Academy Schedule
Pre-Summit e-Learning Seminars
Friday, April 21, 2023
- 8:15 am Check-in at etc.venue at 360 Madison (entrance on 45th Street)
- 9:00 am Welcome and Introductions
- 9:30 am Building a Sociable City Plan | Group Exercises
- 12:00 pm Networking Luncheon | Study of Four Cities
- 1:00 pm Guest Faculty Presentations
- 2:30 pm Presenting your Plan
- 3:00 pm Conclusion | Travel to Opening Reception
Welcome and Introductions
Allison Harnden
Allison Harnden is the Nighttime Economy Manager for the City of Pittsburgh. She serves as the co-chair of the Responsible Hospitality Institute board of directors, and secretary of the NITECAP Alliance.
Prior to her current position, she worked with RHI for 25 years, beginning as the San Diego Hospitality Resource Panel Coordinator and then as RHI vice president coordinating events and city assessments.
Building a Sociable City Plan
RHI faculty will guide discussion in small groups with your team or a team with others.
- What is a sociable city? What cities have you visited that you would identify as the best?
- Market Forces: What are the market forces in your city driving change and opportunity? What are the risks and challenges? What are the opportunities?
- Governance Systems: Governance can take on many forms, from formal government at the city, county and state levels, as well as organized business associations, and community advocacy organizations. What systems of governance exist in your city? How well to they interact? What are the greatest strengths of your current system? What improvements are needed?
- Stakeholders: Transformation requires all perspectives have a seat at the table. Using RHI's Stakeholder framework, who would be your "transformation team" to lead change.
- Building Blocks of a Sociable City Plan: Using information gathered from these exercises, you will work with your team in identifying next steps to "Enhance Vibrancy, Assure Safety and Plan for People" when you return.
Luncheon and Study of Four Cities
RHI conducted a four city (Pittsburgh, New York, San Francisco and DC.) analysis of nighttime governance as part of a contract with Milwaukee.
Jocelyn Kane, RHI's Senior Policy Advisor conducted the study and will present the findings on legislation, job description, budget, advisory panels and other structures discovered in the study.
Guest Faculty
Ariel Palitz is the Senior Executive Director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Nightlife and an international champion in innovation and advocacy. As the first formally legislated Office of Nightlife in the US, she took on her role by combining her experience as a hospitality business owner and a volunteer on community boards to bridge the gap among groups not traditionally working together.
She championed updates on sound management, facilitated policy changes during COVID, and brought mental health services to hospitality workers, among other initiatives..
Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a premier example of a local hospitality alliance.
He was an instrumental force in mobilizing local and national advocates and city state and congressional leadership to provide emergency support to the hospitality industry.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance serves as a central resource on policy changes, access to resources, and recognition of leadership in all sectors of NYC hospitality and nightlife.
Rob Bookman is partner of Pesetsky & Bookman, PC and serves as general counsel to the NYC Hospitality Alliance and many hospitality businesses in New York.
He brings decades of experience in negotiating changes in rules and regulations as the economy and nightlife evolved, especially with growth in mixed use areas will residential development in areas with an active nightlife.
During COVID he championed policy changes at the state and city level to facilitate emergency measures for outdoor seating, alcohol take-out and expedited licensing.
Presenting your Sociable City Plan
The concluding session will be a report from each team on their "action plan" with recommendations on priorities, stakeholders, and measurable outcomes.
