Webinar: GET HYPED! Turn District Cheerleaders into Social Influencers!

Register now to learn how local ambassadors can strengthen your revitalization efforts!

Every Main Street district has its own set of community advocates who are ready and willing to promote the district’s offerings and amenities -they just need an opportunity and some direction. This webinar explores how NewTown Macon capitalized on citizens’ enthusiasm around downtown Macon, GA and created an ambassador and social influencer program to hype up downtown, known as the Downtown Macon Hype Team. Webinar attendees will learn how to recruit and mobilize a diverse team of community cheerleaders and leave with a scalable toolkit of resources to start their own Hype Team. Get hyped!

Presenter: 

Emily Hopkins, Vice President of External Affairs + Main Street Manager

Emily Hopkins is a community builder, driven by a deep belief in the power of place. From growing up in a small South Carolina town to attending grad school in Upstate New York, and every town and city in between, she has been fascinated with what attracts us to the places we choose to call home. Throughout her career, she has applied that idea by envisioning and planning signature events that highlight Macon’s special and singular assets and building communication strategies that tell the stories of organizations and people who are improving the quality of life in Macon-Bibb County. 

After serving as Historic Macon Foundation’s Special Events and Marketing Coordinator, she assumed the role of Macon’s Main Street Manager. Since 2017, Emily has led Macon’s Main Street program, including its transition from Macon-Bibb County to NewTown Macon. Under Emily’s direction, Georgia Main Street named Macon a Georgia Exceptional Main Street (GEMS) in 2023 and Main Street America recognized NewTown as a 2024 Recipient of the Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). Annually, Emily spearheads 25 events that collectively attract 1 million visitors downtown to experience Macon’s magic firsthand and mobilizes Maconites to promote their chosen home through the Downtown Macon Hype Team. 

?Emily is a fierce advocate for Macon, representing her beloved city as a board member of the Georgia Downtown Association and Visit Macon. When not visiting and supporting downtown’s 400+ locally owned and operated businesses, she enjoys sitting in her backyard in the historic North Highlands neighborhood with her fiancé Michael, and their adopted alley cat, Slink.

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