Efforts to Welcome Downtown Revitalization Practitioners Underway
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Chicago, Ill. (June 15, 2023) – Birmingham, Alabama, will serve as the host city for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference, officials announced today. Hosted by Main Street America in partnership with Main Street Alabama, Sweet Home Alabama, and the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, the industry-leading conference is poised to attract local leaders from across the country to downtown Birmingham.
The annual event, slated for May 6-8, 2024, is projected to bring 2,000 visitors to Jefferson County, generating 3,400 hotel room nights and $2.4 million in economic impact for the region.
“We are excited to welcome this important group of leaders to our city,” said John Oros, President and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are especially proud of how our community came together to best position Birmingham, Alabama for this event. Team Birmingham was able to put together an incredibly compelling bid amid a highly competitive environment of other cities, thanks to the collaboration and support of Main Street Alabama, the City of Birmingham, Mayor Woodfin, Jefferson County, our local hotels, venues and attractions.”
The Main Street Now Conference is a one-of-a-kind event, providing downtown revitalization practitioners with opportunities to convene and learn time-tested techniques and innovative methods that make the Main Street Approach™ one of the most powerful preservation-based economic and community development tools in the nation.
“Birmingham offers a unique host city experience, with opportunities to visit and learn from vibrant metropolitan commercial corridors and dynamic rural Main Streets in nearby towns,” stated Hannah White, Interim President and CEO of Main Street America. “We look forward to collaborating with Main Street Alabama to develop a conference experience that is welcoming and engaging for our network of state, regional, and local leaders.”
Experts in economic development, historic preservation, and placekeeping will lead dynamic professional development and network-building activities. Attendees will also have ample opportunities to engage in immersive learning through mobile workshops hosted by Main Street Alabama communities.
Between sessions, attendees are expected to explore local shops, eateries, and attractions in two Main Street Alabama districts—Downtown Birmingham and the Historic 4th Avenue Business District—as well as the city’s extensive urban green spaces and historic architecture, vibrant arts and culture scene, and National Historic Landmarks, Districts, and Monuments dedicated to the American Civil Rights Movement and metalwork manufacturing industry.
“Main Street Alabama is thrilled for the opportunity to showcase our beautiful state and the innovative projects that are happening in our Main Street Districts,” said Mary Helmer Wirth, President/State Coordinator at Main Street Alabama.
More information about conference themes and partnership opportunities for sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors is scheduled to be released in the coming months.
For conference updates, follow @MainStreetsConf (Twitter), @MainStreetNowConference (Facebook), and the hashtag, #MainStreetNow. More information and full program details are available online at www.mainstreet.org/now2024.
ABOUT MAIN STREET ALABAMA
A nonprofit organization, Main Street Alabama stresses public-private partnerships, broad community engagement, and strategies that create jobs, spark new investment, attract visitors, and spur growth. Main Street builds on the authentic history, culture, and attributes of specific places, to bring sustainable change. Main Street Alabama is focused on bringing jobs, dollars, and people back to Alabama’s historic communities. Economic development is at the heart of this statewide organization’s efforts to revitalize downtown and neighborhood commercial districts across the state. For more information, visit mainstreetalabama.org.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservationbased economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
ABOUT THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) is the official tourism and marketing organization for Birmingham and Jefferson County. Established in 1969, the non-profit agency generates positive economic impact by positioning the greater Birmingham area as a premier destination for conventions, sporting events, and domestic and international leisure travel. Named one of Conde Nast Traveler’s “22 Best Places to Go in 2022,” Birmingham and its neighboring municipalities welcome more than 3.9 million visitors each year, generating $2.4 billion in economic impact. Learn more at birminghamal.org.