Marketing the District

In addition to the visible marketing efforts provided in the enhancement of our Parking, Public Safety, and Sanitation programs, the CIDBIA implements an annual Marketing Campaign to further attract business and tourism and improving the economic vitality of this neighbhorhood. The Chinatown-International District offers a wide-range of things to do, places to eat, and plenty of ethnic cuisine that warrants the area as a first-class destination worthy of the time spent by thousands of visitors coming to Seattle each year.

"Our neighborhood marketing campaign primarily consists of event production, neighborhood beautification efforts, strategic partnerships and promotional outreach opportunities."

Events - The CIDBIA organizes two major events annually, the Lunar New Year Celebration and the Summer Festival. Depending on the lunar calendar, typically in late January or early February, the Celebration takes place in the Great Hall of the recently renovated Union Station. In this elegant ambiance, samples of the best dishes from local restaurants are served, and cultural performances take place on a main stage; Local merchants set up table and sell arts and crafts along side other specialty products, and educational children's activities are sponsored by the Wing Luke Asian Museum.

In the second weekend of July, the CIDBIA organizes the largest Pan-Asian American street fair in the Pacific Northwest. Over 30,000 guests, fill the streets of the Chinatown-International District to visit over 110 vendors ranging from corporations to arts and crafts to social service agencies to food. Hing Hay Park is at the center of festival activity with a Main Stage presenting ongoing cultural entertainment. In addition, the event hosts multiple stages and corners including the Children's Corner, Karaoke Stage, Sports Corner, and Public Safety Corner, catering to audiences of all ages. A long-standing tradition dating back to 1975, the Festival is one of SeaFair's most popular events, one that thousands look forward to every year.

The CIDBIA realizes the importance of the Summer Festival and the Lunar New Year Celebration as marketing tools to introduce visitors to our neighborhood. In turn, events provide platforms from which our residents and business owners can celebrate and enjoy activities in a neighborhood-wide setting. Currently, new events are being considered and incorporated into the calendar year, such as the Neighborhood Trick-or-Treat during Halloween. One event goer offered this feedback, "Today's activity helped me to get rid of the fears I had about this neighbhorhood and gave me a chance to peek at the stores for future visits. When I come back, I will definitely go to the stores that particpated in your event."

Public Art / Beaufication Projects - In 1998, the CIDBIA worked with designers to produce the Jackson Street Colonnade Project, turning the gray construction pillars underneath the I-5 freeway on South Jackson Street into an attractive corridor between the "Chinatown" and "Little Saigon" communities. The alternately painted red and yellow columns with carp and dragonfly motifs represent both communities on each side of the freeway. The lead artist in this project was Fire Cruxent Studios while neighborhood organizations including, Inter*Im and the ID Rotary Club, supported the CIDBIA throughout this process.

Another neighborhood beautification piece includes the Dragon Pole Project. The idea for the dragons originated in the year 2000 as a salute to the "Year of the Dragon" symbolizing strength, prosperity, and protection for the neighborhood. In the summer of 2002, the CIDBIA installed 10 fiberglass-sculpted dragons on the outskirts of the district. The dragons, ranging from 12-18 feet in size, can be found on light poles along 5th Avenue, Dearborn Street and Jackson Street. A hit with local and regional media, tourists from all over the world visit our neighborhood to catch a glimpse of these dragons. The project was made possible by local organization and community members while production and installation was in the hands of Seattle Spiral.

Banner Project - This project, completed in 2002, involved the installation of red, yellow and pastel blue welcome banners on light poles along 4th Avenue, 5th Avenue and Jackson Street. Taking advantage of the high traffic volume on these main arterial roads, this project aims to emphasize our historic neighborhood in the midst of new development around the periphery of the district. The project was funded by the CIDBIA and the South Downtown Foundation.

Website - The CIDBIA web site is an online resource for those interested in learning more about the Chinatown-International District and has received nearly 2.8 million hits since November 2002 (when statistics were made available). The site features news, businesses, events and history. In addition, the CIDBIA offers each local business a web page for online information distribution and promotional use. This service is free of charge to CIDBIA rate payers.

The first site was orignially developed by the University of Washington's Business and Economic Development Program (BEDP) and maintained by CIDBIA staff. Graduate and undergraduate students have worked through the BEDP to create and implement two versions of this web site. The BEDP completed this work as part of its mission to assist small business owners in economically distressed / emerging communities while providing students with enhanced learning experiences. Through this work we expand students’ knowledge and skills, help small businesses, create and retain jobs, and contribute to the strengthening of the regional economy.

Our current site has been developed by NPower Seattle, a non-profit organization that offers technological support and implementation for other non-profit organizations, under the directions of the CIDBIA staff and with funding from the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development. The new site, established in 2006, features cutting edge dynamic content management that will allow for even more information to reach the end-user.

Promotional Collateral - The CIDBIA publishes and distributes promotional brochures highlighting our neighborhood as a destination point in Seattle. The most recent brochure offers points and places of interest as well as a map with business listings for food and shopping in our district. Other brochures the CIDBIA produced include a walking tour, restaurants, and hidden treasures of our neighborhood. The brochures are distributed at various locations throughout Seattle, including the Convention Center, Seahawks Stadium, Safeco Field, Exhibition Center, and several major downtown hotels. They are also included in welcome packages handed out to new businesses in our district.

Strategic Partnerships - Success from marketing may also be attributed to the results of strategic partnerships or memberships formed by the CIDBIA. The following is a list of partnerships and memberships:

Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit community organization, brings together civic, professional and business leaders from the Chinese community in the greater Seattle area. The Chamber also provides the CIDBIA with a forum to promote and support business constituency and to encourage trade and economic vitality with members' unique connections to Asia and the Chinese American business community. The Chamber, along with the Chong Wa Benevolent Association, is working hard to bring a gate into the community as landmarks for our neighborhood.

Seattle's Convention & Visitors Bureau is a non-profit economic development agency responsible for competitively marketing the Seattle area as a destination for conventions, tour groups and individual travelers. Membership with The Bureau provides the CIDBIA with a confidential convention digest, free information distribution of our brochures and flyers, promotional materials, and other networking opporutnities. In addition, our relationship with The Bureau allows for special visitation opportunities from various tour, educational, and convention groups that visit the Seattle area.

VRSeattle, an online resource for virtual reality tours in the city of Seattle, provides viewers with immaculate 360-degree panoramic photographic images and has highligted . VRSeattle currently has a compilation of over 900 locations in the Greater Seattle Area, including our very own Chinatown-International District. Check out the amazing pictures at VRSeattle and visit our neighborhood under special attractions.

Wing Luke Asian Museum, the nationally acclaimed museum and Smithsonian-affliate, documents, preserves, and presents the history of Asian American communities in the Pacific Northwest. The CIDBIA and WLAM cross-marketing efforts have been effective in bringing additional traffic to the area and museum.