by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Some jobs stay the same over time and some evolve.
Pamela Elms, marketing director for Downtown Vision, Inc. definitely has one that falls into the latter category.
Elms came to Jacksonville and DVI two years ago from Baltimore, where she was on staff at a public relations firm that marketed the city’s national Historic Seaport and the Lexington Market. She said the cities are similar, but being in charge of marketing Downtown was a different kind of job.
“The charge when I came here two years ago was to have more events Downtown. We wanted to keep the Friday market at Hemming Plaza and First Wednesday Art Walk in place, but that first year we had to create more things for people to do,” she said.
That first year’s effort resulted in several new elements that have gained in popularity the same way Art Walk has. “Eat Up Downtown” was a promotion that brought thousands of people to the urban core to sample its cuisine when it debuted. The third edition of the promotion will take place Aug. 17-23 and Elms expects it to grow again this year.
“Downtown Get Down” was a promotion that invited people to visit Downtown’s bars and clubs that eventually evolved into the current “Destination Downtown” and “Make a Scene Downtown” initiatives. “Movies in the Park” and the annual Downtown Church Tour have also proven to be popular and have grown in attendance since the inaugural events.
“It’s all about making the best use of the assets Downtown has to offer – bars, restaurants, churches and parks,” said Elms.
Her second year was devoted to developing partnerships with the community and the City’s Special Events Office. The partnership with the City was what helped create “Make a Scene Downtown” and the family films shown outdoors in the City’s green spaces.
“We were also able to move ‘Art in the Park’ from Riverside to the Riverwalk and we worked with City Council member Don Redman to create a bicycling event on the Riverwalk,” said Elms.
What’s in store for the future?
Maintaining the momentum of activities that have proven to be successful in bringing more people Downtown while always developing new ideas, said Elms.
“We also work hard to make sure people have a positive experience when they come Downtown. That can totally change a person’s outlook. We’ll also continue to communicate the message to people who come Downtown that there are plenty of reasons to come back.”
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