New Year, New Vision for the MPLS Downtown Council

Article by Becky Fillinger, photo provided

Adam DuininckA discussion with Adam Duininck, President and CEO of the MPLS Downtown Council

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What plan does Adam Duininck have for heading up the MPLS Downtown Council? Plenty, and with enthusiasm to match his goals! We talked to Adam about immediate goals, fostering community in downtown and how to stay up to date with events. 

Q:  Congratulations! You’ve been on the job for about two months. What inspired you to take on the role of President and CEO for the MPLS Downtown Council?

A:  Thank you! I am motivated by a challenge and I am passionate about our downtown, our city, and our region. We have faced significant challenges in the last few years but our challenges are also our opportunities as we consider the revitalization of our downtown. 

Downtown Minneapolis is a special place. We have tremendous assets from Fortune 500 companies and their incredible workforce, first-class theater, cultural, arts district, award-winning chefs and restaurant scene, amazing hotels and hospitality, community focused and highly competitive sports teams, as well as a growing downtown residential population. When you look at our strengths and opportunities, it motivates me to work toward leveraging them into the best downtown we can be.

Q:  Do you have a list of immediate goals to tackle for 2024? 

A:  Build relationships with our members and partners. This is always an ongoing goal for me as it is how we collaborate and build meaningful connections to our downtown community.

Reimagine Holidazzle from a planning and fundraising perspective. Holidazzle is such an integral part to downtown and to our brand that I want to make sure 2024 is a successful return.

Lastly, work diligently on the 2035 Plan which charts our organization’s vision for the next 10 years. If planning is done right, the relationship building will happen here too and we’ll begin to put forward a vision that balances life, work, and play in a way that both reflects the changes we’re seeing in downtown today with a plan for how we grow and thrive tomorrow.

Q:  How do you plan to support small and independently owned businesses in the downtown area, in addition to larger corporations? 

A:  That’s an important balance of any membership organization and it’s an area where we can grow. I think the MPLS Downtown Council does this well now, but there is always room for improvement. The best way to engage newer constituencies is to allow them a seat at the table - and I plan to do that myself and I want efforts like the 2035 Plan (coming soon!) to allow for input from all kinds of companies and businesses. 

Q:  Do you have any specific plans for fostering a sense of community and pride in the downtown district among its residents and visitors? 

A:  I think that goal must be top of mind in everything we do. When we are planning events like our annual meeting, Holidazzle, Aquatennial, as well as more regular activations, how are we building community? To me, community begins with safety and being together and the two go hand-in-hand. That’s my expectation for the MPLS Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District (DID). We are very mission-driven and I want to double down on that.

Q:  In what ways do you envision leveraging technology and digital platforms to benefit downtown businesses? 

A:  We have a plan to roll out some kiosks to improve wayfinding downtown that I am excited about. The event calendar that we have built so successfully can also be linked to other platforms in a way to help with distribution and the kiosks will be one way to get the word out, along with social media and other channels. 

Q:  Count Mill City Times in as a way to spread the word about your events. How may we stay up to date with the news from the MPLS Downtown Council?   

A:  Please follow along at www.mplsdowntown.com for upcoming events and happenings downtown as well as @mplsdowntown on social media, particularly Instagram.