Promotion

Our promotion programs encourage local shopping, bring visitors to town, and engage residents

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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

Emporia Gets a Bit More Magical!

By Jessica Buchholz | March 20, 2023

Emporia Main Street along with several local businesses have become the new homes for a collection of Fairy Doors. The community is invited to come downtown starting this week and look high and low (well mostly low) around local businesses for some new and colorful installations. Emporia Main Street launched this concept to provide the…

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Targeted ads, in conjunction with traditional advertising, can lead to more spring traffic!

By Jessica Buchholz | March 10, 2023

If you owned a restaurant, wouldn’t it be nice to have a mechanism to instantly reach out to people that were hungry? If you owned a retail shop that stocked sports apparel, how excited would you be if you could connect with people as they cheered for their team? If you sold entertainment, how amazing…

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and your communication strategy is key!

By Casey Woods | January 25, 2023

Last year we were still dealing with some COVID related impacts during the Valentine’s planning season. This is really the first Valentine’s in a couple of years where we can plan out and execute holiday sales. So, let’s delve into some best practices: Does your business have something special you want to communicate for Valentine’s…

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Last Minute Holiday Push

By Jessica Buchholz | December 14, 2022

As we get closer to Christmas it is important for businesses to remember that there are A LOT of last minute Holiday Shoppers out there! Having a plan in place to capture these last minute sales can mean significant cash inflows as we wrap up the 4th quarter. So with a little more than a…

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The Holidays are HERE!

By Jessica Buchholz | November 23, 2022

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!

By Casey Woods | September 2, 2022

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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