A week from now Nacogdoches will welcome an expected 200 Texas downtown leaders and their families from across the state. The group is traveling to the Oldest Town in Texas to attend the 30th annual Texas Downtown Association Development and Revitalization Conference November 1 through 4. The economic impact of the convention is considerable — with several local hotels to be filled to capacity and hundreds visiting for three or four days.
The TDA board of directors and conference committee have been working hard to ensure that the sessions at this year’s conference will provide valuable information for the attendees to bring back to their communities. This year’s conference theme is “Delivering a Dynamic Downtown” and will feature keynote speaker Donovan Rypkema, an industry leader in the economics of preserving historic structures. Rypkema has provided ongoing consulting services to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and its National Main Street Center.
The City of Nacogdoches Main Street Program and the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau are extremely excited about the kickoff event, “An Evening on the Red Brick Streets,” set for Tuesday, November 1, where attendees can stroll Texas’ Oldest Town and experience our Christmas Light display, late night shopping, and other fun activities planned for the group. Nacogdoches residents are encouraged to come downtown that evening and shop from the merchants. “We encourage the community to come out and visit the stores during the Holiday Open House Sip and Stroll, from 5-9 p.m.,” said City of Nacogdoches Main Street Manager, Sarah O’Brien said. “So come start your holiday shopping while enjoying various in-store specials, door prizes, gift wrapping, refreshments, and much more!”
Exciting plans also include a trip to historic San Augustine, Texas as well as some awesome educational field sessions such as a special Farmer’s Market on Thursday, November 3 from 12:30 to 2 p.m., where the general public can come shop the various vendorsand eat lunch at Merci’s World Cuisine.
Each community vying for the convention brings different attractions and resources, and each makes a stellar effort to put forth a convincing package to secure the convention.
“The competition to host this convention is fierce,” said O’Brien. “Every downtown leader is proud of their community, and anxious to share their town with their peers. We’ve been to many great convention sites across Texas. I know TDA members will love Nacogdoches.”
Sherri Skeeters, Nacogdoches CVB assistant director said Nacogdoches has proved itself worthy of hosting the state’s community leaders.
“We will definitely impress them with our charm and hospitality. I compare this event to my experiences visiting other cities on business,” Skeeters said. “Conference visitors will see what we have, and make notes about what they will want to do when they come back to visit again and again. They’ll tell others about their experience and why Nacogdoches should be on a vacation prospect list.”
A good example of Nacogdoches hospitality is the sweet chocolate covered blueberries and pub mix that will be placed in the attendee’s hotel room.
“We’re taking every opportunity to educate them and point out these not-so-well-known facts: such as Nacogdoches being the state’s top blue¬berry producer, and the Texas Blueberry Festival we hold on the second Saturday in June,” Skeeters said.
Staff from the Nacogdoches CVB, Hotel Fredonia and the City of Nacogdoches have worked together for this opportunity to showcase Nacogdoches to the state’s downtown professionals. TDA staff have made pre-event visits and scouted the city for accommodations and points of interests that will make the visit informative and memorable for all.
For more information about the Texas Downtown Association and the Texas Downtown Development and Revitalization Conference, visit www.texasdowntown.org. For more information about the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau or conventions/group tours, contact Sherri Skeeters at (936) 564-7351 or email her at sherri@visitnacogdoches.org. Be our friend on facebook @ See Nacogdoches.
