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US Conference of Mayors

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Goal

Provide 300 mayors from large US cities, their families and entourages, with an authentic, cultural experience of Baltimore.

Strategy

Feats set out with a team of fundraisers, corporate leaders and strategists to design a four-night series of events that would be unexpected, enlightening and engaging. The instinct of many was to show off Baltimore’s traditional ‘jewels’ such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards, The National Aquarium in Baltimore and our Inner Harbor. The plan for this group needed to be a bit different. Feats began selecting sites worth exploring: the Frederick Douglass – Isaac Myers Maritime Park, Fort McHenry, Clipper Mill and the American Visionary Art Museum. Together, they painted a picture of a constantly changing city, and its place in the American psyche.

On the first night of the series, guests were welcomed with a celebration of Baltimore’s famed music and cultural history at the Frederick Douglas – Isaac Meyers Maritime Park, a national heritage site that highlights African American maritime history. By rare and special arrangement, the next night took the form of a traditional Maryland crab feast – on the grounds of the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, the birthplace of our national anthem. Their guests celebrated with classic Maryland fare accompanied by special guest performers and a “bursting in air” fireworks display. The 3rd night was a bustling farmer’s market-style street fair on the Clipper Mill campus, a reclaimed industrial mill, where the mayors, their families and guests enjoyed strolling through the shops and museum with street performers, music and dining pool-side. The final night of the conference presented a light-hearted look at the city celebrating the freedom, spirit and creativity of Baltimore. Held in an architecturally-significant museum, guests enjoyed an evening of fabulous food, music and entertainment not to mention performances by filmmaker John Waters and Ace of Cakes’ Duff Goldman.

Impact

This important group of attendees was exposed to a series of engaging, illuminating experiences that showcased the best of Baltimore, and sent folks away, commenting repeatedly, “we’ll be back!”