– Your Bright Brothers Team
David Romako / Josh Yeager /  Brandi Walsh

Business travel made a spectacular rebound in August that looks like it’ll continue through this month. Connecting “distributed teams” and those who primarily WFH now has been the main driver behind this, and conferences and in-person meetings are on the upswing according to a new article from TripActions. Additionally, bleisure travel is strong with 35% of work trips adding weekend stays, so if you’re looking to tap into that potential, read the stats and develop your targeting strategy now!  Conversely, with the comeback of conferences, comes another post-pandemic change, in that according to this piece from FastCompany, (sent in by a reader — thank you, MM!) attendees are not interested in the multitude of cheap swag items handed out in conferences and tradeshows — and instead would prefer to donate to a worthy cause. So grab your favorite stress-ball or lens cleaning cloth and hang on tight as you board a plane for your next in-person business trip!

Again with Downtown Tulsa!  No, we’re not in the business of paid endorsements, but we have to give props when props are due. Downtown Tulsa just keeps hittin’ it outta the ballpark when it comes to creative placemaking initiatives, and we really loved this example of the first-ever “918 Day Photo Walking Tour”. Plenty of districts host walking tours for stakeholders, investors and real estate professionals. And many a downtown leverages influencers as a promotional tactic. But how frequently have you seen the script flipped and invited photographers, models and influencers to a private, capped event?  In a savvy move, the Partnership paired up with a local nonprofit incubator for this event, and induced demand by limiting the walking tour of Instagrammable spots to just 20 slots. On top of it, they’re hosting the event during “Golden Hour” to get picture-perfect results! Kudos again to Downtown Tulsa Partnership on another excellent execution!

Photo credit: Downtown Tulsa Partnership

…that 67% of users claim that TikTok inspires them to shop — even when they weren’t planning to do so? There’s been a lot of press recently about consumers already getting the jump on holiday shopping, and now is the time to have your stakeholder support strategy in order to make this Q4 as economically impactful as possible. That’s why last month we published a quick-hitting guide to holiday planning for downtown practitioners, that’s available FREE on our website. Get insightful strategies and tactics, and if you need help supporting your community or making sense of the numbers, give us a shout today!

Public art offers myriad layers of value for districts, downtowns and cities, and one thing we heard loud and clear from our recent survey was that you definitely want to see what other cities are doing. This recent piece from SmartCitiesDive showcases efforts in three national metros, and highlights some of the goals these cities had for bolstering local art initiatives. We’re sometimes asked how to quantify the benefits of public art investments, and the answer has a lot to do with establishing quantifiable goals up front. Those of you who’ve activated alleyways, added murals or other public art can attest to the fact that nearly everything can be quantified to answer those questions. From soft metrics like tracking increases in consumer sentiment, to stronger KPIs like increased ped counts, new business launches, incremental sales tax revenue and more, are viable ways to measure impacts, among others. From increased community engagement to beautification or economic development, the case can be made for leading with local arts undertakings — beyond simply supporting your local creative class. How has your district leveraged public art, and how have you tracked its success? 

The Great Smoky Mountains along the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee are a national treasure. With stunning scenery, picturesque landscapes and attractions like Dollywood, the vibrant burst of fall colors are a big draw for this region. “Leaf peeping” is somewhat of a national pastime, and as daytime temps remain warm, with a chilly nip in the nighttime air, nature’s spectacular transformation slowly spreads from northern climes southward. This year, you can track and plan your trips to witness the blazing glory of autumn nationally with this awesome, interactive Fall Foliage Map developed by SmokyMountains.com, a DMO website for this Appalachian wonderland. Choose your week and watch fall’s fleeting splendor transform the continent with vibrant hues of reds, yellows and golds before silently succumbing to winter’s brown defeat (of trees, that is).  Check out the map and let us know your ideal autumn getaway; when and where!

Photo credit: SmokyMountains.com