The BID’s annual meeting has traditionally been a social affair with eating, drinking, mingling and presentations about the BID’s latest projects and successes. But welcome to 2020 – the year of the “new normal.”
Last week, for the first time, the BID hosted their annual meeting on Zoom. Attendees included 5th Ave property owners, merchants, residents, as well as representatives from city agencies and elected officials’ offices, and other NYC BIDs.
Via Zoom, the BID was still able to conduct their legally required procedural processes including adoption of meeting minutes, financial reporting, and nominations & voting. You can access the slide presentation here. Despite the new format’s limited nature, attendees were also promised exciting audio and video clips featuring stories and messages from merchants and residents on the Ave.
Enter, technical difficulties in the age the zoom meeting. Audio glitches, frozen screens, echo and feedback stymied what promised to be the more uplifting and lighthearted segments of the annual meeting. But with the moxie of a small non-profit organization, the BID staff soldiered on and improvised a presentation that still packed a punch and updated attendees on recent accomplishments and previews of upcoming projects.
Missing from the presentation was a segment taken from the BID’s recently developed self-guided audio tour. Click here to visit the tour’s website and listen to former BID Board member and proprietor of Bay Ridge Bakery, Nick Nikolopolous, talk about his family, the business, and his commitment to the community.
Also missing was the BID’s recent video interview with Alpine Cinema owner Nick Nicolaou. In the video, this Nick talks about the importance of local theaters to the community and how they are responsible for generations of family memories. You can watch the video here.
Another unseen highlight featured a News12 report about the BID's Focus on 5th Program and their collaboration with the CM Brand to bring digital marketing assistance to 5th Ave businesses. Click here to watch the interviews with BID staff and footage at My Natural Pet.
The BID team planned on ending their meeting with a Cheers & Virtual Toast from Bean Post Pub owner and BID Board member, Anthony LoPorto. Anthony produced this short video at the height of the pandemic’s first wave back in April. Watch this uplifting montage of locals and Bean Post regulars lift their glasses and toast to perseverance and strength through dark days. Watch here.
If you missed this year’s BID Annual Meeting and State of the Avenue, you can watch a recording of the unusual, historic and spirited zoom session below.