving account to manage any event fees. The group expects to report back well ahead of the fall timeline so a decision can be made before planning season begins.
