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Tourism and downtown professionals, preservationists, small business owners, and local retailers are invited to participate in an upcoming Tourism Toolkit & Roundtable, being held on Thursday, May 23rd, in Nacogdoches Texas. The workshop will focus on building stronger local communities by providing practical solutions and innovative ideas for downtown. The workshop is a joint venture between the Texas Forest Trail Region and the Texas Downtown Association. “We are thrilled to be able to partner together to present this exciting educational opportunity,” said Catherine Sak, Executive Director of the Texas Downtown Association. “Nacogdoches is an excellent destination that we hope will attract attendees from regions across the state.”
Located along the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas and nestled in the piney woods, Nacogdoches makes an ideal location for the workshop. The workshop will be held at Lanana Hall, 108 N. Lanana, in the historic downtown. Presentations begin at 10:00 a.m., and organizers promise to have folks out the door by 2:45 p.m. in time for them to explore downtown Nacogdoches, on their own.
Sessions for the Toolkit include “Does your Festival or Event Make Cent$: How to Conduct an Economic Analysis of Events”, and a presentation on “Looking for funding in all the right places.” The Workshop will also include roundtables where professionals can discuss the ways downtowns can better meet the needs of the public with other like minded individuals with the same issues. Topics include wayfinding, parking, restrooms, gateways and gathering places A walking tour will also give attendees a firsthand look at a preservation and downtown development case study- “From Condemnation to Café: the Annie Hoya Building.” This workshop will be beneficial to a wide variety of individuals from tourism professionals to main street managers, economic development specialists, private business owners, and event organizers.” said Mary Turner, Executive Director of Texas Forest Trail Region.

The Texas Downtown Association is an independent, statewide, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting communities across the state that are redeveloping and revitalizing their downtowns by offering resources, education, networking opportunities and advocacy. For more information on the organization you can visit www.texasdowntown.org.
Texas Forest Trail Region is one of ten regions in the Texas Heritage Trails Program, a statewide regional tourism initiative developed by the Texas Historical Commission that helps Texans connect with their roots and visitors experience the Texas story. Texas Forest Trail Region serves 35 counties of East Texas.

Advance registration (on or before May 16) for the event is $25. On site registration is available for $35. Lunch and other refreshments are included in the registration cost. Registration information, including hotel room blocks and detailed agendas can be found at www.texasforesttrail.com/toolkit . For more information on the Tourism Toolkit & Roundtable, please contact Mary Turner, 936-560-3699 or info@texasforesttrail.com.