It’s an annual conference that brings communities across the state together to brainstorm and bounce ideas about downtown revitalization. It gives them the ability to explore economic drivers and creative, innovative applications to implement and increase economic development in downtown areas.

The North Carolina Main Street Conference, coordinated by the N.C. Department of Commerce, was in full swing this week, as downtown professionals, elected officials, volunteers and consultants met in Goldsboro to network and gain information, as well as access tools and resources.

Rebecca Clark, co-owner of Little Shoppes in downtown Washington, who attended the conference, said the biggest benefit of the conference is that it allows communities to learn from each other’s successes.

The commonality of these successful communities is the collaborative effort of city government, community volunteers, downtown businesses and nonprofits such as the Washington Harbor District Alliance, Clark said.

“You’re able to bring their ideas that have been successful and put them into action in your own town,” Clark said. “It’s all one big think tank. It affords us the opportunity to meet with Main Street managers in cities and towns from around the state, who have similar economic challenges. It is wonderful to see what these communities have done to revive their downtowns. We come away with great ideas and real solutions for improving our economic health. ”

The conference also allows communities to explore how implementing applications such as streetscape improvement projects, way-finding signage, upper-story housing development, branding campaigns, locally owned and independent business recruitment, farm-to-table restaurants and farmers’ markets and special events can be used to fuel local economies, according to the conference’s website. It also teaches attendees about the Main Street Four-Point Approach, a comprehensive revitalization process designed to improve all aspects of a downtown, including organization, promotion, design and economic vitality, according to nccommerce.com.

Registrants of the conference attend breakout sessions, seminars and workshops, but also gain online access to information given at the actual conference to reference later, according to Chris Furlough, WHDA president.

In years past, the conference has guided initiatives such as the WHDA’s “Shop, Dine, Play” concept, one that has drawn people to the downtown district, Furlough said. Another example is the WHDA Farmers’ Market and ways to enhance it to encourage grassroots economics, as well as traffic downtown. Towns and cities also benefit from the conference by gaining access to grant streams on the state and national levels, including the Main Street Solutions Fund, a fund allocated for downtown entities to apply for grants for revitalization projects, Furlough said.

“Probably the greatest benefit is the networking and learning where the resources are throughout the state and national levels,” Furlough said. “We’re able to access different resource opportunities and learn how to apply them through conferences like this.”

According to Clark, changes in downtown Washington over the past eight years have come from plans formulated from what was learned at the conference, getting input from the public, coming up with a finalized plan and then moving forward.

One of the biggest challenges for Washington’s downtown harbor district, however, has been finding ways to improve the appearance and conditions of empty buildings, Clark said.

“Washington is very lucky in that we have a beautiful waterfront that draws so many visitors from around the state,” Clark said. “Our challenge is to improve the appearance and condition of our empty downtown buildings so we can attract more new businesses to downtown. I am always encouraged and come away with a renewed sense of hope that we will soon have an even more vibrant downtown that will be the center of activity for all of Washington’s residents and thus, create economic stability for the entire county.”

Eve Hemby, a community organizer for People For a Better Aurora/Richland Township, attended this year’s conference and hopes to pitch ideas to Aurora’s Board of Commissioners and business owners to help facilitate economic development and revitalization of the town’s Main Street district, she said.

“It was a gold mine in getting the tools you need to create growth in the town,” Hemby said. “I was really excited to be there. The issue is building up the economy. (Successful communities) figured out how to use their assets to attract people to come and monetize that into something you can create jobs with. Our state has been supportive by creating a Main Street Solutions Fund to go toward missions like this. Small towns that are able to see this, understand it and capitalize on it, they have a community that can be sustained for the next 100 years.”