Do you have new ideas percolating for helping our region’s downtowns to not only survive — but thrive?

The Hannah Grimes Center invites the public to attend an “Idea Jam,” a lively discussion and idea-generating session at its new co-working space called “The HIVE” at 25 Roxbury Street in Keene on May 19 from 5-7 p.m.

“The Idea Jam is meant to be a fun, casual and rapid-fire venue to generate great ideas,” says Mary Ann Kristiansen, executive director at Hannah Grimes. “In this case, the May 19 Idea Jam is focused on generating ideas that will keep the downtown hubs in our rural region vibrant places for people and commerce.”

Kristiansen noted that the collection of ideas for our downtowns that are generated during the May 19 session will come to life during CONNECT, an annual event hosted by The Keene Sentinel and Hannah Grimes Center; the theme for CONNECT 2017 is “Main Street 2.0.” This year’s CONNECT event will take place on November 8, 2017; last year’s event attracted more than 400 attendees.

“We are excited to learn what people believe our Main Streets can offer our communities in the face of great change in consumer, personal and community behavior as it relates to downtown,” says Kristiansen.

The Idea Jam will be led by R.T. Brown, “head instigator” at Brattleboro Economic Development Corporation (BDCC).  “Be prepared to share your idea in 60 seconds or less,” said Brown who added that the event is not a competition. “The purpose is to start conversations, look for collaborators and contribute to a growing creative and entrepreneurial culture in area.”

After the Idea Jam, attendees are welcome to stay at The HIVE to network and start to collaborate with people who share interest in an idea. Ideas can also be shared with the CONNECT2017 team online. Regional partners in the Idea Jam include the Hannah Grimes Center, The Keene Sentinel, Machina Arts, BDCC, Live Free & Start, MAxT Makerspace, Hannah Grimes Marketplace, Monadnock Food Co-op, Arts Alive, Keene Downtown Group, Monadnock Buy Local and The Heart of New England.com.

We are hoping that some of the ideas generated during the May 19 session will come to life as installations at CONNECT, an annual event focused on innovation and hosted by The Keene Sentinel and Hannah Grimes Center.  The theme for CONNECT 2017 is “Main Street 2.0.” This year’s CONNECT event will take place on November 8, 2017; last year’s event attracted more than 400 attendees.

The Idea Jam event is free but registration is required.