Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Placemaking Tourism topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Visit Perry previews new campaigns; downtown placemaking master plan nears program completion
Summary
Visit Perry presented trade-show outreach, a 'localisms' engagement campaign, and hospitality-targeted 'Dream and Dine' incentives. The downtown manager summarized a two-year placemaking cohort, completed 'lighter, quicker, cheaper' activations (bike racks, nature loom, Live at Five) and outlined next steps including musical instruments for Welcome Park and potential grants.
Visit Perry and downtown staff used Monday's work session to outline coordinated tourism and placemaking efforts intended to boost visitor interest and downtown activation.
Miss Turpin (Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau) said Visit Perry met more than 50 group-travel planners at a recent convention and is following up to encourage future group visits; she described a new "localisms" give-away and a set of viewfinders that have been used at trade shows to spark conversations and hold visitors at the booth longer. She previewed hospitality-oriented strategies including a 'Dream and Dine' lodging-and-dining incentive and two planned restaurant weeks in March and April 2026. Turpin noted the tourism sector is recovering unevenly from a recent furlough period and that Visit Perry is refining the 2026 destination guide and event calendar.
The city's downtown manager reviewed the Georgia Economic Placemaking Collaborative two-year cohort work, noting five priority sites (City Hall lawn, Perry Farmers Market parking lot, Welcome Park, city-owned green space by the Perry Event Center, and the south side of downtown). Completed 'lighter, quicker, cheaper' projects include upgraded bike racks downtown, a community flower "nature loom" installed temporarily at the Perry Players building, and the Live at Five popup music series; near-term installations include musical instruments for Welcome Park (equipment expected to ship soon), pole speakers, and potential parklet upgrades. Staff said the Main Street Advisory Board has been the principal funding source for these projects, and that the GEPC grant awards for alumni/participants typically range from $500 to $2,000.
Council members asked about measuring Welcome Park usage; staff offered to pull Placer.ai before-and-after data once installations are complete. When asked about revenue, the downtown manager said Main Street's April wine-tasting event typically raises about $18,000–$20,000 and that other grants (Flint Energies mural grant, an unsuccessful AARP parklet buildout application) have been pursued. Staff emphasized maintenance plans and funding responsibilities when proposing new activations.
Council received the updates and asked follow-up questions; no council action was requested during the work session.
