University Relations and Communications, 715-346-3046, Fax 715-346-2042, http://www.uwsp.edu/news
City and county officials, economic development specialists, private and nonprofit sector interests, and business owners can learn more about revitalizing their downtowns at the fifth annual Recapturing Your Downtown 2009 conference, sponsored in part by Continuing Education and the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
The conference, to be held at the Jefferson Street Inn in Wausau on Thursday, October 22, will feature two keynote speakers, Barbara Wold, CEO of Wold International in Los Angeles, and Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble.
Wold, an internationally renowned expert on marketing, sales, customer service and tourism with over 400,000 people across the country as well as in Asia, South America, the Middle East and Canada, will speak at 8 a.m.
“It’s all about attracting entrepreneurs to Main Street and helping them succeed,” said Wold.
Trumble will give the luncheon address at 1 p.m., focusing on her department’s role in statewide branding and the effect of tourism on downtowns. She will share the latest news from the governor’s office on how the state of Wisconsin can help downtowns maintain their economic development momentum and revitalization.
Breakout sessions include “Joining Forces to Promote Downtowns,” “How to Finance Your Downtown Improvement Projects,” “Finding and Nurturing Home Grown Entrepreneurs,” “Downtown Sustainability,” “Using Social Networking to Enhance Your Downtown,” and more. In addition, there will be a session featuring a small city (Rhinelander) and a large city (Waukesha).
The fee is $99 and includes all program materials, reception and lunch. More information and registration is online at http://www.uwsp.edu/conted/conferences/downtown or call 800-898-9472, press “0” and ask for Dorothy.
Other sponsors include the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Wisconsin Main Street, Wisconsin Public Service, the Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, and Vierbicher Associates.
