Big Towns

Do you or someone you know have a unique perspective on how to make America’s mid-sized cities stronger? Big Towns is seeking #speakers to partake in our 2nd annual two-day event taking place on April 23 and 24, 2025, in Lafayette, Louisiana. So, we want to encourage you to submit a proposal or nominate a speaker between now and Friday, November 15: bit.ly/4eJzTqL #SpeakBig #BigTowns2025

We want to say thank you to our Community Partners, including #AIA South Louisiana Chapter, #APA Louisiana, State Representative Brach Myers, CGI, CSRS, First Horizon Bank, One Acadiana, and Vinformatix, and our vendors, including Black Cafe, Durel Mail & Imaging, Lowry's Printing, Makemade, Parish Ink, and Ton's Downtown, who each helped to bring the summit to life. #BigSupport

For an event like Big Towns to be successful, the community must come together. And our community sponsors made contributions both before and during the summit. Thank you to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Community Foundation of Acadiana, Downtown Lafayette, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation, and Second Harvest Food Bank for being Community Sponsors for the inaugural Big Towns Summit. #BigSupport

This summit came to be because of the support of businesses and organizations that believed in it. The Big Towns Supporting Sponsors made a big splash with their investment into our inaugural event. So, to each of our supporting sponsors, including the Acadiana Center for the Arts, BWPR, Lafayette Travel (LCVC), Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority (LPTFA), Next City, and Tides Medical, we say thank you for your belief in our mission. #BigSupport

To The Current Media Inc. and United Way of Acadiana, thank you for taking the seed of an #idea for this event and growing it into a successful #summit. It is your foresight that allowed people from across the country to convene in Lafayette, Louisiana, to talk about important topics for mid-sized cities.

We were able to welcome new audiences to Downtown Lafayette because of the space provided by the Acadiana Center for the Arts. This location was perfect to bring our summit to life. #BigTowns

What can we say other than thank you to everyone who came together to make this possible, including our fantastic speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and especially our outstanding attendees. We were humbled and inspired to see people from many different places gathered in Lafayette, Louisiana, to discuss how we can each play a part in making our big towns thrive. You made our inaugural Big Towns Summit a success, and we are excited to make this an annual event. Once again, thank you. #BigTowns

For months, we’ve prepared for the inaugural two-day Big Towns Summit, and this evening, it begins. You still have time to register for the chance to be there for our keynote conversation with CBS News’ David Begnaud and Mayor Paul TenHaken of the City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 5:30 p.m. Visit bigtowns.org to purchase your ticket. #BigTowns

Leveling up a mid-sized city means keeping a focus on various areas, including #economicdevelopment, innovation, #sustainability, and housing and #planning. We have an incredible panel lined up to speak about each of these areas and more during our Growth & Economy track. #BigTowns

As the President and CEO of Accelerator for America and the founding leader of Louisville Forward, Mary Ellen Wiederwohl is highly knowledgeable about economic development for cities of all sizes. Join us for the Growth & Economy track to hear her speak about what economic development looks like for mid-sized cities—or, as we like to call them, big towns. #SpeakBig