North Adams Welcomes New Event Coordinator By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
01:22AM / Friday, April 03, 2015 | |
 Suzy Helme is the new events coordinator for the city and will focus more on event development. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is switching up the tourism director post to focus on cultural development.
The revamped job is being filled part time by Suzy Helme, who operated the Shima baby goods store on Main and Eagle streets.
Helme and a co-owner ran the downtown storefront for nearly seven years before recently closing; the company is still online. She has been highly involved in the community through the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and organizing the Main Street merchants during past Solid Sound Festivals.
Mayor Richard Alcombright said Helme is familiar with the city and its marketing needs.
"She certainly knows the downtown. She has been a retailer, and I think she has a really keen eye in respect to marketing," Alcombright said. "I know she is extremely … familiar with social media and all the things that will help engage in this process."
Alcombright said the position has been filled temporarily throughout the past year and Helme will be a more permanent fixture in the community. Wendy DeSanty, now sales manager at the Holiday Inn, had stepped in after the departure of Veronica Bosley last September after four years.
The mayor said the position will change and focus less on tourism and more on event planning. In the future, he would like to see more on economic development.
"It almost sounds like we are giving up on that position, but we are not," Alcombright said. "We are trying just to rethink what that looks like from an economic development perspective."
He said this has been the plan since the institution of the rooms and meal taxes created a consistent stream of revenue to partially fund events and the position, but tough budget situations have made this increasingly difficult. Although the position has received criticism over the years, Alcombright hopes this revenue stream can remain designated for these purposes.
"I will fight for this just like I fought for the others, and it's a very small amount of money to provide a lot of happy for the community," he said.
"This position … is really the only happy in our budget. This is money spent to bring happy, good, and fun things to the community," he said. "So for now, until we can figure out a larger picture, I'm just really extremely pleased to have Suzy."
The mayor said the position is still written into the tourism line item in the budget, but has been knocked down to part time.
Helme said she felt her involvement in the community puts her in an optimal position to promote the city.
"I think it's just a general ability to balance and organize multiple tasks at the same time, and the connection that I have from just being a local business owner I am very active and I know a lot of the people I will have to work with."
Helme said currently she is preparing the Farmers Market and meeting with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts to discuss how to better connect the downtown to the event.
"It's a lot of balls in the air at the same time, but I love the downtown events as someone who worked and lived here for almost a decade now," she said. "They are what make this community such a great place to live."
Helme said she had no big changes she would like to implement at the moment and that for the first six months she just wants to get comfortable with the position and find different ways to raise funds.
Helme and Alcombright agreed that one of the challenges they designated is the Northern Berkshire Food Festival, which they believe has declined over the past few years.
Helme said she has also been giving a lot of attention to the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce Expo that will take place in North Adams this year.
"I think it is just a big question mark right now, and we are excited to see what a new location and new twist on the event will bring," she said.
Helme's office hours are Monday and Friday 9-12. She can be reached at 413-664-6180 or shelme@northadams-ma.gov.
Updated on April 8, 2015, to clarify Helme's new post is focused on event planning, although the mayor envisions more economic development aspects in the future.
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