Ever wonder what impressions a first-time visitor to your community walks away with? We know what is special about where we live, but do tourists or business travelers find this a place that they would choose to return? Even though the answers to these questions could be so helpful in targeting our community and economic development efforts, we are unlikely to ever gain this knowledge. First Impressions: A Program for Community Improvement provides communities with information concerning how they look and feel to first-time visitors. Data gained through this process can be used to identify what could be improved in your community, enhancing your image to the outside world.
There are three program offerings through First Impressions:
Community Program
Corridor/Byway Program
Downtown/Main Street Program
| Program | Application | $ Guidelines | Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
Community |
Preliminary Application | Financial Guidelines | Overview & Process |
Corridor |
Preliminary Application | Financial Guidelines | Overview & Process |
Downtown/Main Street |
Preliminary Application | Financial Guidelines | Overview & Process |
First Impressions Program Brochure - Updated February 2020
The First Impressions Program provides an opportunity for you to discover a first time visitor’s image of your community. A visitation team from another community tours your community and reports their impression based on a number of criteria. Included is cleanliness, access to and availability of services, friendliness and physical appearance.
The purpose of the program is to help community leaders assess the impact of their efforts to be an attractive community to shoppers, tourists, business travelers and potential employers.
Contacts: Myra Moss / Cindy Bond / Gwynn Stewart
The model for this program was developed by: Andy Lewis, University of Wisconsin Extension Services, and James Schneider, Grant County (Wisconsin) Economic Development Director.