DPI Membership Gathering: Downtown Pittsfield Idea Jam!

Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. members and friends, you are invited to the next DPI Membership Gathering!

DPI and R3SET Enterprises will present a Downtown Pittsfield Idea Jam on Wednesday, October 10th at Framework, 437 North Street, from 8:30 to 10:30 am.

This will be an organized brainstorming session about Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. membership. We want to know what works, what doesn’t, and if you are utilizing your membership benefits to capacity.

This event is open to everyone.

The Babbling Brooke’s Bagels will be providing fresh, homemade bagels, lox, and cream cheese!

Please share this invitation with your colleagues and click here to RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you!

 

 

Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. Idea Jam

Theme: Membership Development

Facilitated by R3SET Enterprises

 

The Idea Jam will closely examine the benefits and features of the Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) membership experience and how DPI can further support and serve the success of downtown and downtown business.

 

The Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. Idea Jam is a gathering and opportunity for downtown business owners and DPI members to engage with Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. staff and board members as well as other downtown business owners and DPI members. We will look for deeper insights into what DPI benefits current members find useful and how we can amplify their effects. We will also explore current barriers to entry for DPI membership and what additional benefits would be most impactful for current and future members.

 

Why Attend?

Learn how DPI can help your business

• Learn more about Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and how becoming a member can support your business

Contribute membership ideas to DPI

• Share your experiences and contribute your ideas for improving downtown business to DPI’s staff and board

Meet other downtown business owners

• Connect with other community-oriented business owners and community members passionate about growing Pittsfield’s downtown

Get involved

• Take part in the Idea Jam and discover additional community opportunities, downtown initiatives, and projects to get involved with

 

The Idea Jam Experience:

We are using a method based on design thinking to keep discussion and narratives positive and focused on creativity and innovation.

 

“Design is a form of solution-focused thinking with the intent of producing a constructive future result.

Design thinking identifies and investigates both known and ambiguous aspects of the current situation in an effort to discover parameters and alternative solution sets which may lead to one or more satisfactory goals. Because design-thinking is iterative, intermediate “solutions” are potential starting points of alternative paths, allowing for a redefinition of the initial problem, in a process of co-evolution of problem and solution”^[1] 

 

The Idea Jam is a fast-paced brainstorm session. We will break event attendees into three work groups that will brainstorm on three main topics. Each group will have a facilitator to ensure that the group stays on topic and maintains a positive group flow and tone. We then switch stations to allow each group the opportunity to “Jam” on each of the three topics.

 

Afterward, the three groups return to their original topic and vote on the top ideas that will move forward to the main Idea Jam board. Then each facilitator will present the top ideas from each group.

 

Lastly, everyone will vote with colored stickers on the top ideas. Each sticker will hold a different value to give the participant a way to weight their choice.

 

Who is R3SET Enterprises?

R3set Enterprises is a local Benefit Corporation working with Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. to apply strategies and tactics utilized by Silicon Valley start-ups for community and economic development.

 

Why is R3SET sponsoring the DPI Idea Jam?

“Frankly, we want Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. to achieve its goals.

We live, work, and play in Pittsfield and want to see the city flourish.

 

Getting to know some of the people working to bring back downtown has only strengthened our belief in Pittsfield and the Berkshires. We’ve become excited to share some of the tools we’ve incorporated into our organization with DPI and its community.

 

To build the types of organizations that we’re passionate about, we’ve incorporated many tools and strategies used by Silicon Valley. One of the most impactful has been to incorporate collaborative design thinking with community stakeholders.

 

That’s why we’re starting our collaboration with DPI with an Idea Jam.”

 

 

 

^[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking#cite_note-Dorst&Cross_Coevolution-10

Downtown Pittsfield photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware.