Delray Beach has the honor of hosting the first Downtowns & Small Towns Forum October 13-15. The Forum is an innovative gathering of Florida tourism industry leaders and non-traditional tourism partners such as downtown development authorities, community redevelopment agencies, Main Street programs, city/county planners, and more. The Forum is designed to provide actionable, tangible tools to effectively promote Florida’s downtowns and small towns through the use of models and success stories from around the Sunshine State.
“We’re very pleased that Visit Florida chose Delray Beach as the host location,” Charles Lehmann, Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council says. “Delray has been a top visitor attraction in Palm Beach County for the past five years, according to our annual tourism research. Palm Beach County towns such as Delray, Boynton Beach, and West Palm Beach give visitors many new reasons to return to the County and we’re very interested in programs that highlight this tourism base,” Mr. Lehmann concludes.
To get a closer look at how some of South Florida’s Downtowns & Small Towns were revitalized, on-location sessions that include tours of Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale will be conducted. Each session will follow a scheduled track outlining a town’s unique attributes that make it a successful part of the Downtowns & Small Towns program. Topics such as hospitality in an entertainment district, historic preservation plus partnering with merchants, restaurants, special events, and arts & cultural elements will all be covered.
“The Visit Florida team recognizing Delray Beach as a prime example of a revitalized downtown and small town is a great accolade,” says Bill Nix, Vice President, Marketing and Government Affairs for Palm Beach County Cultural Council.
“Palm Beach County has four other cities, Boca Raton, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and Jupiter, in the Downtowns & Small Towns program. It’s exciting that through the forum, the rest of the state will be examining how these Palm Beach County towns were successfully reinvigorated.”
Mr. Nix was also instrumental in helping to steer the Forum to Palm Beach County.
The Forum is an extension of this year’s successful Downtowns & Small Towns multi-year advertising program, which addressed the demand for cultural heritage travel by focusing on the charm, vibrancy and revitalization of the Sunshine State’s cities and towns. The Downtowns & Small Towns program marks the first time a state organization has bundled its downtown and small town tourism experiences under one development and marketing umbrella for the entire state.
“Visit Florida’s Downtowns & Small Towns program is in response to consumer travel preferences for authenticity, regional culture and mingling with the locals,” said Kerri Post, Vice President of New Product Development for Visit Florida, who helped craft the program. “Downtowns are the heart and soul of cities.”
Forum speakers include Florida Secretary of State, Glenda E. Hood and many Florida mayors, including West Palm Beach’s Lois Frankel, and Delray Beach’s Jeff Perlman. Session topics include design, planning and transportation; leadership; arts and cultural assets; tourism marketing; entertainment and events; multi-cultural diversity; preservation and conservation; cleanliness and safety.
“By providing this innovative and educational Forum, we are leveraging the great appeal of our cultural heritage assets, which are concentrated in the state’s downtowns and small towns, while supporting the economic development of these areas.” said Bud Nocera, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Florida. “And whether you are from a small, medium or large town, there is invaluable knowledge and insights to be gained by utilizing these highly-relevant Florida examples.”
For additional information, please contact:
Larry Boytano
Public Relations Coordinator
Palm Beach County Cultural Council
1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 300
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Tel. (561) 471-1601
Fax (561) 687-9484
lboytano@pbccc.org
www.palmbeachculture.com
