Vancouver’s Downtown Association (VDA) received the Economic Vitality award at Washington Main Street’s Excellence on Main Awards Ceremony on Thursday in Bellingham. The ceremony was held in conjunction with RevitalizeWA, Washington State’s Preservation and Main Street Conference.
The Economic Vitality award recognizes an economic development brochure and video produced to promote downtown.
In the case of the VDA, the brochure is a reincarnation of a six-year-old version with updated information, partnerships and a new layout, inspired by the region’s Innovative Partnership Zone designation. The video component is intended to tell three stories about investing in downtown Vancouver: what it is like to live downtown, what it is like to own a business downtown, and what it is like to develop projects downtown.
The video has been viewed nearly 9,000 times since it was posted, and the brochure has been viewed hundreds of times online and is in its second printing.
The Downtown Camas Association (DCA) also received an award on Thursday – the Outstanding Promotional Event of the Year Award for its First Fridays event.
In its tenth year, the community event brings people downtown for art, activities, dining and after-hours shopping. Successful themes have included “A Chocolate Affair to Remember,” “Go Green!” and “Spring Into History.”
Other benefits of the event include the promotion of a collaborative environment for downtown merchants, a way for local artists to showcase their work and a way to entertain kids while instilling a sense of community pride.
The Excellence on Main Awards, organized by the Washington State Main Street Program, recognizes communities, organizations, and individuals who are helping to achieve economic vitality and build sustainable communities through downtown revitalization and preservation. Washington’s Main Street Program is housed in the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and administered, under contract, by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.
