Virtual Conference | July 28 - 30, 2021

Missouri's Premier Revitalization Conference will feature three days of virtual activities including 14 breakout sessions and two keynote addresses as well as special lunch and happy hour sessions.

Join us at Missouri’s Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference to Celebrate New Beginnings! During the past year of uncertainty and unrest, more than ever we understand the significance of celebrating the places we love. While we are mindful of the hardships so many have endured, we have learned to adapt and grow through this pandemic.

Join us as we all Celebrate New Beginnings! We more fully understand the necessity of community preservation, while celebrating the very places we live, work, and play, as we unite the people in our communities and districts. 

Register at https://www.getpluggedindowntown.com/ 

The Evening of Excellence will be the finale of “Get Plugged In…Downtown” Conference on July 30, 2020. The awards ceremony and dinner will send everyone home from this premier Main Street conference with new inspiration. Some will even carry an Excellence of Achievement award home. This might be your community. The award nominations are an opportunity for YOU to honor the people, projects, and activities that are outstanding achievements in your community.

Nominations will be accepted through May 1, 2020. 

Download The Nomination From

Join us at Missouri's Premier Revitalization Conference to hear Keynote Presentations by Peter Kageyama, Brandon W. Johnson, and Ben Muldrow. 

The Westin St. Louis
July 24 - July 26, 2019
www.getpluggedindowntown.com 

Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places and the follow up, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places. He is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization and the co-founder of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary conference that brings citizens and practitioners together around the big idea of 'the city.'

Peter speaks about emotional engagement with PLACES- cities, towns, communities, neighborhoods, and especially downtowns, which he calls the "psychic centers" of places. Good things happen when more people become emotionally engaged with their places and when more people fall in love with those places. Main Street programs play a unique role in creating this sense of place. 

Peter will inspire the audience to encourage people to go from saying they love a place to actually doing something for that place. He believes Main Streets can compete and even thrive in the Age of Amazon with bottom-up community development and the amazing people who are making change happen.

Peter will be available at Main Street 5 & Dime to sign books immediately following his address. 

Brandon W. Johnson, a.k.a. "Positive Energy Guy" has had the honor of developing tens of thousands of leader through his leadership trainings, workshops, and speeches over the past 20 years. In 2017 and 2018, Brandon was honored and humbled by being named the #1 Global Guru for the Hospitality Industry. 

Brandon has more than 20 years of experience in operations and leadership positions in the hospitality industry, non-profits, training organizations, entrepreneurship, and higher education. He holds a bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism management and a master's degree in management technology with an organization development focus. His clients include such well-known names as McDonald's, Hilton, Famous Dave's, Hyatt, and Odyssey Resorts. 

Brandon's trademark passion, heart, and energy inspires audiences everywhere while also giving them practical tools to take their results in business and life to the next level. Brandon's book, "Hospitality from the Heart," will help you engage your employees, deliver extraordinary service, and create loyal guests.  

Brandon will be available at Main Street 5 & Dime to sign books immediately following his address. 

 
Join Ben Muldrow as he discusses all the current trends and future changes that could revolutionize our nation's downtowns. Ben has been presenting at Main Street conferences for nearly twenty years. His motivation and quick wit will keep you engaged and his background in branding and marketing will reveal insights and inspiration that will give you practical steps you can put into action right away to shape the future of your town. This fast - paced presentation is sure to get you excited about the changes happening on Main Street.  

There are 3 keynote sessions and 15 classroom sessions that you are able to attend this year at Missouri's Premier Revitalization Conference. 

Here are the 15 different classroom sessions that you can attend:

• Game Changers In Entrepreneurship! 
  
  
• Main Street In Urban Environments - Best Practices For Success
  
  
• Empower Change Through Partnerships for Extraordinary Projects
  
  
• Downtown's Dirty Little Secrets
  
  
• My "Place" Changes Things! 
  
  
• Speak LIFE Through Storytelling
  
  
• Historic Preservation - Appreciating The Weird
  
  
• Creating Communities For All Ages
  
  
• Combining Historic Tax Credits With Opportunity Zones
  
  
• How Will YOU Celebrate 2021 Missouri Bicentennial?
  
  
• Recurring Events In Your Downtown - Bringing Visitors Every Month
  
  
• I Want What They Have - How To Successfully Develop An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (Or Not)
  
  
• Teaming With Veterans To Strengthen Main Street And The Community That Shops There
  
  
• Looking At Money From All Angles To Develop A Solid Funding Structure 
  
  
• Bring To Life Your Community And Economic Development Projects

View All Session Descriptions & Speakers Here

Mayor Sandy Lucy
Washington, Missouri

We’re celebrating a successful decade of nonprofit service as Missouri’s premier downtown revitalization organization!  As a coordinating program through the National Main Street Center, Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) has administered the Main Street Four-Point Approach^® to any interested community in Missouri, helping to raise the state of Main Streets in Missouri to the healthiest it's ever been.

The reinvestment on Missouri’s Main Streets has continued to climb since 2006 with over $683 million of private investment and over $140 million in public investment. 

Volunteers in Missouri Main Street communities have donated over 285,312 hours of service at a value of over $6.0 million, making volunteer-led downtown revitalization one of the most cost-effective economic development programs anywhere. 

And with small business at the heart of downtown development, Main Streets foster the entrepreneurial spirit every day.  Since 2006, over 526 net new businesses opened their doors with over 2,936 net new jobs created.  Even during the recession, Missouri Main Street communities were adding jobs faster than losses occurred. 

Although the Main Street Philosophy has been present in Missouri since its launch in 1989 as a state-funded program within the Department of Economic Development (DED), the success of the program was halted in July 2003 when funding was stripped from the state budget and the lone staff person administering the program was reassigned to other duties within the DED.  Was Main Street in Missouri dead then? 

After many calls and unsuccessful pleas to Missouri legislators, 12 local Main Street program managers fought to keep the state program going in Missouri.  By working with the National Main Street Center and the DED, a valuable contract was in place by July 2003 to take up some of the slack in funding.  The Main Street managers continued to meet in communities around the state for training and looked to a representative from the National Main Street program for guidance and assessments.  It became apparent in training after training that more Missouri communities wanted help with their downtown revitalization efforts.  But...without a state-funded program, how would that need be met?  

Through the determination of that core group of local program managers and supporters, the Missouri Main Street program was resurrected in 2006 from a discarded state-run organization into Missouri Main Street Connection, a nonprofit 501c3 with the potential for broader opportunities and resources for funding to support the education effort for revitalization. 

Today, as the coordinating program through the National Main Street Center, MMSC serves as the state’s clearinghouse for information, technical assistance, research and advocacy.  Through financial support from partners that believe in our mission, corporate sponsors, individual contributors, grants and a contract for services with DED, we are able to provide consulting services, on-site visits, conferences/workshops, and publications to educate and empower local organizations to lead the revitalization of their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. 

We’re proud of the success we have achieved over the past 10 years and invite you to celebrate with us at our annual Get Plugged In…Downtown Revitalization Conference July 26-28!  Join us in Washington, Missouri, and help us celebrate the power of our Missouri Main Street communities!

The state revitalization conference is well underway and off to a great start. This morning in the opening ceremony our State Director, Gayla Roten, welcomed all of the attendees and announced two new MMSC programs that we are very excited to offer to communities in Missouri!

People Energizing Places

The first program that Gayla announced is People Energizing Places. Starting and sustaining a Main Street organization can be challenging. Missouri Main Street Connection's new People Energizing Places (PEP) Grant can help your Main Street organization gain additional training and expert guidance to become more effective. This new two year program provides individualized training, focused initiatives for sustained revitalization and technical expertise developed to advance the Main Street organization's downtown development.

Strategic Teams Engaging Places Grant

The second program announced is the Strategic Teams Engaging Place Grant. Sustaining a Main Street organization can be challenging. Missouri Main Street Connection's new Strategic Teams Engaging Places (STEP) Grant will catapult your organization to the next level through expert guidance and training to create real change in your revitalization efforts. This new one year program provides customized training from a detailed assessment to strategically advance the Main Street organization's downtown development.

Contact the MMSC office at 417-334-3014 or email Keith Winge at kwinge@momainstreet.org for more information about these programs.

Missouri's premier revitalization conference, Get Plugged in Downtown, starts on Tuesday. We can't wait for you to see what's in store. If you haven't signed up you can still register online on the conference website or onsite the day of the conference. For those of you that have already signed up for this inspiring conference we've put together a top 10 list of things to know before you come below. 

1. The Registration Office is located in the Presidents Room on the 3rd Floor and will be open the following hours: Tuesday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm; Wednesday & Thursday: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
   
   
2. Main Street Basic Training courses in the Four-Point Approach® are all day Tuesday. Conference attendees who attend all four sessions/points and answer designated essay questions over each point may receive a Certificate of Completion at the Evening of Excellence.
   
   
3. NEW! Certified Local Government** (CLG) workshops will be on Tuesday. Attend this two-part workshop for information on why you should be a CLG community and how you can utilize the CLG program to benefit your downtown.
   
   
4. The “Main Street Clinic” (formerly Doctor Is In) is open 8 to 9 am and 1:15 to 2:15 pm on Wednesday and Thursday for anyone needing a boost of inspiration or a listening ear. By appointment only. Sign up at the MMSC registration desk.
   
   
5. What to wear:
   
   a) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Conference Sessions: Business Casual (no jeans please).
   b) Tuesday evening’s Opening Reception at The Culinary Center: Casual, non-flowy attire and kitchen safe shoes.
   c) Wednesday and Thursday In-the-Field Tours: Casual attire and flat, sensible shoes.
   d) Wednesday evening for the ShowMe Bash in Excelsior Springs: Casual attire and flat, sensible shoes.
   e) Thursday evening, Wine Reception and Evening of Excellence Dinner & Awards: Semi-formal/Cocktail attire.
   
   As conference hotel session rooms tend to be chilly, we suggest wearing layers or bringing a sweater or jacket.
   
   
6. Weather forecast for the conference (as of 7/23/15):
   Tuesday: High of 99 / Low of 75, Sunny, 0% Chance of Rain
   Wednesday: High of 87 / Low of 65, Scattered Thunderstorms, 50% Chance of Rain
   Thursday: High of 90 / Low of 67, Isolated Thunderstorms, 0% Chance of Rain
   
   
7. Parking & Wi-Fi: Daytime parking is available to attendees for $10 per day. Passes will be issued at the MMSC registration desk. Complimentary Wi-Fi will be available for conference attendees in guest rooms and conference areas.
   
   
8. Be sure to visit our fantastic exhibitors in the Expo Hall! They are there especially for you and offer a wide variety of services and products that will help to enhance your downtown revitalization efforts. The Expo Hall hours are: Wednesday: 7:30 am – 1:00 pm; Thursday: 7:30 am – 12:15 pm w/PRIZE giveaway at noon!
   
   
9. New! Is this your first Main Street Conference? A First Time Attendees session will be on Wednesday at 8 am. Also, look for the in the sessions descriptions in the program to help guide you on the best sessions track to help lay a foundation of knowledge to build your Main Street skills.
   
   
10. This year, the conference surveys will be sent with a link via email to be completed online following the conference.

We're looking forward to seeing you this week!

**This workshop is partially funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.  Grant awards do not imply an endorsement of contents by the grantor.  Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, handicap or ethnicity.  For more information, write to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.