PRESS RELEASE: How does the Red Wing Holiday Stroll impact our local economy: UMN to collaborate with Red Wing Downtown Main Street to find out
CONTACTMegan Tsui, Red Wing Downtown Main Street Executive Director, director@downtownredwing.org, 612-807-0804
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERED WING, MINN. (May 24, 2017): Red Wing Downtown Main Street (DTMS) will partner with the University of Minnesota Extension Service Tourism Center to measure the economic impact of the 2017 Holiday Stroll.Teams from both groups will gather information from 200+ guests and businesses at the 2017 Holiday Stroll, examining attendee purchasing habits, programming preferences, and overall demographics. The University of Minnesota Tourism Center will then analyze their findings, and these results will be formatted in a report used to aid those in the local service industry and business community. The overall aim is to understand what drives sales and attendance and measure for the first time in the Stroll’s 15-year history what value the event holds for Red Wing.“We know anecdotally that the Stroll has been more popular and well attended each year, but we’re excited to prove with real figures how the Stroll has an affect on our businesses,” explains DTMS Executive Director Megan Tsui. “Sustainability for the event depends on us leveraging our sponsors, and showcasing how a relatively minor financial investment can pay off dividends for our retail and service community.”This project will be funded by a grant of $8,000 from the Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at the University of Minnesota, part of the University of Minnesota Extension Service.Work on "Estimating the Economic Contribution of the Red Wing Holiday Stroll" will begin September 2017 and be completed by March 30, 2018. The final report will be made public, and DTMS will present their findings in a public forum at that time.
About Red Wing Downtown Main Street and our partners:The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) connect greater Minnesota communities to the University of Minnesota in order to help solve problems and take advantage of new opportunities. As a part of University of Minnesota Extension, RSDP brings together local talent and resources with University of Minnesota knowledge and seed funding to drive sustainability in four areas: agriculture and food systems, tourism and resilient communities, natural resources, and clean energy. www.rsdp.umn.eduEstablished in the mid-1980s to support the Minnesota tourism industry, the University of Minnesota Tourism Center has grown to be a leading source of education and research for Minnesota, The United States, and many countries. We create and share knowledge to inform decisions, educate personnel, and engage communities. We lead, prepare, and support the tourism industry and tourism-dependent communities toward success and sustainability. The Center is a collaboration o University of Minnesota Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences. www.tourism.umn.eduRed Wing Downtown Main Street is a volunteer-driven organization that fosters a sense of community and pride in Red Wing’s historic downtown districts. They partner with local and national organizations to deliver support for downtown businesses and drive innovative education, programming, and events designed to create a vibrant and economically impactful downtown. DTMS has been operating since 1994, with special Main Street America affiliation since 2011. www.downtownredwing.org