Preparing for the Post-Pandemic (Part 1)
February 19, 2021 – Part 1 of NJ Department of Community Affairs’ Jef Buehler discussing downtown management best practices during a virtual walkthrough of downtown Frenchtown.
Forums & Workshops
Downtown New Jersey offers a variety of in-person and virtual opportunities for downtown managers, economic development professionals, and public officials to exchange ideas about best practices related to downtown economic development. Check out the opportunities to interact with your peers below.
Upcoming Forums
Past Forums
Click “Learn More” for summaries, videos, PowerPoints, and other resources.
Learn More
Liquor License Reform Town Hall
December 4, 2020 – Downtown New Jersey hosted a panel of legislators, along with a local official and restaurateur to discuss liquor license reform.
Reinventing Your Downtown After Economic Upheaval
November 16, 2020 – Downtown New Jersey facilitated two sessions at the 2020 NJ League of Municipalities Conference.
Winning Winter
October 2, 2020 – Metuchen Downtown Alliance Executive Director, Isaac Kremer, and Storefront Mastery‘s Storefront Ninja, Jaime Izurieta, led a discussion about best practices in placemaking to make your downtown inviting and comfortable during cold weather.
The Retail New Deal
September 18, 2020 – National retail consultant and Downtown specialist Mike Berne, President of New York City and San Francisco Bay Area-based MJB Consulting, led a discussion about harnessing creative thinking, collaboration, and adaptability to encourage the timely emergence of new innovations and business models in response to changing realities and unforeseeable shocks.
Recovery Marketing
August 18, 2020 – At this forum, seasoned communications expert Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt of Suasion Communications Group, led a discussion about public relations, digital marketing, and creative brand strategy for downtowns in recovery.
Reinventing Events
July 29, 2020 – At this forum, we were joined by John Donio, President of Wildwood BID, Ollyn Lettman, Director of Bloomfield Center Alliance, and Emily Manz of EMI Strategy who shared their experiences staging in-person and virtual events.
Commercial District Recovery
June 26, 2020 – At this forum, Larisa Ortiz, Managing Director of Research & Analysis at Streetsense, provided an overview of the Commercial District Recovery Guide that provides place-based organizations and intermediary partners focused on community economic development with a curated roadmap for action to support COVID-19 recovery efforts in downtowns and commercial districts.
Re-Entry for Retailers
June 19, 2020 – At this forum, we learned best practices from industry experts, and how NJ business owners are handling re-entry.
Digital Resources for Downtowns
June 12, 2020 – Now more than ever, “going digital” is necessary to stay relevant and present in the consumer’s mind. At this forum, we heard about a few of the digital resources that our members have found valuable for both their downtown and their businesses.