The DC Office of Planning, in partnership with the District Department of Transportation, is undertaking the Mount Vernon Square District Project. This project is designed to generate implementation-driven solutions for specific transportation, public realm and real estate challenges and opportunities in the blocks, streets, and reservations surrounding Mount Vernon Square.

In context of this work, Trialogue Studio together with its partner Jackson Brady Design Group was engaged by the Washington Convention & Sports Authority and Destination DC to conduct research and provide options and recommendations for the design and operation of a new Washington, DC Visitor Center to be located at the old Carnegie Library building at 801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square. The first phase of this project is now complete and our findings and preliminary concept recommendations were submitted in late March 2010.

Interested in learning more? Check out the Mount Vernon Square District Project site here.

principal strategist: michael. a. altman

 

In 2007 as a contractor for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman led the team that developed a sustainable brand and image strategy to support transformative positioning and long term economic development for Crystal City, Va. Mining both quantitative and qualitative research for insights, we developed a brand positioning, value proposition and an identity platform of visuals and messaging that support the Business Improvement District’s mandate and help to demonstrate Crystal City's transformation from a staid government office park into a progressive community with a distinctly different attitude that is home to a diverse mix of creative businesses, residential neighborhoods and restaurants.

Now, stakeholders and the public are feeling a growing sense of presence here and are beginning to see Crystal City in an entirely new light.

In 2009, Trialogue Studio was engaged to completely re-design the BID’s website. Check it out here.

principal strategist: michael. a. altman
strategist/account lead: ruth wieder
2009 Web redesign: Jessie Leiber

The Capitol Riverfront is DC’s new neighborhood, known locally as the home of the city’s major league baseball stadium, Nationals Park. Centrally located between the U.S. Capitol Building, Anacostia River and Barracks Row Main Street, the Capitol Riverfront is a business center, urban neighborhood, retail and entertainment district and waterfront destination. ItÂ’s part of the largest waterfront revitalization currently underway in the US.

Michael Altman and Jeannette Hanna recently finished working with the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) to attract the regionÂ’s vanguard office tenants, residents and retailers to the area. Capitol Riverfront has 30+ LEED certified existing or planned buildings, four new parks and a 16-mile riverwalk trail to entice newcomers to what was once a forgotten slum. We developed a new positioning based on “leading from the Front”, a vibrant new identity to help express the postioning and a marketing blueprint that includes innovative ideas like locating a farmer’s market on a floating barge and creating a “Riverkeepers” volunteer youth corps. and more.

Is it working? Stakeholders are jazzed and subsequent to this assignment, we were engaged to re-design their web site that launched to great fanfare here.

Brand Strategy, Marketing: Michael Altman, Ruth Wieder
Graphic/Web design: Jessie Leiber

The Crocker Art Museum has embarked on the most monumental endeavor in its 120-year history. An expansion project is underway to not only triple the size of the current facility but span all facets of the organization, from collection and endowment growth to enriching every aspect of the visitor experience. This bold plan puts the museum in an exciting position to reach out and grow its audience in a variety of ways.

Trialogue Studio collaborated with Beth Tuttle of MET Strategies, LLC to help the museum to establish a clear point of difference and a meaningful brand proposition in order to increase its reputation as the leading arts institution in the Sacramento Valley, gain the notoriety it deserves and attract new audience segments as it should.

Our broad scope took us right from orgnaizational alignment through brand positioning, identity, marketing communications, advertising, and web re-skin. Check out progress on the the new museum here.

principal strategists: michael a. altman, beth tuttle
creative director: michael mansfield

As a contractor in 2008 for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman led the team that worked with Niagara Economic Development Corporation and Destination Niagara, with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, on a major place-branding project designed to assess and improve the image and marketability of Ontario’s Niagara Region. This assignment came at a critical time as this highly politicized region has been facing serious challenges due to the strong Canadian dollar, rising cost of gasoline, increased border security and loss of traditional manufacturing jobs.

principal strategist: michael a. altman

With superstar Gilbert Arenas injured for most of the 2008 season, the Washington Wizards asked us to help them to conceive of a new organizational positioning and communications strategy that would ultimately result in a stronger, more resilient brand – one that is less dependent on any one individual and focuses first on the team and its values. of "Character, Committment and Connection."

principal strategists: michael a. altman, ruth wieder
strategy intern: rachael honig
designer: jessie leiber

What do you do when you’re the hottest region for businesses and jobs in the US? For two years in a row, Raleigh, North Carolina has topped Forbes magazine’s list of “Best Places for Business and Careers.” With people flocking to the area to live and a new Convention Center getting ready to open, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) decided it was time to invest in the destination brand. As a contractor in 2008 for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman led a team that worked with the GRCVB to conduct primary research and develop a new brand promise and positioning for a marketing program – Visit Raleigh – that promotes the region and everything it has to offer to visitors and residents alike.

For Raleigh, the future looks very bright indeed.

principal strategist: michael. a. altman
strategist/account lead: ruth wieder

The City of Calgary has lived through a number of boom/bust cycles. Today, the “boom” is definitely back, fueled by skyrocketing oil prices. But CalgaryÂ’s Economic Development team now faces different kinds of challenges: How do we manage growth? How do we attract more skilled labour? How can we diversify the economy as a buffer against the fickle commodities markets? How can we strengthen our sense of culture and community? Ultimately, the questions come down to the larger concern of what sort of city do we aspire to be? And how will we tell that story to the world in a credible, compelling way?

In 2008 as a contractor for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman led the team that worked with the City of Calgary to assess the relevance of its current brand positioning Heart of the New West and supporting visual identity that it adopted about eight years ago. After completing the audit, we recommended and were engaged to develop the new go forward positioning for the City of Calgary that recognizes that Calgary generates a one-of-a kind urban energy that fuels the creativity and entrepreneurism of its diverse people, communities and commerce; that the city’s bold, progressive vision powers a burgeoning cultural vitality that complements its spirited Western heritage and draws visitors from around the world; and that Calgary brings its commitment to sustainable commerce and communities to ife through the many ways it enables growing communities and organizations to adapt and thrive.

principal strategist: michael a. altman

Washington, DC has always suffered from a fractured image. “Washington” conjures the image of the federal government, the Mall and eighth-grade class trips. “D.C.,” the term locals use to identify the city, is associated with its neighborhoods, growing restaurant scene, international culture and open green spaces. Destination DC, the city’s official tourism marketing agency, wanted to let visitors in on the "D.C." part of the nation's capital that wasn't evoked in its former tagline, “The American Experience.” Destination DC wanted to break down perceptions of the District as impenetrable and unapproachable and cast it as a city with cultural flair.

In 2006/07 as a contractor for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman led the team that worked with Destination DC (representing a broad, highly diverse group of stakeholders from hoteliers and attractions to the Mayor's office and other federal agencies like the National Park Service), to build a distinctive sustainable brand strategy to guide the city's marketing and promotional efforts. The “powerful moments” positioning evolved from formal national and international surveys as well as an innovative community-engagement web site the team developed called, “Share Your DC.” The site generated thousands of DC “insider” tips for visitors that were incorporated into marketing communications.

Is it working? The client has recently completed a Return on Investment Study where they determined the following about the new positioning and accompanying advertising campaign:

principal strategist: michael. a. altman strategist/account lead: ruth wieder

Introduced in June, 2008, CultureCapital.com connects people to the heart of the thriving arts and culture community in the Greater Washington, DC region including the District of Columbia; Montgomery, Prince George's, Arlington and Fairfax Counties; and the City of Alexandria. This virtual arts marketplace provides comprehensive information and reliable ticket-purchase options for shows, performances, classes and exhibitions offered by more than 300 regional arts organizations and cultural institutions, making it the region's richest and most diverse collection of arts and culture activities. CultureCapital.com strives to be inclusive and includes big names and small groups alike, giving users access to all the hot hits and hidden jewels the DC region has to offer.

Michael Altman was a consultant/ advisor to the Cultural Alliance on formation, funding and marketing strategy for this important regional arts marketing initiative.

strategists/marketing consultants: michael a. altman, ruth wieder

Actionomics™ is DC’s economic development “jumpstart” process. Collaborative and community-driven, Actionomics is galvanizing DC business and civic leaders to accelerate economic “transformer” opportunities – innovative yet pragmatic initiatives that will fuel the city’sprosperity, today and tomorrow. Actionomics mobilizes stakeholders through unique, action-oriented “summits” designed to identify and seed public/private investment in bold development and job creation programs across diverse sectors – from green collar, creative and retail businesses to wellness, finance and other industries.

Michael Altman of Trialogue Studio served as consultant to the Washington DC Economic Partnership and the DC Office of Planning on defininng, expressing and marketing DC's first Actionomics summit held in November 2009 where over 150 people plus the media and Chairman of the DC Council Vincent Gray attended. Check out a clip on YouTube here.

 

principal strategist/design/marketing consultant: michael a. altman

In 2006 Michael Altman served as a consultant to the Downtown BID as they sought to prepare a request for proposal to identify firms capable of taking the organization through a process to of developing a new place brand proposition that demonstrates how Downtown is the cultural and economic heart of DC, the region’s premier urban gathering place, and the center of America’s capital city.

consultant: michael a. altman

In 2007 as contractors for a prominent Canadian communications agency, Michael Altman and Ruth Wieder worked with Washington DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company to develop a social media strategy that focused in part on increasing engagement with the blogging community by producing the company’s first-ever architectural blogger preview to support the launch of the new Harman Centre for the Performing Arts.

principal strategists: michael a. altman, ruth wieder

As a researcher and trainer for George Washington University's Institute for Tourism Studies, Michael Altman conducts research in hospitality and tourism and designs curriculum for delivery through the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance and USAID to emerging countries who are in need of better understanding of the forces that are shaping the global tourism industry and who can benefit from training in areas such as; tourism policy, tourism economics and forecasting, sustainable tourism development, destination branding and marketing, event and meeting management, e-marketing and social media, services marketing and more. In his work, he helps to build capacity of local academic institutions and professional organizations by training them to become certified and licensed to deliver GWU curriculum to students and professionals in their local markets.

In March 2009, he was in Yerevan, Armenia where he conducted training in Tourism Assessment, Sustainable Tourism and Destination Branding and Marketing for a multidisciplinary group of tourism educators, industry professionals and government stakeholders as part of USAID’s $14.2 million Competitive Armenia Private Sector Project (CAPS). At that time, he also delivered a lecture to 30 members of the Armenian Tourism Lecturers Club on Linking Contemporary Tourism Industry Trends to Contemporary Education Techniques and facilitated an interactive discussion focused on the challenge of equipping today’s graduates and future tourism employees with the skills and knowledge that are required by the competitive labor market and increased competition in the sector. Learn more about CAPS here.

consultant and trainers: michael a. altman, milena nikolova for George Washington University

Located 34 miles south of Montego Bay (and its urban hustle-and-bustle teeming with tourists and cruise ships) and just across the hilly center of Jamaica, you descend to the South Coast with dramatic vistas of sugar cane fields and sea. Here is the community of Bluefields, an environmentally-intact area virtually untouched by commercialism -- a place rich in history having Jamaica's most protected anchorage and mountains descending to meet the sea at the 1/2 mile long Bluefields Beach.

For the last year, Michael Altman has been advising the owners of Bluefields Bay Villas and the local community in the areas of sustainable tourism development, capacity building, workforce development, strategic planning, product development and marketing. He assembled a team that successfully repositioned the five exclusive Jamaican seaside villas as the most natural, distinctive and highly personalized lodging experience on the island.

principal strategists: michael a. altman, ruth wieder
designer: jessie leiber

The Lower 8th Street SE Visioning Process Advisory Committee coordinated a vision process with property owners and other community stakeholders along the Lower 8th Street, SE corridor. With Michael Altman of Trialogue Studio engaged as facilitator, this proces was an attempt to gain consensus on a vision for the area and to address issues of height, density, mix of uses, parking and access, as well as what should be the character of a redesigned Virginia Avenue Park as an amenity or community benefit for the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood and Capitol Hill.

After a series of 10 public input meetings conducted between November 2009 and February 2010, it appears that consensus has been reached on a vision that could serve as the basis for asking the Office of Planning to develop a small area neighborhood plan or consider a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that could then be used as justification for any agreed upon zoning or density changes.

strategist/facilitator: michael a. altman