Wayland's downtown area was chosen, along with five other Michigan communities, to receive a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Center (MEDC) to enhance tourism and storytelling. The grant, which is managed by Pure Michigan, will be utilized in collaboration with Wayland's government officials to establish a strong online presence and effective marketing strategies. The program aims to provide direct marketing and promotional technical assistance to downtown Wayland, with the objective of increasing local tourism-focused collaboration and growing promotional efforts. The benefits and deliverables of community participation in the Community Storytelling program include: ● Conducting a comprehensive digital audit of the community's current presence, including community websites, Pure Michigan website, and social media channels. ● Assessing the community from a visitor's perspective. ● Gathering data on visitors, including their origin, frequently visited destinations, and preferred days/times of visitation. ● Developing two community-identified deliverables, one of which to be published on the Pure Michigan website. ● Providing 1:1 training on marketing and promotion best practices. ● Creating a locally tailored implementation plan for marketing and promoting the selected community. For more information contact, Holli McPherson, Executive Director, at 269-525-2323 or director@downtownwayland.com.