HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-13 PACKET 07.FROM: Danette Parr, Economic Development Director
DATE: September 7, 2011
RE: Retail Focus Group
At 7:30 a.m., on Wednesday, September 14 t h, the City will be hosting a meeting at River Oaks for local
Cottage Grove retailers. The meeting will be comprised of the following:
7:30 a.m. to 8:00 —Welcome and Information Sharing:
• Present information detailing what the City currently does to support retailers in Cottage
Grove through such programs as the Shop Local website, Growth Partners website, and
various other outreach efforts.
Share a DVD that reflects the numerous events and tournaments held in Cottage Grove
throughout the year (we'll preview the DVD with you at the EDA meeting and have extras
available for retailers at the meeting). We'll also share ideas with retailers related to
possible ways we can capture the attention of tournament and event goers (particularly
individuals and groups from outside Cottage Grove) to promote our local retail offerings for
lodging, dining, services, etc.
8:00 to 8:30 — Roundtable Discussions:
• The participants will be divided into small groups and asked to provide feedback related to
the ideas they've heard, as well as brainstorming their own ideas.
• We also plan to offer participants questions that they may find useful as a part of
brainstorming, such as: How can we more effectively utilize existing City events to market
your business? What can the City do to be helpful in marketing your business? etc.
8:30 to 9:00 — Share Discussion Ideas:
Each table will have one designated presenter that will be responsible for taking notes for
their group's discussion and presenting it to the larger collective group.
Ultimately, we'd like to use the meeting as a way to open a dialog with our retail community that allows us
to collaborate on ways to most effectively market the many retail offerings that exist within the City of
Cottage Grove. Depending on how the meeting is attended and received, we may want to consider
hosting this type of event on a more regular basis (quarterly perhaps).
After the meeting, we'll send a follow -up letter communicating to retailers what the outcome of the meeting
was and future actions resulting from the meeting. We encourage the EDA to attend.