Thriverr Learn: Fill Your Empty Buildings with a Tour

Thriverr Learn: Fill Your Empty Building with a Tour

What’s happening? In many small towns, empty buildings on Main Street can feel like signs of decline—but what if they were sparks of opportunity? This cohort, led by Deb Brown of Save Your Town, will guide you through how to organize a Tour of Empty Buildings—a simple yet powerful event that opens the doors of vacant properties to potential business owners, investors, and dreamers.

You’ll learn how to plan and promote a tour, engage building owners, prepare properties for visitors, and follow up with prospects. Then, with support from your cohort peers and guidance from Deb, you’ll take the next step: hosting a tour in your own community. By the end, you’ll have real-world experience, a clear process, and ready-to-use templates to help bring new energy to your downtown.

Who is it for? Community and economic development leaders, local officials, chamber staff, and anyone interested in revitalizing their town’s vacant spaces.

What is a Cohort Learning Experience? Each Thriverr Learning Cohort brings together a small group of peers to learn alongside a guest expert over four Zoom sessions. You’ll gain practical tools, live support, and a community of learners working toward similar goals.

By joining this cohort, you will complete real-world work – hosting a tour and filling empty buildings. And you will be able to do it faster because you are doing it with a community of support.

Session 1: You have empty buildings in your town. How can you fill them?
July 7; 12:30 p.m. CT, 11:30 p.m. MT (Zoom Session)

In this session, you’ll…

Discuss the reasons behind joining this cohort experience.
Learn what is a tour, why you should have one, and how to host a tour.
Learn the five factors that keep buildings from being filled.

TAKE ACTION: Gather your crowd, thinking about how you’ll market the tour, and begin the work to make it a reality.

Session 2: Getting ready for a tour of empty buildings in your town
July 21; 12:30 p.m. CT, 11:30 p.m. MT (Zoom Session)

In this session, you’ll…

Discuss the planning and promotional steps you’ve already taken.

TAKE ACTION: Continue to finalize plans for your tour, including getting your team organized and creating a checklist for the day of the tour.

Session 3: Build momentum by marketing and telling stories before, during, and after
August 4 ,12:30 p.m. CT, 11:30 p.m. MT (Zoom Session)

In this session, you’ll…

Discuss what marketing steps have you done.
Learn online and offline media steps you’ll want to take.

TAKE ACTION:

Co create the tips page. Use your checklist.
Keep talking to everyone including your local service organizations.
Make signs for each building on the tour. Work with a local to learn the history of the buildings.

Session 4: Sharing plans, working together, presentations
August 25, 12:30 p.m. CT, 11:30 p.m. MT (Zoom Session)

In this session, you’ll…

Discuss how your tour went.
Share your tour presentation.
Learn how to properly follow up to keep the momentum going.

TAKE ACTION: Determine what’s next.

What’s the cost? $200

Deadline to register is June 27, 2025.

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Thank you to our sponsor for making this cohort possible!