Marketing Places, Spaces, People & Ideas

Archive for the ‘Retail Growth’ Category

Cautious Optimism Reigns at RECon

May 25th, 2010 by Mandy Vavrinak

This year, the mood, pace and tone of RECon (the International Council of Shopping Centers annual Retail Convention in Las Vegas) is palpably different. Whatever the economists say, the winds have shifted in the development and tenanting side of retail. A few observations from days 1 and 2 of the show: People are dressed for [...]

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Posterous
  • Ping
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Instapaper
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Digg
  • FriendFeed
  • Google Reader
  • HelloTxt
  • Orkut
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Cities & Towns, Economic Development, Marketing, Retail Growth | 2 Comments »

Heading to Vegas, Leaving the High Heels at Home

May 23rd, 2010 by Mandy Vavrinak

Some of you know that about half of my consulting-side work is in economic development for cities and site owners. Mostly retail, but we also help cities attract new residential and industrial/office development as well. It’s work I love because if I do my job well, a corner of the world is a better place [...]

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Posterous
  • Ping
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Instapaper
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Digg
  • FriendFeed
  • Google Reader
  • HelloTxt
  • Orkut
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Relevance and Passion, Cities & Towns, Economic Development, Retail Growth | No Comments »

Is it still all about Location, Location, Location?

March 11th, 2010 by Mandy Vavrinak

The mantra in real estate has always been, “Location, Location, Location!” Over the past year, since the advent of  location-based apps such as Foursquare and Gowalla, it’s seemed the plugged-in community has adopted the location motto as its own. Predictions were made, and disputed, about how important these apps could be. I resisted the allure [...]

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Posterous
  • Ping
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Instapaper
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Digg
  • FriendFeed
  • Google Reader
  • HelloTxt
  • Orkut
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Marketing, Retail Growth, Small Business, Social Media, Social Media | 15 Comments »

Branding Places

September 28th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

What you say about your place is marketing. What people think about your place is branding. When I see a city manager’s business card produced in house and printed on donated paper at the least expensive price point possible, with a “logo” that consists of a divided shape of some sort with each quadrant filled by some hallmark of place history, I shudder. Again. What is the promise?

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Posterous
  • Ping
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Instapaper
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Digg
  • FriendFeed
  • Google Reader
  • HelloTxt
  • Orkut
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cities & Towns, Economic Development, Marketing, Retail Growth | 2 Comments »

Does Place Still Matter?

September 16th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

I’ve been thinking… perhaps Florida’s definition of “place” is too narrow, though, to apply to today’s socially-connected world. Perhaps the new organizing unit is knowledge…. where it lives, how its found and accessed, and then how it can be acted upon. Maybe now it’s all about what you can do in a SPACE rather than in a PLACE. Today’s spaces are not defined so much by walls or physical boundaries as they are self-sorted, self-elected affinities. I am part of several “spaces” online and also offline, nearly all of which I’ve chosen belonging

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Posterous
  • Ping
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Instapaper
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Digg
  • FriendFeed
  • Google Reader
  • HelloTxt
  • Orkut
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cities & Towns, Economic Development, Marketing, Retail Growth | 3 Comments »