- The BID is already good at some things — capital improvements are clear and effective, and the F&B-focused marketing has real traction
- The challenge isn't that we're failing — it's that marketing, events, and resource conversations outside of those strengths have gone in circles for 2+ years
- Sydney identified three pain points: restaurant-heavy events, no marketing committee, general dissatisfaction with marketing/PR
- Root cause: the BID has a broad mission but no concrete, shared vision of what success looks like beyond what's already working
- Without that, every discussion becomes a tug-of-war between individual perspectives
- Tonight is about collecting raw material to build a decision-making framework — not making decisions
- This exercise is the first step toward a shared decision-making framework
- Goal: align our efforts, activities, and resources with the mission of the BID
- Acknowledge what's working: capital improvements are solid, F&B marketing has momentum — this isn't about fixing what's broken, it's about building on what's strong
- We're collecting, not deciding — lower stakes, practice for a different way of working
- Ground rules:
- One topic at a time
- No conversation hijacking
- Frame things as a question or from your own point of view
- Writing only during the exercise — discussion comes after
- Three questions, two minutes each, silent writing
- Everyone grabs a pen — aim for 2-3 answers per question
- No wrong answers — get your thinking on paper
"What are the BID's greatest assets?"
- What's working? Resources, relationships, programs, reputation — anything
⏱ 2 minutes — silent writing
"Who are the BID's customers, and what do they actually need from us?"
- Think beyond your own business — who depends on the BID, and for what?
⏱ 2 minutes — silent writing
"What does Northern Liberties look like in 3 years if the BID is doing its job well?"
- Be concrete and specific — what do you see, hear, experience?
⏱ 2 minutes — silent writing
- Go question by question
- Quick round-robin — each person shares one answer at a time
- Write answers on a whiteboard or shared doc as they come in
- No debate or defense — just collecting
- Group similar answers as you go
- If someone's answer sparks a new thought, they can add it
- Thank everyone for doing something different
- Writing first, talking second — that's the change
- Next step: organize what we collected, look for patterns, bring it back
- Goal is a framework the board can use for all decisions, not just marketing
- Timer: Use your phone — be strict on 2 minutes, productive pressure is the point
- Someone talks during writing: "Hold that thought — get it on paper first"
- Discussion gets heated in share-out: "We're collecting right now, not deciding. Write that concern down."
- Collect the papers at the end, or ask people to snap photos and send to you/Sydney
Total time: ~20-25 minutes