There is actually a fair amount of science (data) behind the benefits of special events to stimulate a downtown economy. In case study after case study, researchers consistently find significant positive outcomes for these time-consuming and sometimes very expensive investments by town governments and their staff.
And that is why Discover Easton (a.k.a. Easton Economic Development Corporation) has made it a point in recent years to double down on the dozen or more special events they run to boast downtown foot traffic to help merchants and hospitality businesses throughout the year. Perhaps the best example of this commitment was in the hiring of Holly DeKarske as its director a few years ago after seeing her two-decade career in events planning in the highly competitive world of the Pennsylvania Dutch county.
As part of the Spy’s ongoing coverage of Easton’s commerce, we asked Holly to stop by the Spy Studio the other day to help the public understand how important such things as the Fire and Ice Festival are to the community and its downtown merchants and hospitality businesses as the country finally moves on from the Covid years.
And after talking to Holly, we decided to do a bit of due diligence on our own and invited The Avalon’s Tim Weigand, the Tidewater Inn’s Lauren Catterton, and Tim Boyle of Vintage Books to share their own assessment of what an event like Fire and Ice does for their bottom line.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Discover Easton and their events for the rest of the year please go here.
Maury Schlesinger says
These events in Easton town center are wonderful. But over the past two years the downtown has lost several establishments where one could eat and drink before or after these events. With two great performance venues (The Avelon and The Ebanezer) where can one go for desert or a nightcap? And on a Sunday afternoon when tourists wander the sidewalks, few businesses are open to browse or snack or sample sweets or ice cream. Filling the streets with satisfied citizens is fine, but economic activity is stymied. What can be done to stimulate commerce as well as culture?
Dave Draper says
It’s great to hear and see events in Easton but the town is missing a few things. We have NO restrooms downtown for our folks. We have limited parking but charge fees and white tickets. These two things limit visitors. A local town has three bathrooms and free parking, just saying. Start with the basics and go from there.