Key stakeholders in Columbus” tourism trade Wednesday met with a member of a visiting charrette team to inform him of ways in which they currently do business.
As part of the charrette process, a team of urban planners, architects, marketing analysts and other local and visiting experts are meeting with residents, gathering input on areas needing improvement, development or promotion.
Led by Ben Muldrow, a community branding and marketing specialist of Greenville, S.C.-based Arnette Muldrow and Associates, the “tourism” group — which included, event organizer Harvey Myrick, James Tsismanakis of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, Peter Imes of The Commercial Dispatch, Nora Miller of Mississippi University for Women, Rachel Smith Hurt of the Columbus Arts Council, Meagan Coughlin of the Community Volunteer Center, Amber Brislin of Main Street Columbus, Inc., Melissa Cook and Maureen Lipscomb of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link and Sonic Johnson of the Columbus Air Force Base — discussed ways in which they currently promote events, communicate to the public and organization members and market their organizations.
“I”m going to try to fill in the gaps of organizations that haven”t gone through recent processes about their looks or (their messages),” Muldrow said. “We want to be a thread, firm up those systems. We want to create a concert that everybody knows how to communicate to their audience. All that communication creates the perception that good things are happening here.
“We need to be able to identify the qualities that make Columbus unique and great to you and to preserve those qualities,” he added.
The charrette team already has met with the Columbus City Council, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and the Main Street Columbus board of directors; additionally, a public input session was held Tuesday at the Trotter Convention Center.
The team will present their findings — as conceptual suggestions package with proposed funding sources and identification of organizations responsible for implementation — in all areas of consideration during a public meeting tonight at the Trotter Convention Center.
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