2025 NJ Downtown Conference & Excellence Awards
October 23, 2025 – Join us in Flemington for the 2025 NJ Downtown Conference & Excellence Awards where industry experts will provide insights about downtown management best practices.
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.
Conferences
The premiere downtown economic development event of the year, the annual New Jersey Downtown Conference hosts industry experts who provide insights into downtown management best practices, as well as development, business and retail market trends.
Awards
Downtown New Jersey honors and recognizes municipal, non-profit and/or private projects and activities related to strengthening New Jersey’s downtowns at its Excellence Awards.
Upcoming Events
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TOD in Your Downtown Forum: Filling the Gaps: Infill for Transit Connected Communities
September 30, 2025 – Panelists from public agencies, municipal government, and the private sector will share strategies for building on vacant or underutilized sites near transit—including surface parking lots, brownfields, and other parcels with untapped potential.
Past Events
Click “Learn More” for summaries, videos, PowerPoints, and other resources.
Retail Reset: Trends Shaping the Future of Downtowns
June 26, 2025 – Join us for a dynamic panel discussion featuring experts in development, retail strategy, design, and dealmaking. This session will explore emerging retail trends impacting walkable downtowns, strategies for attracting and retaining tenants, and the evolving relationship between restaurants and retail.
Serving Downtown Success: Restaurant Trends, Policy Shifts & Business Innovation
Join us for Serving Downtown Success: Food Trends, Policy Shifts & Business Innovation, a virtual workshop exploring how evolving restaurant trends are shaping the future of downtowns.
Creating Vibrant Downtowns: Balancing People, Parking, & Deliveries
March 25, 2025 – Join us for a virtual listening session – tell us what works (and what we need to improve!) in the transportation system you use every day.
TOD in Your Downtown Forum: Affordable Housing + TOD: Obligations and Opportunities
February 7, 2025 – A panel of experts from public, private, and non-profit entities shared their experiences with affordable housing in downtowns across New Jersey.
Resources for your Downtown
November 19, 2024 – We hosted a panel of experts at the 2024 NJ League Conference who shared technical and financial resources to help municipalities bolster their business districts.
2024 NJ Downtown Conference & Excellence Awards
December 5, 2024 – Join us in Montclair for the 2024 NJ Downtown Conference & Excellence Awards where industry experts will provide insights about downtown management best practices.
Partner Events
No partner events scheduled at this time…
Event submissions welcomed by DNJ members in good standing. Please limit event submissions to those of regional/statewide interest. DNJ reserves the right to limit the
Event submissions welcomed by DNJ members in good standing. Please limit event submissions to those of regional/statewide interest. DNJ reserves the right to limit the number of events posted at any time.
Have an event? Submit it here.