2007 Crystal Eagle Awards
We Are Pleased to Present Our 2007 Crystal Eagle Achievement Award Winners
SPECIAL EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS (Two Award Winners)
City of San Mateo – Central Park Music Series
San Mateo, California is home to the Central Park Music Series, an annual multi-week outdoor concert series held in Downtown San Mateo’s scenic Central Park. Marking its sixth season in 2007, the Central Park Music Series represents a unique multi-organizational public-private partnership between the City of San Mateo (city government), City Arts of San Mateo (the local arts community), and the Downtown San Mateo Association (the downtown San Mateo business community). During its summer run, the Music Series draws on average more than 1,000 people each week from throughout San Mateo and surrounding cities. These guests not only enjoy an evening of free entertainment, but are also exposed to the broader range of dining, shopping and recreation options that define Downtown San Mateo.
Although many communities offer some type of summer music programming, the ongoing success of the Central Park Music Series and its synergy of recreation and commerce can serve as a strong model to those cities looking for ways to revitalize their downtowns through special events and promotions.
San Mateo Powerpoint Presentation
Pleasant Hill – Art, Jazz and Wine Fest
Walking in Downtown Pleasant Hill in the dark chill of the morning in early October of 2003 it was hard to imagine how more than a year of planning was about to come to fruition. Then slowly some foggy headed volunteers emerge looking for coffee. As dawn breaks the orchestra of volunteers start playing the symphony of the event setup, sometimes out of tune but knowing that the real music will start very soon. Artists begin setting up amongst the chaos of the scurrying Chamber and community volunteers only adding to the overall excitement. Then suddenly it is the calm before the storm—of people, that is. The hope was to draw 2,000 people over the whole weekend, but that many showed up before 1 pm on the first day and we knew we had a hit!
Pleasant Hill needed a signature event and the design of our Downtown made it the perfect venue. What was originally conceived as a small 20 to 25 artist stroll quickly grew to 70 artists along with smooth jazz and blues drawing some 10,000 visitors over the weekend to Downtown. The Downtown merchants are happy to welcome the extra foot traffic that is generated by this weekend event and many offer Art, Jazz and Wine specials or sales. Early on, the committee knew that they did not want this to become, “just another street fair ” but instead an event that would accurately reflect the sophistication and simplicity of Pleasant Hill The community eagerly anticipates the Art, Jazz & Wine Fest, not only for the opportunity to enjoy good art, wine, beer and music in a family friendly environment, but also to support the local economy and promotion of the City of Pleasant Hill.
This event would not be possible without the successful collaborative effort and support from the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Pleasant Hill, the property owner of Downtown Pleasant Hill, hundreds of volunteers, the business community, and the leadership of Committee Chair Faye Donaghu.
Pleasant Hill Powerpoint Presentation
PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT
City of Tehachapi
The City of Tehachapi has successfully revitalized Historic Downtown Tehachapi with several physical improvements while celebrating their historical significance. The City adopted the Downtown Master Plan created by RRM Design Group and has implemented several elements including an identity and comprehensive downtown sign program (designed by Graphic Solutions), textured sidewalks and crosswalks, graphic pavement, public benches, and street light fixtures.
The improvements to Historic Downtown Tehachapi have contributed significantly to the positive changes occurring in the downtown area: property owners are investing in their buildings, the vacancy rate has lowered and there is a demand for space, rents are increasing, and tourism and pedestrian traffic are increasing. The revitalization of Historic Downtown Tehachapi resulted in creating a unique sense of place that has become a destination for visitors and locals.
Tehachapi Powerpoint Presentation
PLANNING
RBF Consulting/City of Fullerton
The SoCo District (South of Commonwealth) is comprised of businesses, eateries and lounges located in the City of Fullerton on Santa Fe Avenue east and west of Harbor Boulevard. This new “hot spot” is emerging from its warehouse/industrial roots into a Downtown Fullerton destination, focused on dining and entertainment within a pedestrian environment. Capitalizing on the initiative of several successful businesses in the SoCo District and the influence of the Fullerton Transportation Center, the city has invested its resources in an effort to transform two deteriorated alleys into a popular, pedestrian-friendly public space.
The intent of the SoCo Alleyscape project was to redevelop two transecting alleys from a daytime area for industrial and commercial vehicular use, into an economically thriving daytime and nighttime pedestrian-friendly zone, while maintaining the vehicular function of the alleys.
RBF Consulting’s Urban Design Studio’s objective was to develop essential community consensus and ownership among merchants, property owners, City staff, and the general public in order to inspire further economic and physical revitalization of Downtown Fullerton. Encouraging significant community involvement, including an extensive downtown immersion program and community workshops, RBF worked with the local residents to create alternative concepts that foster a pedestrian-friendly environment while maintaining the functionality of the alleys and respecting the authenticity of the SoCo District.
The alleyscape design concept accommodates the utilitarian needs of the businesses, while also fostering a festive atmosphere for pedestrians. Through details such as creative paving designs, (rear) building facades and entries that encourage pedestrian activity, convertible parking areas, lighting alternatives, gateway structures, and wayfinding signage, the design has already enjoyed a great deal of success, paving the way for future projects of its kind.
RBF Powerpoint Presentation
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Downtown Stockton Partnership
Attracting the Young and the Restless to Downtown Stockton
In an effort to capitalize on the nationwide demand for urban housing, driven by the “Bookend Generations” of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Millennials (born after 1980), the Downtown Stockton Alliance implemented a comprehensive marketing and communication campaign to develop consumers and future residents within the younger, Millennial, demographic and lay the ground work for creation of a downtown Entertainment District.
Dubbed “Attracting the Young and the Restless”, the campaign featured three major components: launching a mySpace, to generate “buzz” and communicate visually that downtown was the place for young people to be; a complete redesign of the Alliance website, www.downtownstockton.org, with an updated palette, Flash video, interactive Events Calendar, Real Estate Guide and Business Directory, and a user-friendly Visitor’s portal; and finally, construction of custom information kiosks, located on all three local college campuses, to place transportation, event, internship, employment and volunteer information directly into the hands of the target demographic.
In one year, mySpace.com/downtownstockton has become the single largest referrer to the Alliance main website, posting over 300 visits and 40 new “friends” each month. The hip, innovative downtownstockton.com, while considered a “niche” website, is taking a lead on regional cross marketing and enjoys over 4,500 unique visitors each month, from as far away as Australia, Peru and The Netherlands. These are individual entries to the site, counted only once in a 24-hour period – as opposed to the less meaningful number of “hits”. The information kiosks have distributed over 12,000 pieces of information in less than six months, clearly demonstrating a strong interest in downtown opportunities by local students, who can now volunteer online.
The results of this campaign are significant with downtown event attendance up 100-300% since 2006, a host of fresh volunteers staffing Alliance events, new sponsorships and grants representing $140,000 in cash and in kind services, substantial unpaid regional publicity and a noticeable increase in restaurant business which will add 150 outdoor dining seats to the cinema plaza in 2008. The Young and Restless are on the way to downtown Stockton.
Stockton Boulevard Partnership Presentation
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