January 2026 DEM Meeting Minutes

Wins!

• New events calendar on DowntownEugene.com
  • Visit https://www.downtowneugene.com/add-an-event/ to add missing events
  • Business event specific calendar found here: 
  • Monthly event poster & better publicized calendar link to add events coming soon 

Save These Dates

• Holiday Night Out 2025 Recap / 2026 Kickoff To Be Scheduled
  • The hope is that by May-June we’ve established what worked well for 2025, coordinated those efforts for 2026, and then start to explore what could be added for Holiday Night Out 2026 
• The Shedd Ribbon Cutting This Weekend! – Jan 17th, 11am
  • Open to tour the space and staff will be available for discussion throughout; very family friendly environment – All are welcome! 
  • Learn about their music school and available programs, and other efforts by The Shedd. 
  • Jacqua Concert Hall Pro-Tip: The middle seat in the back row of the balcony is one of the best seats in the house for concerts!

2026 DEM Efforts

• More advocacy for DEM — What’s the mission of Downtown Eugene Merchants, and why should business owners want to join the coalition. 
• Marketing collateral – Revitalize social media, develop new collateral, more robust marketing overall.
  • Consistent newsletters 
  • Better communications around monthly DEM meetings as an open invite
    • Polling for best meeting time and week day 
• Welcome Wagon – Connect with all new downtown Eugene business owners within 1-2 months of opening.
  • Welcome Wagon is a group of representatives, to include a mix of DEM board members, city reps, EPD, and anyone else from DEM that would like to welcome a new business owner to our community.
  • An opportunity to share about available city resources to business owners – Improved pamphlet in the works. 
• Downtown Collaboration Meetings 
  • What do business owners want to see? 

• More events that bring collaboration with other owners across downtown 
• More “hallmark” holiday programming and collab opportunities 
• Casual yet structured events – A little more casual than a week day morning meeting with an agenda, but one that offers conversation and opportunities to hear from other businesses, discuss what’s working well for them, how they can support each other, etc. (Mother’s Day promo idea) 

Before Next Month’s Meeting: Monday, February 2nd at People’s Bank

• Bring a win for your business or organization to share at next month’s meeting; what’s working well for your business location, or what are your goals for your business in 2026?

Always Good to Know:

• DEM Welcome Wagon efforts
  • Welcoming new Downtown Eugene business owners into this community 
  • Opportunity to contribute something to a gift basket as a sort of housewarming
    • Email merchants@downtowneugene.com to get involved! 

• You’re encouraged to utilize and share online resource for clean-up requests around Downtown – Bottom of DEM Website: https://www.downtowneugene.com/ with options to upload photos, describe the problem and drop a pin on a map to the exact location of graffiti, bio hazards or general debris.  

If an incident does not constitute an emergency, you should call the non-emergency police line at (541) 682-5111. You can also leverage the Downtown Guides, or “red caps”. Dial (541) 501-9286 to connect with the Downtown Guides and have someone sent to your location for assistance. 

Also encouraged to utilize the Downtown Guides / “Red Caps” – Non-emergency line

Pretty quick response time and the more folks submit requests and notifications, the more awareness is brought to that resource