The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=88647

DowntownLIVE! goes interactive
May 7, 2008
TULSA – A group of downtown lovers is ready to fold up the existing maps of downtown Tulsa.
TulsaNow is creating DowntownLIVE!, a comprehensive guide to downtown Tulsa. The guide features two components – a printed map and a Web site dedicated to showing all aspects of retail, dining and nightlife.
Sarah Kobos, president of TulsaNow, said the committee producing the map and Web site are people who know and love downtown.
“We want to help with downtown revitalization, and we kept saying we support it and how can we make a tangible impact – this idea kept coming up,” she said. “We are getting a major show of support for this.”
Downtown only gets two square inches on existing citywide maps, but DowntownLIVE’s printed version will be dedicated to all things downtown. Kobos said it will help visitors navigate the streets while showing all the restaurants and hot spots.
Because TulsaNow is a nonprofit organization, it relies on sponsorships to provide funding for DowntownLIVE!
Members of TulsaNow have been going door-to-door downtown to acquire sponsorships and Kobos said the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We already had a couple sponsorships step forward and help us with printing,” she said. “We are getting major support from downtown business owners who can’t believe no one has done this before.”
Kobos said they have different levels of sponsorship, varying from $30 for individuals to $3,000 for businesses. Once someone is a sponsor, they have the option of having their logo printed on the map. She said they have their first 20,000 maps already printed and anticipate they will distribute them quickly.
The Web site is still in development and Kobos said it is going to provide a tool to demystify downtown.
Once the site is completed, patrons will be able to view the map and directions and do a search based on specific criteria from their computer or handheld devices. In addition to what the map offers, the Web site will provide options such as restaurant reviews and detailed architecture information.
“Tulsans take for granted that not everyone knows how much significant architecture we have downtown,” she said. “We really want to highlight that and we want people to know what is special, unique, and only found in Tulsa.”
While the price for online advertising has not been set, Kobos is confident the Web site will receive plenty of sponsorships due to the high daily traffic the TulsaNow Web site receives. For the month of March, the site saw 9,840 visits per day.
Both the map and the Web site are expected to launch when the BOK Center opens in September. Kobos said until then the committee will be out on the streets gaining more sponsorship and enthusiasm for the future of downtown.
“There is this pent-up energy and willingness to help out,” she said. “We have kind of provided a way for people to help downtown, get excited to start on board and it’s all been through word of mouth.”

Accuracy gauge reads about 90%... not bad.

Thanks so much to the Journal Record for covering this story!  We appreciate their interest in downtown Tulsa, and our project!

Minor correction: TulsaNow is currently heavy into the INFORMATION-gathering phase of the DowntownLive project, not sponsor-gathering as depicted above.  (Although we do have some sponsors who have already jumped on board!)

There is one mis-quote. (It's either a mis-quote, or I must have been drinking something other than tea before the interview...) Oh well. I guess I need to learn to speak in really short sentences so it's easier for people taking notes (I don't typically sound like George W when I speak...)

By the way, we will be having a casual "fly-by" meeting for volunteers tomorrow (May 8).  Drop by Topeca Coffee any time between 4:30 and 6:00 PM.  DowntownLIVE project leaders will be "standing by."  If you want to help out, or you just need to drop off surveys or get more assignments...or you just want to learn more about the project, this is a quick and convenient way to do it. (No lengthy meeting, just pop in, enjoy a coffee, learn more about DowntownLIVE, and take off.)