First time held in Iowa, register now
Posted by IDED Press Release on March 13th, 2011 10:36 am
Last summer, the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Des Moines, Iowa as the host city for the National Main Streets Conference scheduled for May 22-25, 2011. Main Street Iowa, a program of the Downtown Resource Center of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, is a key conference coordinating partner.
Attention, ALL Iowa communities! Don’t miss this chance to participate in a great national conference right in your own backyard. The first annual National Main Streets Conference was held in 1986 and has never been held in Iowa — until now! More than 1,000 attendees from across the nation are expected.
Thom Guzman, director of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center said, “Our goal is to have 500 Iowans participate in this outstanding training, raising the total attendance to more than 1,500.”
Leaders and volunteers from ANY and ALL communities across the United States interested in learning more about successful downtown development, through a focus on historic preservation, are welcome. Conference participants do not have to represent an officially designated Main Street district to attend.
The conference will focus on strategies to help recruit, retain, strengthen, and support local businesses; showcase how being green and open to all can advance these efforts; and to teach the Main Street Four Point Approach® – from the basics to new, cutting-edge ideas that are being put into practice in historic commercial districts of all sizes across the nation.
In addition to phenomenal plenary sessions, there will be approximately 50 educational sessions from which to choose, plus tours and “mobile workshops.” There will also be plenty of opportunities for networking, including an outdoor street fair in West Des Moines’ Historic Valley Junction and a special opening reception held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds for registered participants.
More details, a schedule overview, and registration scholarship information, are included in the latest edition of the Main Street Messenger or by visiting the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s conference website.
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Please join us in Des Moines for the 2011 National Main Streets Conference on May 22-25, 2011 which is also Main Street Iowa’s 25th Anniversary!
To find out more, go to: www.preservationnation.org
