The International Downtown Association (IDA) recognized Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF) with the Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence for its resourceful approaches related to the 2021 Downtown Burger Battle.
A jury of peer professionals reviewed, deliberated, and evaluated all entries in the 2021 Downtown Achievement Awards. The Award of Excellence acknowledges an excellent response to an urban place management challenge, demonstrating application of industry knowledge and exceeds the jury criteria.
2021 Downtown Burger Battle was among 31 qualified entries in the category of Marketing, Communications, and Events which IDA identifies as one of the seven professional urban place management practice areas. This category features unique organizational approaches and projects in the areas of branding, public relations, marketing strategies, and communications plans.
View the DTSF Winning Submission Here
(Left to Right) Administrative Assistant Chris Buss, Events Coordinator Sarah Anderson, President Joe Batcheller, Community Outreach Coordinator Sadie Swier, and Marketing & Content Coordinator Tenley Schwartz
“Burger Battle has blossomed into an absolute cultural phenomenon in the past few years. 2021 was a new high water mark for the event with more restaurants, participants, and economic impact than ever before! DTSF is grateful for the community support, far and wide, that has made Burger Battle the highlight for so many businesses during what would otherwise be a slow time of year,” Joe Batcheller DTSF President said.
View the video and article: Downtown Burger Battle Earns DTSF a Prestigious Award.
The Downtown Burger Battle has become the most engaging DTSF promotion in the last eight years. In 2021, at 24 restaurants over 31,000 burgers at were sold in the Downtown Burger Battle compared to over 19,000 in January 2020. This resulted in over $436,606 spent on burgers alone from Downtown Burger Battle. This was a 63% increase compared to $268,344 in January 2020. The estimated total economic impact from Burger Battle neared 1 million dollars at $940,850, based on the Arts & Economic Prosperity Study for Sioux Falls.
“DTSF has demonstrated skillful application of urban place management principles with their project 2021 Downtown Burger Battle,” said David Downey, IDA President and CEO. “The 2021 Downtown Burger Battle should serve as a framework to all member communities within IDA.”
About IDA
The International Downtown Association is the premier organization for urban place professionals who are shaping and activating dynamic city center districts. Our members are city builders and downtown champions who bring urban centers to life, bridging the gap between the public and private sectors. We represent an industry of more than 2,500 place management organizations, employing 100,000 people throughout North America and growing rapidly around the world. Founded in 1954, IDA is a resource center for ideas and innovative best practices in urban place management. For more information, visit downtown.org.