Month: February 2022

Main Street America and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Share Ideas about the ARPA Fund Use

Posted on by Admin in Blog, business, Business Development, Economic Development, News
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Main Street America in partnership with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) hosted a webinar on February 10 titled “Small Business’s Big Moment” that highlighted ideas for communities on how to use the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for long-term economic development. Kennedy Smith from the ISLR and Kelly Humrichouser from Main Street America moderated the conversation, whose focus was on small business.

Some of the ideas presented include:

  • Strategic investments in small business training, coaching and finance, i.e. financial relief grants, loans, opening business incubators, and other resources;
  • Using the funds to develop and open full-service grocers;
  • Building a robust infrastructure to support small scale manufacturing;
  • Simplifying and streamlining the procurement process to make it easier for small businesses to bid;
  • Investing in “shop local” marketing campaigns;
  • Expanding broadband access;
  • Making improvements in commercial districts to enhance accessibility.

To read the full report, visit Small-Businesss-Big-Moment-Report.pdf.   

Destination Branding – What It Is and Why It Matters

Posted on by Admin in Blog, Branding, business, Economic Development, Marketing, trends
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A new era for tourism is emerging as we plan for the post-pandemic world with an eye on sustainability. At the heart of destination branding is a well-told story about what makes a place unique, welcoming, and memorable. A good story articulates a place’s distinctive traits while at the same time builds affinity and excitement.

As The Place Brand Observer notes, destination branding is more than just economic development, and it encompasses in fact a range of metrics including the local community’s well-being, the livability of cities and towns, and the general feeling that the stakeholders share about how well these initiatives are actually performing.

To successfully position a destination, one must certainly emphasize local landmarks and iconic attractions, but at the same time think strategically about what visitors might remember a week, a month or a year later. Also, since tourist attractions don’t exist in a vacuum, equal emphasis should be placed on investing in local communities. As one tourism authority once put it, a happy place will attract happy people or people who want to be happy.    

Heritage destinations have always been popular. In addition, visitors are also looking for off-the-beaten path experiences, and occasionally insider tips to make the most of the experience. Content creators, mindful of these trends, will have to keep in mind that visitors are interested not only in memorable moments but also in how the experience itself will make them feel.

According to Destination Analysts, a tourism market research firm based in San Francisco, when planning a trip, people do prefer to consult with family and friends, but also review websites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp, and travel business websites like hotels, attractions, and airlines.