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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania © Ultima-Gaina/iStock
Celebrate your successes, inspire your peers, and enhance your organization’s reputation by hosting an education session at the 2025 Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April 7 – 9. Along with our partners at Pennsylvania Downtown Center, we invite local leaders and industry experts to submit proposals on downtown and commercial district management topics guided by the Main Street Approach.
Keep reading to learn more or get started here. Whether you are already working on your proposal or are thinking about getting started, there’s still time to create an amazing session idea. Make sure to submit it by September 6, 2024!
Details
Who Should Submit:
- Local Practitioners: Many of our attendees are local Main Street organization team members — executive directors, board members, civic leaders, volunteers, and others — who are eager to learn from their peers. You are the thought leaders that attendees want to hear from.
- First Time and Experienced Speakers: We’re always looking to expand and deepen our speaker pool. Whether you are a seasoned pro or taking your first steps in presenting, we invite you to share your story at Main Street Now!
- Experts from Related Fields: Main Street work encompasses many different industries from real estate development and community health to marketing and landscape design. We’re looking for innovative content on a wide variety of topics related to commercial district revitalization.
Submission Guidelines: We’re seeking engaging and practical sessions that speak to a broad variety of subjects, community demographics, and expertise levels, guided by the Main Street Approach. The Main Street Now Conference seeks to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). The review committee will prioritize submissions that thoughtfully acknowledge and address DEIA challenges and opportunities and are reflective of MSA’s core values regardless of the proposed topic. Learn more about our core values >
Speaker Benefits:
- Celebrate your successes and inspire your peers
- Gain exposure for your organization
- Build your reputation as a trusted voice in the MSA network and an expert in the field
- Enjoy a significantly discounted registration for the full conference experience (or a free day pass if only attending your session)
Helpful Resources: We are excited to provide the following resources to help you answer our call for proposals!
- Submission Form: A preview of the submission form is available here. This document may be downloaded and used as a working draft. Please note: This document is for planning purposes only; proposals must be submitted using the online form by September 6, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CDT to be considered.
- Submitter Tips: Get recommendations about session titles, presentation formats, how to receive updates, and more here. Keep an eye out for these tips in the online form, too!
Questions? Contact us at info@mainstreet.org.
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The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
