New program adds to downtown marketing plan

West Chester PA -- The Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is inaugurating a far reaching plan to promote three Brandywine Valley communities as destinations. West Chester, Kennett Square, and Phoenixville will be marketed as the Towns and Main Streets of Philadelphia and the Countryside. The program includes ads to be placed in eleven magazines with a circulation of more than 6.1 million in the northeastern region of the nation. This will be in addition to a new marketing campaign created by the West Chester Business Improvement District (BID) that will place ads in eight magazines reaching a potential audience of 15 million.

"This marketing drive by the CVB doubles the impact that the BID campaign would have by itself," said Malcolm Johnstone, executive director of the West Chester BID. "In fact, we are scaling back a portion of our plans to avoid overlapping."

Towns and Main Streets of Philadelphia and the Countryside -- and its marketing of the cluster of regional downtowns -- is a new program of the Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau aimed at creating interest in visiting the selected Brandywine Valley downtowns as part of a visitors travel itinerary.

"The Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley offer visitors not only opportunities for shopping and dining, but also a chance to enjoy the part of Pennsylvania's history," said Blair Mahoney, executive director of the Chester County CVB. "We envision that this program will add to the visitors experience as well as expand local economies."

Summer festivals will begin with the Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley Festival on May 15 - 16 - 17 and continue through the summer with live music and activity booths. More information can be found at BrandywineValley.com.