Emporia Main Street's PROMOTION programs are run by a committee of volunteers along with Main Street staff. Our promotion activities are focused on drawing visitors through year-round events, promoting local shopping, and marketing Downtown Emporia as a destination.
Emporia Main Street hosts or supports over 40 events each year. Our largest event, the Dirty Kanza Finish Line Party, brings over 10,000 visitors to downtown Emporia. Our Midnight Madness shopping event boosts sales at retailers throughout Emporia. All of our events promote a positive image of our community to both visitors and residents.
Whether we're putting on an event or reaching out through marketing, our promotion activities are designed to encourage economic activity and investment in our community.
Promotion Programs
Events
Emporia Main Street and the Promotions Committee host some of Emporia's biggest events, drawing thousands of visitors and locals each year. View our event calendar to see what's next.
Traffic Builders
Our events are designed not only to elevate the community, but also to provide exposure and foot traffic to our member businesses. Learn more here, and then contact us to register for an event!
Marketing Opportunities
Let us help promote you! Get your business in front our followers and other members.
Gift Certificate Program
Our gift certificate program is free for member businesses and encourages local shopping.
Promotion Committee Volunteers
Adam Eimer
Uncommon Threads
Brad Harzman
USD 243
Kelly Mayer
Emporia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Becky Smith
Twin Rivers Winery & City Commissioner
Patti Canson
Kim Redeker
Sweet Granada
Michele Boyce
KVOE
Kristy Bayer
Emporia State University
Interested in joining the Promotion Committee?
The Promotions Committee is great for those who like to help to plan events! Click the button below if you'd like to join!
Promotion Education
The Holidays are HERE!
Your guide to some of the holiday events in Emporia! Thanksgiving week snuck up on a lot of us, and after Thanksgiving we hit a stretch run of fun activities for everyone! Here is the synopsis: Downtown Holiday Decorations, NOW- After a wind storm and over 25 years of use in the Kansas elements, the downtown…
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Pump Up Your Customer Service!
Simple ways you can create a better experience for your customers (leading to more traffic and better sales). We are in a weird consumer transitional time nationally and locally. Early pandemic protocols gave people a lot of free time with no place to go, and safety nets that changed buying patterns. Some potential students avoided…
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Back to School – Support Local Educators & Businesses
August is here and that means school is right around the corner. Although we have several large events that pull people into the area during summer months, I think we can all agree that the environment changes once local school districts, Emporia State University, and Flint Hills Technical College are back in session. For the…
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Unbound Gravel Slate of Activities.
The basics about scheduling and activities this week for the Unbound Cycling event. A lot of people have asked about various elements of the Unbound Gravel event over the past couple of weeks. The cycling event is one of our larger activities in the region, and several ancillary events help support the primary race day.Here…
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Shop Local for Mother’s Day
With events, proms, upcoming graduation ceremonies and more we thought that it was very important to deliver a critical message: DON’T FORGET MOM!!! This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and it is important to reach out to your customers and remind them about the products and services you can provide to honor mothers, grandmothers, and great…
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Christmas is on Saturday, and that day/date combination can change things for businesses.
When Christmas lands on a Saturday it can cause some adjustments for the before Christmas shopper, and after Christmas crowds. A lot of the consumer behavior adjustments are actually good for small businesses if entrepreneurs market appropriately. Here are some things you need to remember (briefly, because I know this week is hectic): Out of…
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