Downtown Winnipeg BIZ events seek input on how to go 'from good to great'

Winnipeg's downtown development agency will host pop-up parties and tweet-ups this summer as it seeks input on how to make the city core "go from good to great."

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is inviting people who live, work, play, learn and do business downtown to share their ideas for the area as it creates its strategic plan for 2017-19.

"As Winnipeg's oldest Business Improvement Zone (BIZ), the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ has helped make significant strides downtown over the last 27 years. But in this next strategic plan, we'll ask ourselves: how can the BIZ help downtown go from good to great? Does the role of the BIZ need to evolve and change to meet the needs of the larger community?" the agency said in a news release.

Members of the BIZ are collecting input from April through September using social media, surveys and engagement sessions in a number of downtown areas, including Portage and Main, Broadway, Graham Avenue, Chinatown and the University of Winnipeg area.

As well, some parties and other "pop-up" events are happening this summer in a new space called the Downtown Urban Lab, located at the former Warehouse One store on Portage Avenue at Carlton Street.

For example, local artist Kal Barteski will be at the Downtown Urban Lab July 12-14, taking ideas submitted on social media — using the hashtag #DTG2G or by tweeting @downtownwpgbiz — and painting them on the floor. People can check out her final product at a party on the 14th.

Other events at the lab include a "tweet-up" on July 20, a "botany and beer" session on designing your own terrariums on July 28, and Side-Project Saturdays, which bring together entrepreneurs, hobbyists and creative people to network and find out what other Winnipeggers are working on.

The lab includes displays where members of the public can share their thoughts on the downtown area and how it can be improved.

The strategic planning process will continue until the end of November, when the 2017-19 plan will be released at a launch party at the urban lab.