| IN THE KNOW
In the days before the National Main Streets Conference (NMSC) opens, representatives from the 46 Main Street coordinating programs gather to share ideas and to hear about developments in Main Street on the national level. I thought I would take some time in this issue of Intersections to recap what was discussed at the most recent National Main Streets Conference in Atlanta.
Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA)
National Main Street Center (NMSC) opens nominations for GAMSA on June 10th. They plan to host a webinar on June 18th explaining the process, and submissions are due July 31.
We are honored that in Wisconsin, Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership was named a "One to Watch" as a Main Street program well on its way to being a Great American Main Street Award Winner in Atlanta. Congratulations to director Amy Hansen, her board and all their volunteers for bringing this notoriety to our state.
Do you plan on nominating your program for this prestigious award? E-mail us and let us know how we can help.
Certification Institute
NMSC haulted the Certified Main Street Manager program a few years ago, but they didn't give up on the idea of professional development for those in Main Street. Norma Ramirez de Miess has been working diligently to design a new program from the ground up. The format will include online courses, with a Leadership Institute to be held in conjunction with the National Main Streets Conference. NMSC will release more information later this year, but they do expect the online courses to begin in January, and Leadership Institute will launch at the NMSC,... in Milwaukee! Wisconsin Main Street will also have a special announcement regarding Certification Institute. Stay tuned.
Four Point Refresh
The CLUE Group, Kennedy Smith and Josh Bloom, clued (pun intended)  us in on results from their recent study of Main Street's Four Points. NMSC tasked them with determining the relevancy of the Four Point Approach 35 years after it all began. With surveys and focus groups with Main Streeters and non-Main Streeters alike, they determined that the Four Point Approach is just as relevant today, but suggested some changes:
- changing the name of the Economic Restructuring focus to Economic Development;
- changing trainings and materials, moving from a siloed approach of teaching Main Street to working with programs to develop district transformation priorities into which the Four Points (Design, Economic Development, Organization and Promotion) feed;
- and repositioning Main Street volunteers from committee-based to task/project-based.
To delve deeper into the Four Point refresh process and results, click here.
National Accreditation
The group also discussed national accreditation for Main Street programs. Currently, the process recognizes programs that get the basics of Main Street right, but it doesn't do anything to recognize programs that are the "rock stars" of the Main Street world. Our group discussion focused on developing a tiered accreditation: the first tier recognizes programs that have a handle on the basics, and subsequent tiers will recognize achievement above and beyond. This was just an initial conversation, so there are no more details to share. Stay tuned for further developments.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
The Empty Storefronts Conference
presented by NEWaukee
Milwaukee, WI
June 1, 2015
GAMSA Nomination Opens
June 10
Pre-Workshop Networking
von Stiehl Winery
Algoma, WI
June 10, 2015, 6 p.m.
Entrepreneurship Workshop
Algoma, WI
June 11, 2015
Main Street Director Meeting
First Merit Bank
208 Steele St., Algoma, WI
June 12, 2015
GAMSA Application Webinar
June 18
GAMSA Nominations Due
July 31
SAVE THE DATES:
Sponsorship Sales Success
Chippewa Falls, WI
September 24-25, 2015
Social Media Workshops
November 2015
Stay Connected
Featured Tip
Have you ever been on your way to one of our events and forget the address? Fret no more because you can now find all of our events on the Wisconsin Main Street Facebook page. We will make sure to include event location, times, and any other pertinent information with every listing. |
