Activity: Visiting Downtown

Visiting Downtown: Context

Problem Statement

The existing Downtown visitor base is poorly understood and the potential for associated economic impacts is not clearly quantified. Information is difficult to obtain because the needs of visitors vary by purpose of visit. What data there are tend to reflect nighttime activities over daytime venues.

Retaining the visitor base and increasing it will require improved coordination among attractions with a focus on the quality of visitor experiences and the capacity of organizations to produce such experiences. New destinations like the Erie Canal Harbor and waterfront sports, entertainment and retail venues need to be fully integrated, with the Theatre District and convention venues, into the Downtown visitor experience.

Visitors sometimes find Downtown difficult to navigate. Signage, map materials, and interpretive streetscapes that reflect city history, identify significant districts, and locate key attractions are critical to Downtown wayfinding.

Downtown programming related to festivals and special events needs to be expanded to include more events in the winter months and designed to extend the stay of visitors before and after work and after evening events.

Current Status

One of Downtown’s greatest strengths is its ability to attract residents and visitors to special events, entertainment venues, sporting events, and restaurants and bars. Downtown is the special event hub of the region, drawing over 2.2 million visitors annually. An additional five million visits are made to Downtown for sports, theatre, libraries, conventions, and religious services, making Downtown the core of our identity as a regional community.

Also important to Downtown, but not as well understood, are business travelers, conventioneers, jurors, and heritage and cultural tourists. The Buffalo Convention Center is completing a $4 million upgrade and in 2003 has booked events projected to spin off $50 million into the Buffalo economy. Along with different types of visitors, Downtown offers several different entertainment districts. These districts include the Theatre District, Chippewa Street, the sports district, and the waterfront. There are also Downtown-wide attractions including public art, cultural and architectural destinations. Each district has different amenities and visitors.

Strategies

• Sustain an inclusive and diverse array of venues.
• Coordinate venues, events, and marketing to maximize impact.
• Enhance wayfinding.
• Make the case for cultural tourism as an economic engine and enhance its potential.

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Visiting Downtown: Action Items

Short Term Analysis (6 months to 1 year)

• Conduct a multi-venue attitudinal survey. The purpose of this survey will be to develop a baseline understanding of visitor attitudes about Downtown and their experiences there. Survey questions should include general demographic information, reasons for coming Downtown, cross-use of venues, impressions of the area and frequency of visits. The survey should also determine how a visitor’s use of Downtown affects their opinion.

Short Term Implementation (6 months to 1 year)

• Develop visotor-specific information packets targeted to groups including jurors, business travelers, conventioneers, and heritage tourists. Each of these groups uses Downtown in a different way and needs different types of information.

Medium Term Policy (1 to 3 years)

• Encourage outdoor performance art to increase street vitality. Performance art and art displays can bring life to the street. While there are organized musical performances such as the M&T Plaza series, more effort should be given to encouraging other types of performances and exhibits throughout Downtown.

Medium Term Implementation (1 to 3 years)

• Create pedestrian-level "You Are Here" maps. Many of the buildings in Downtown are known more by their names than their addresses. This makes it difficult for visitors to find their destination. Pedestrian maps will assist with wayfinding and highlight places of interest.
• Begin programming for events at the waterfront. Public access to water is a theme that has been repeatedly called for by the public. The Erie Canal Harbor is several years from completion. However, there are already several events in the area that have become popular. These events should be expanded to increase public enjoyment and access to the waterfront.
• Facilitate cross and joint maketing of the entertainment districts. The primary entertainment districts (Waterfront/Sports and Theatre/Chippewa) that make up Downtown are physically separated. To create stronger connections and strengthen cross-use by visitors, joint marketing of attractions should be increased.
• Create additional attractions. There are several types of venues or attractions that could be added to the Downtown portfolio and would attract additional visitors. Three of the suggested attractions are an outdoor performance space in the Theatre District, a carousel, and public art installations.

Long Term Analysis (3 to 5 years)

• Conduct another multi-venue attitudinal survey to measure progress. Several years after the first survey is completed a follow up should be done to see if and how attitudes have changed about visiting Downtown.

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Visiting Downtown: Snapshot

Downtown Attractions

Attendance at Downtown Attractions (Buffalo Place, 1999/2000

Sporting Events	2,020,260
Special Events	2,172,557
Theatre District	895,905
Waterfront	606,264
Buffalo and Erie County Library	482,104
Churches	378,599
Other Events	79,913
Total	7,110,871

Number and Type of Downtown Venues

Sporting	3
Live Theatres	7
Art Galleries	1
Movie Theaters	1
Churches	7
Ice Skating Rinks	1
Public Libraries	1

Work to Date

Planning/Organizational Completed

Convention Center Feasibility Study

DK Shiffrin Study

Convention Center Site Selection Study

Canal Conversation Report

Working for Downtown Forum on the Convention Center Report

Re-Thinking the Niagara Frontier

Economic Impact Analysis of Events (Thursday at the Square, Taste of Buffalo)

Planning/Organizational Under Development

Buffalo Niagara Cultural Tourism Initiative

Capital Projects Completed

Shea’s Performing Arts Center Expansion

Andrews Theatre

Pfeiffer Theatre Renovation – Sphere Nightclub

Capital Projects Under Development

Convention Center Renovations

Erie Canal Harbor

Visiting In Brief

Measures of Success

• Increased Attendance at Attractions
• Increase in Hotel Nights
• Increase in Occupancy Rates
• Increase in Number of Convention Attendees
• Increase in Number of Venues
• Improved Visitor Experience as Indicated by Survey
• Increase in Number of Theater Performances
• Increase in Visitor Cross-Use of Establishments

Top Rules for Visiting Downtown Action Plan

• Act fast on low cost and high visibility projects.
• Make ease of circulation and a pedestrian-friendly environment top priorities.
• Create wayfinding signage.
• Cross-market and coordinate venues twelve months a year.
• Place parking where and when it is needed.
• Create gateways to celebrate entry to Downtown.
• Focus on diversity of product.

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