Join the LA Fashion District, California Downtown Association and IDA for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum March 19-21, 2019. Master talks and breakout sessions will explore how downtowns serve as economic development resources beyond city boundaries, and how social equity plays an important role in the work that we do. Experts will share best practices on enhancing downtown quality of life and cultivating the next generation of leaders.

The LA Fashion District in downtown Los Angeles covers 100 blocks and is a culturally, socially and economically diverse community with a rich heritage in the fashion industry – a district that is evolving its future to include residential and creative opportunities while maintaining its roots in fashion. See you in Los Angeles!

Attend the Event

The WCUDF19 will be held at the California Market Center (CMC) at 110 East 9th Street in Los Angeles and at various locations throughout downtown Los Angeles. Online registration is now closed for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum. You may register onsite at the California Market Center (CMC) at 110 East 9th Street in Los Angeles on May 19-21, 2019.

• Onsite Registration Rate: $445 available onsite March 19-21, 2019
•  Daily rates are also available.
  • Onsite Registration Rate for Wednesday, March 20 only: $275
  • Onsite Registration Rate for Thursday, March 21 only: $225

For further information or assistance, please email the IDA registration team at registration@downtown.org.

The Program

View the final program (the program is subject to change). Get social! What questions will you come ready to ask? Share them on Twitter using #WCUDF19.

2019 Master Talks

Michael Berne, Founder and President, MJB Consulting
Michael Berne is one of North America’s foremost experts in Downtown and Main Street retail. As Founder and President of MJB Consulting (MJB), an award-winning, Berkeley, CA and New York, NY-based retail planning and real estate consultancy, he is hired by a wide range of private, public and quasi-public/non-profit sector clients to undertake market analyses, devise tenanting strategies and spearhead implementation efforts. Berne has worked in cities and towns across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., including the Fashion District (LA).

Jamillah Jordan, Director of the Equity Studio, MIG, Inc
Jamillah Jordan works with a wide range of public and private sector partners to apply an equity lens to community development, public health and transportation projects and policies. She designs and facilitates civic engagement processes that build an inclusive vision of prosperity and translate into better outcomes for low-income communities.

Emilie Lewis, Events and Marketing Director, California Market Center
With fifteen years of successful experience in brand marketing, event/tradeshow management, wholesale sales and consumer engagement, Emilie Lewis currently serves as Events and Marketing Director at the California Market Center, which as of 2017 joined the Brookfield Properties portfolio. Commonly referred to as the “CMC”, this 1.8 M square foot property serves as the hub of the Los Angeles Fashion Intersection producing over sixty events a year, housing hundreds of wholesale showrooms and operates the second largest venue in the DTLA area. Emilie’s experience spans across both the B2B and consumer audiences and is inclusive of both wholesale and retail landscapes. She innately understands the business of fashion and how an experiential economy can both interest and bewilder the preconceived idea of historical “Main Street.”

Mark Loranger, CEO & President, Chrysalis
Mark leads Chrysalis, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works with the homeless and those disconnected from the workforce to help them find and retain employment. During his eleven years at the agency, Mark has led a significant expansion of Chrysalis, including doubling programmatic outcomes, the redevelopment or renovation of three of its centers, and, the opening of Chrysalis’ fourth center in Orange County last tear. In 2018, Chrysalis helped over 2200 of its clients find employment, while also employing over 1300 clients in one of its three social enterprises.

Donald Shoup, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
Donald Shoup’s research focuses on how parking policies affect cities, the economy, and the environment. Shoup has received the American Planning Association’s National Excellence Award for a Planning Pioneer and the American Collegiate Schools of Planning’s Distinguished Educator Award.

2019 Keynote Speaker

Jonathan E. Sherin, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
Dr. Sherin, a psychiatrist and neurobiologist by trade, was appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as the County’s Director of Mental Health in 2016. In this role, he leads the largest public mental health system in the country, serving over 250,000 clients annually in the most populous and one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation. Most recently he served as both the chief medical officer and executive vice president of military communities for Volunteers of America, an organization with a vast national network that serves a full spectrum of vulnerable clients including at risk youth and family, intellectually disabled, veteran, frail elderly and prison re-entry populations.

 

Pre-Conference Tours

Downtown Los Angeles Bus Tour ($50) Tuesday, March 19th | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. On this tour we will explore the dynamic transformation of LA’s urban center. This is your opportunity to get a crash course on DTLA, with a focus on the exciting developments in residential, office, retail, arts and culture, and hospitality, as well as the many civic and infrastructure projects in the pipeline. Along the way, we will discuss how downtown continues to evolve. From the mega-projects of South Park to the burgeoning creative industries in the Fashion District to the hipster cool of the Arts District, we will cover it all in under 3 hours. The

Fashion District: Building a Legacy & High End Design Walking Tour ($25) Tuesday, March 19th | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. This tour is a blend of the old and new. Learn about Florence Casler, the trailblazing female real estate developer who worked almost exclusively in the Fashion District in the early 20th century. Explore the struggles, defeats, and triumphs of garment worker unions in the Fashion District in the early 20th century, and see how the LA Fashion District has transformed over the years. In the span of a few blocks and buildings, the creative energies of fashion designers, marketers, wholesalers, and buyers converge to compare and compete—and strut—their talents. In re-purposed buildings, some architectural icons over a century old, you’ll see where hundreds of tenants cultivate fresh ideas in fashion design, media arts, sales and publishing, and offering unique venues for trade shows, special events, and receptions.

Hotels

The deadline has passed for the WCUDF attendee rate at the ACE Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, located at 929 S. Broadway. To inquire about available rooms, call the reservations team at (213) 623-3233. Valet parking is available for $40 + tax for hotel guests. The Hotel Figueroa (939 Figueroa Street) deadline has also already passed. To inquire about available rooms, call the reservations team at (888) 801-1361.

District Advocates

                            

 

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations received or postmarked by March 1, 2019 will receive a refund less a $100 processing fee. Refunds will be processed approximately 30 days after the event. Cancellations received after March 1, 2019 will not be refunded.

Sponsorship

Sponsoring the West Coast Urban District Forum allows you access to an audience of urban leaders from around the country who want to learn how your product or service can work for them. Download the 2019 Regional Marketing Opportunities PDF to review sponsorship packages for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum in Walnut Creek, CA. Contact Tracie Clemmer, IDA Director of Corporate Relations at tracie@downtown.org for more information.

Join the California Downtown Association

Read more about CDA membership benefits here. Already registered for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum? Pay only $50 in dues for the remainder of 2019 for your CDA membership (new members only). Download the application form and read all the details by clicking here.

Questions?

Interested in hosting a future event? Contact Carolyn Dellutri, IDA Director of Professional Development at carolyn@downtown.org.