How did you get all these different businesses from the area involved?

How did you get all these different businesses from the area involved?
What makes businesses stick here and stay is that they work with their neighbors and the MPIA to make sure they're being given a platform to promote themselves, and the relationship is very strong, so we just sent out an e-mail and got an overwhelming response. The MPIA is relatively new, but it's a new incarnation of an older organization. So they already had this incredible foundation of relationships with neighborhood businesses, so when I came on board and founded this organization, which is a charity, I worked to bring more of those relationships on board. MPIA is a conduit, so part of the services we offer is the opportunity to network and connect through us. We have about 95% of the ground-floor businesses here on board with us, which is rare. The businesses that locate here realize there's an energy, and something special about it, and in this economy, that's what makes it work. So I'm working as a group, and with Diane and Andrew, but I can't say enough about the people who work with this district. I want this event to put forward the idea that we are a really special place, and if people who aren't familiar with, or don't have a good impression of the Meatpacking District come to this event, they'll leave with a better one. And they'll have an incredible time. [Photo via]
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