PLACES Host Application – Conference Events Overview

Welcome! We’re glad to hear that you’re considering hosting PLACES 2027 in your downtown.

This webpage outlines the baseline needs and norms for each event of the conference. In Section 3 of the application, you’ll identify venues that meet the event needs or that could meet those needs with equipment rentals or other adjustments. 

We invite you to be creative with meeting these requirements. We’ve hosted events everywhere from furniture stores to public markets to museums, and we’ve included examples of some of these below. Please note that an application allowing attendees to explore more of the downtown district (that is, a proposal using a wider variety of downtown spaces, rather than staying concentrated in one venue) will generally be viewed more favorably. 

Note: Given the unconventional structure of the PLACES conference, we have found that it benefits applicants greatly to have a conversation with our team as they work on this section. Please don’t hesitate to call or email with questions or if you’d like to chat through some of your preliminary ideas. 

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Learn more about PLACES events below, or jump to key sections:

Example Schedule | Requirements for All Events | Individual Event Descriptions | Next Steps

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Dates

The conference is generally held during October. Applicants may propose other dates, but priority consideration will be given those cities able to accommodate the preferred date patterns. We prefer to host the conference on a Tuesday to Thursday in late September or October. We are still identifying our own preferred conference dates and will update this page when we’re able; in the meantime, please email Lydia to note your interest and learn more about potential dates.

If a different Tuesday to Thursday span in September/October than the one we share is better for your community, feel free to propose that time.

Schedule

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The following are requirements for the venues used for all events. The application will ask you whether each venue meets these requirements or how it might with additional planning or rentals.

• ADA Accessibility – Each venue must be ADA accessible. Ideally, this includes:
  • Accessibility of the main entrance/routes (e.g., if a venue is not on the ground floor, an elevator is near the main stairs rather than requiring a different entrance or additional wayfinding)
  • Accessible parking at/near the venue (this may be street parking)
• Restrooms – If a venue does not have restrooms available for guests, please indicate a plan for meeting this requirement (e.g., portapotty rental, using a nearby public restroom, etc.)

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Jump to…

• 3.1: Registration + Info Desk
• 3.2: Opening Plenary + Keynote
• 3.3: Welcome Party
• 3.4: Excellence on Main Awards Ceremony + Reception
• 3.5: Classroom Sessions

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Overview: Our Registration + Info Desk is generally open all three days of the conference. This is where attendees check in upon arrival, come to ask questions about the conference and local area, and often is where people will naturally gather.

Past Examples: We’ve held registration in the local Main Street organization’s office, the local DMO’s visitor center, and even in a local brewery!

Requirements:

• Capacity Requirements:
  • Roughly 20+ attendees, in addition to conference staff/tables. 
  • Ideally, this venue also serves as our mobile tour gathering place, allowing for ~60 people at once, whether inside or outside. If your proposed registration site cannot accommodate this, please identify a different location (ideally nearby) for use as a mobile tour gathering place.
• A/V Requirements: WiFi, multiple available outlets (for plugging in computers and iPads used for registration, and ongoing charging of mobile tour mics) 
• Additional Equipment/Venue Requirements: 2 tables for registration itself and 1-2 tables for a hospitality booth hosted by the local host community. Ideally, there is also a printer or access to one.
• Food/Drink: None required, though sometimes we provide coffee and light refreshments, if the budget allows.

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Overview: The Opening Plenary kicks off PLACES, welcoming attendees and setting the tone for the conference. This includes the keynote address and brief welcomes from the Washington Trust, DAHP, and the local Main Street organization, as well as some selection of the following local leaders: Mayor, Tribal leader or elder, state representative. (If your application is successful, we’ll work with you to identify who is invited to speak.) 

Past Examples: We’ve hosted the Opening Plenary in historic theaters, conference centers, and large community spaces. Note: The Plenary’s capacity requirements typically limit the options in Main Street districts. 

Requirements:

• Capacity Requirements: 350 attendees in theater-style seating 
• A/V Requirements: Projector and screen, 1+ wireless handheld microphone (ideally 2+) with ample speaker system
• Additional Equipment/Venue Requirements: Stage, podium
• Food/Drink: None

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Overview: While the Opening Plenary + Keynote serves as a welcome to the PLACES Conference, the Welcome Party welcomes attendees to your downtown. As such, we love to follow your lead and ask that you take the lead on planning this event. We have found that a block party or an adaptation of one of your recurring downtown events can be a great mode for this welcome; however, we invite you to dream up whatever you feel would best fit your downtown! 

Please share a tentative proposal for the PLACES 2027 Welcome Party. This may include the general format, venue(s), caterer(s), etc. Noting that any costs would come from the general conference budget, please also provide estimated costs for this event. 

Past Examples: 

• Gig Harbor – Block party with games, beer garden, and snacks (hot dogs cooked up by the Rotary and fries and ice cream from a local restaurant) from nearby businesses
• Walla Walla – 40th birthday party for the local Main Street organization and Washington Main Street (held in a park) with cake!

Requirements:

Note: This section of the application does not ask the same questions, so this is just for your reference. 

• Restroom & Accessibility Requirements still apply.
• Capacity Requirements: We plan for approximately 300 attendees in an open house format (attendees can come in and out as they please).
• A/V Requirements: Up to you! We generally have some kind of entertainment, whether a band, DJ, or music from a playlist, but we’ll leave it up to you!
• Additional Equipment/Venue Requirements: Up to you!
• Food/Drink: 
  • We like to provide light refreshments/snacks, including non-alcoholic beverages, for this event. 
  • We typically also have a beer garden or bar with beer/wine for purchase that is operated by the Washington Trust. If you would like to go this route, please indicate that and what the plan would be (location, etc; you do not need to include the beer/wine or staffing as a cost). If you have another idea in mind (e.g., using a local venue that requires their own staffing of a bar), please do detail the full plan, including costs.

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Overview: A favorite part of the conference each year, this is when we announce and celebrate our annual Excellence on Main awardees. This has generally been a 3-hour event, which starts with a mix-and-mingle cocktail hour before a seated awards ceremony. 

Past Examples: Excellence on Main is generally hosted in a stand-out historic space downtown. It can be a great opportunity to highlight a premiere (historic) venue in your downtown. 

• Gig Harbor: Foss Waterway Seaport in Tacoma
• Walla Walla: Gesa Powerhouse Theater (example of an atypical space for this event/how we’ve accommodated the event based on venue limitations)
• Vancouver: Providence Academy

Requirements: 

• Capacity Requirements: 200-250 attendees, including ~200 chairs in theater-style seating for the program. This is a ticketed event, which means we can limit the capacity if needed, though we try to accommodate as many attendees as possible. 
• A/V Requirements: Projector and screen, 1+ microphone (ideally wireless, but can be wired to podium) with ample speaker system
• Additional Equipment/Venue Requirements: 
  • Required: Podium, area for buffet-style food set-up, tables for food set-up, area for bar set-up and any necessary furniture (can be as simple as a table with a tablecloth), 10 cocktail tables (or other arrangements for cocktail hour), linens for all tables
  • Ideal: Stage (or stage-like area)
  • Please note the seating requirements included in the “capacity” section
• Food/Drink: Buffet-style heavy appetizers (not a full meal) and beer/wine/non-alcoholic beverages
  • For the bar, we typically have a beer/wine bar that is operated by the Washington Trust and with beer/wine that we bring in. Attendees receive a limited number of drink tickets with their ticket to the event. If this is not available (e.g., if the venue requires use of their bartenders and/or beverages), please outline these details, including costs.

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Overview: We typically hold 4-5 concurrent breakout sessions. Less traditional event layouts (i.e., use of multiple facilities) are encouraged, and all venues should ideally be within a 5-10–minute walk of each other. In the application, there is space to list 5 venues; the fifth venue is not required, but is highly recommended.

Past Examples: We’ve hosted classroom sessions just about anywhere that can fit enough chairs and the A/V, including furniture stores, historic theaters and churches, restaurants and bars, community meeting spaces, libraries, municipal buildings, working boat shops, and everything in between.

Requirements: 

• Capacity Requirements: 80-100 people with seating for all
  • Can be theater-style or around tables
  • Note that we sometimes do have use for smaller venues in addition to these. We do not ask for this in the application and share just as an FYI at this stage.
• A/V Requirements: 
  • Required: Projector and screen (can also be a large TV screen), 2+ microphones (ideally wireless, but can be wired) with ample audio system
  • Ideally, 3-4 microphones per venue
• Additional Equipment/Venue Requirements: Podium, 1-2 tables (for panels), 5-6 chairs for speaker use (in addition to 80-100 listed under capacity)
• Food/Drink: None, but please note if food/drink is allowed.

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Application Questions

Conference Events are covered in Section 3 of the application.

To start, please complete the Venues, Sponsorship, & Budget worksheet (tab 3.1: Venues), which asks you to share information about at least 6 venues that can collectively be used to meet the conference needs above. You can recommend one venue for multiple uses, but please note that proposals sharing a wider variety of venues will be viewed more favorably. You will share the link to this worksheet in Section 1 of the application.

In section 3, you’ll be asked to verify that you have recommended at least one venue per event (3.1) and allows you to share attachments, if you so choose (3.2). For 3.3, you’ll share a tentative proposal for the PLACES 2027 Welcome Party. This may include the general format, venue(s), caterer(s), etc. Noting that any costs would come from the general conference budget, please also provide estimated costs for this event.

Questions?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions! We know that thinking through what PLACES could look like in your downtown is no small task, and we’re here to help.

Want to chat through your ideas before applying? Email the PLACES team at .

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Banner photos courtesy of Sydnee More Photography.