2 min read September 2023 — Invest: interviewed Laura Simon, executive director of Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA), about the organization’s event ‘Art & Jazz on the Avenue’, using data to better understand tourism and the DDA’s strong focus on mixed-use construction. “We are going through a total rebranding and relaunch where we are working collectively with the county to attract the right audience for our Downtown,” she said.
What have been some highlights for the Delray Beach DDA over the past year?
Over the past year, we have seen a very strong forward trajectory that promises continued success in the years ahead. Leadership from the City of Delray Beach and the DDA are working together to ensure that Downtown Delray Beach is a thriving center for entertainment, the arts and culture. Currently, we are focusing on the economic vitality side of the business with strong messaging, marketing and advocation. We are leading post-pandemic with our tourism destination marketing and with producing new events and programs for both new and old residents of Delray Beach. We’ve seen many new businesses and restaurants pop up over this past year, as well as strong performances from local legacy businesses too. We introduced a new event called ‘Art and Jazz on the Avenue’, which was a huge success for the Downtown and our organization. We are also working on strengthening our Safety Ambassador Program, so we can make sure our neighborhoods are clean, safe and beautiful.
What is it about Palm Beach County that helps to create a thriving Downtown in Delray Beach?
Palm Beach County is well-situated geographically between Broward and the Treasure Coast, with tropical weather from the Gulf Stream. The county has strong mobility with airports and interstates, making it easy for both residents and visitors to travel and commute. Also, it is a very diverse county, which our leadership and development board believes is a positive for commerce and economic development. Delray Beach is also unique because we have a Downtown and a main street that runs to the ocean, which provides access for commercial and residential to come together in a great way.
What types of businesses are you looking to attract to the Downtown?
As a popular tourist destination, we have strength in mixed-use construction and have added many hotels over the last few years. In fact, we’ve built two new hotels just this past year: the Delray Hotel and the Hampton Inn. Atlantic Crossing is also a great example of a recent mixed-use project, with retail, office space and parking. We also have a mixed-use project on the other side of town preserving 100-year-old buildings with primarily retail/restaurant and office space. Because we are not a high-rise community, we are limited in office space Downtown, but these additions will help us build our daytime community, which is important to us. We are seeking to expand our main streets and connect areas to provide even more walkability in the Downtown area and will continue to see projects like this make an impact on infrastructure. So far, we are seeing a lot of relocations for corporate headquarters in the finance industry and the real estate sectors, as well as some restaurant divisions such as Constellation Brand.
We have many great organizations helping to strengthen business, such as the city, the CRA, the Delray Beach Chamber and the Downtown Development Authority that help bring resources and leadership to guide new businesses. They get help navigating the various challenges so they can be successful on the other side, and so they can be successful for years to come. Retention is a strong component of what we do, so we can expand and support existing businesses with improvements. We can help them to build a customer base and to generate customer loyalty, which is good for all of us.
How are you marketing Delray as a tourist destination?
We have gone through a rebranding and we are working collectively with the county to attract the right audience for our attractions. We have been working with the City of Delray Beach leadership and the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce on a tourist master plan. This will help keep the focus on tourism in the city, and it will include research and data that will help guide us through the next 10 years. Also, we have been making a concerted effort to focus on the summer season in terms of our marketing, and our strong plans will help keep us thriving all year round.
How will the role of the DDA continue to evolve?
The DDA will focus on economic vitality and mobility with parking and transportation. We are shifting more to the management side by reading and collecting data, which hasn’t always been our strong point. We have better resources now and can understand traffic patterns and visitor transactions more accurately, so we can quantify the work we are doing. Delray Beach is a resilient city because of our collaboration and partnerships and we want to continue to focus on the Downtown Delray Beach experience and on growing our Downtown even further.
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