AUGUSTA – The Maine Downtown Center, a program of the Maine Development Foundation, will host its 9th Annual Maine Downtown Conference, Downtowns Matter, in Rockland on June 5.

National retail marketing author and speaker Rick Segal will open the day with “How to Thrive in a Slowing Economy” – a question on the minds of many business owners.

The conference will feature sessions on key downtown revitalization topics that will help communities further their efforts. Attendees will choose from 12 workshops such as: Solid Strategies to Engage Your Community; How to Get People Downtown: Building Successful Promotions and Buy Local Programs; Social Marketing; Finding Funds-Making Friends; and Heritage Tourism: The Economic Engine for Downtowns (taking place on the train).

During the conference, MDC will announce the addition of two communities to its Main Street program, which is a highly selective, 30-year proven revitalization model from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition, MDC will announce the communities selected for the new sister program to Main Street, the Maine Downtown Network, which uses the Main Street method at a lighter pace.

The day also honors those who have contributed to downtown revitalization in their communities with the Downtown Achievement Awards, presented during the luncheon.

“Maine’s unique sense of place has a lot to do with our quaint, once vibrant downtowns,” said Kristen Cady, director of the Maine Downtown Center.

“Now more than ever we need to invest in our downtowns, and our local economies and the Downtown Center and our programs, including the conference, are giving people the tools to help make that happen,” said Roxanne Eflin, conference coordinator and program manager at the Maine Downtown Center.

Registration starts at the Strand Theatre in Rockland at 7:45 a.m. Friday, June 5. Preregistration is $85 and open until June 3 ($60 for Main Street Maine communities and Maine Development Foundation members). Day of registration is $95. For more information on the Downtown Conference, please visit www.mdf.org/downtown.