The 10th annual quarterly seminars coordinated by Main Street New Jersey offer training for downtown success incorporating the Main Street approach. These seminars provide the opportunities New Jersey's downtowns need to develop and hone the skills and techniques to revitalize core commercial districts.

The DRMI is held in downtown Trenton at Thomas Edison State College.

Register for the DRMI online.

DRMI 2008
Jef Buehler, MSNJ State Coordinator,
speaks at the 2008 DRMI.

Effective Downtown Revitalization

The goal of downtown revitalization is to create, improve, and maintain a viable community for living and business activity. Over the past 20 years, revitalized downtowns have evolved from simple streets cape improvements, to complex economic development initiatives, often supported by public/private partnerships and guided by professional managers. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Main Street New Jersey's Downtown Revitalization & Management Institute (DRMI) teaches a comprehensive, community-based management approach which recognizes that downtowns do not decline overnight, and they need time and consistent efforts to bring them back to vitality. Effective downtown management, applied with commitment by all community stakeholders, results in a vibrant and dynamic future for New Jersey's town centers. The DRMI is taught by trainers with expertise in the specific disciplines essential for success. Those that attend the entire training series receive a DCA certification upon completion, which the Department will take into account when considering future DCA program applications.
The Four Sessions

October 29-30: Promoting Downtown


Every downtown and traditional commercial district offers unique products, one-of-a-kind businesses and original historic buildings. This atmosphere provides advantages unmatched by strip and power centers, shopping malls and internet-only commerce. Day 1 features New Jersey’s own Sylvia Allen, who returns from her professional and philanthropic work around the world to share her proven techniques on branding and marketing a district, obtaining sponsorships for and running effective and profitable special events.
Day 2 brings Rick Segel, international speaker, corporate trainer and author of "Retail for Dummies" (among other books) to New Jersey for the first time to provide training in making promotions better and more profitiable, engaging retailers as partners in your downtown's activities, how to differentiate your downtown and its businesses among all of the others and how to market your districts' businesses using e-commerce.
January 28-29: People, Money & Partnerships


• Day 1 will explore techniques and practices to ensure the long-term success of revitalization efforts, facilitated by Deb Turcott, Executive Director of Land and Community Heritage Program the for the New Hampshire Community Development & Finance Agency, and former local Main Street Director in the town of Laconia, NH. This session focuses on Organizational Issues Surrounding Downtown Main Street Organizations and will teach you the following: Why and how the Main Street approach works; how to keep the Downtown Revitalization & Management process organized; and Advanced Techniques for identifying and solving problems.
• Day 2 sessions led by The Wander Group focus on Organizational Development through Effective Volunteer Committees, The Real Role of Staff and Organizational Development by Improving Leadership Communications. The afternoon session by Laura Otten, nationally-know Director of the LaSalle Non Profit Center will focus on the theme of Non-Profit Management For Overextended (Yet Invested) People to assist volunteer stakeholders with best practices in maximizing their investment into running their downtown management organization.

April 29-30: Creating Economic Opportunity

Traditional and commercial districts demand innovative approaches to attain and retain economic success in today's highly competitive marketplace. This session will help to develop long-term solutions towards business expansion and recruitment.

New Jersey's JGSC Group will provide a two day session of the step-by-step process for revitalization, examining and explaining the many components and strategies that can be used, resulting in you learning how all the pieces fit together to create a comprehensive and effective plan of action for economic revitalization.

July 29-30: Guiding Design on Main Street


Downtowns physical resources provide the basis from which economic growth and vitality can occur. This two-day session will explore the importance, value, and vocabulary of good design, using historic preservation as part of the design vision and marketing strategies.

• Day 1 will comprehensively cover all key aspects of Design from buildings to window displays to safety to streetscape.
• Day 2 will focus on providing parking and parking management solutions and then deal with safety solutions through a detailed CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) training.

DRMI Documents

Online registration form now available!
2008 registration form [dot 147k] Updated 09/26/08
For More Information...

Please contact us
(609) 633-7734
msnj@dca.state.nj.us