The City of Salisbury and Downtown Salisbury, Inc. will host the 2019 North Carolina Main Street’s annual three-day conference from Tuesday, March 12 to Thursday, March 14. The conference theme is centered on the foundation of a solid Main Street program integrating a combination of time, talent, and money arranged like a well-run production, that generates measurable downtown revitalization results.
Elizabeth Parham, director of NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center for the N.C. Department of Commerce, said, “Salisbury is a tremendous host city for the NC Main Street Conference. As one of the first North Carolina Main Street communities and one of the first to be designated in the country, Salisbury is the epitome of what a Main Street community is; a strong public-private partnership that develops innovative economic development strategies and initiatives through the implementation of the Main Street Four-Point Approach. The N.C. Department of Commerce is proud to bring the conference to such a vibrant downtown district and to showcase the community’s many success stories.”
The conference will bring hundreds of people to Salisbury from all over North Carolina, and is open to anyone interested in learning about downtown economic development. Attendees can gain knowledge from networking with other downtown management professionals, enthusiastic volunteers, business owners, developers, and product exhibitors who have used innovative development strategies to transform their downtown districts.
DSI Executive Director Larissa Harper states, “It is an honor to host the NC Main Street Conference once again in Downtown Salisbury. The last time elected officials, municipal staff, non-profit directors and their volunteers traveled to see the revitalization happening in Downtown Salisbury was in 2013. They learned from leading industry professionals who shared their expertise at this statewide conference, which is open to all members of the public. We're ready for visitors to come explore the changes in Downtown Salisbury and discover what we have planned for future years."
The event will feature information sessions from the NC Dept. of Commerce Main Street Center & Rural Planning Center staff, downtown tours, break-out sessions and keynote addresses from Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle, founder and publisher of RetailMinded.com, and Ken Anderson, director of small business and entrepreneurial services at the Delaware Economic Development Office.
The NC Main Street Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 13, is a ticketed event to showcase the top projects in the state, while Thursday morning’s NC Main Street Champions Breakfast and Ceremony, also a separately ticketed event, will recognize citizens and groups that have made an impact in their community's downtown revitalization efforts.
The City of Salisbury, through its 501c3 partner organization, Downtown Salisbury, Inc. (DSI), became one of the original Main Street communities. Since that time, DSI has maintained its national accreditation and state designation as a Main Street Community.
For more information about the conference, keynote speakers and ticket information, visit: ncmainstreetconference.com.