International Downtown Association (IDA) Annual Conference Recap 

CITIBIN shares intel and information culled from the 70th annual event

10-second recap:In mid-September CITIBIN was an exhibitor at the International Downtown Association’s (IDA) yearly conference. CITIBIN Founder and CEO Liz Picarazzi shares a recap of event highlights along with unexpected takeaways. 

CITIBIN X IDA

For the second year in a row, CITIBIN exhibited at the International Downtown Association’s (IDA) Annual Conference. This year the conference was held in Seattle. Local executives from Amazon and Starbucks gave master talks, while business leaders from around the world all made an appearance.  

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 Related: CITIBIN trash enclosures improve the look of public spaces

Business improvement districts in the United States (BIDs), are called by different names. You might also find local improvement districts (LIDs) and even United States special districts when the BID is run by a nonprofit group. Notable, in NYC alone there are over 76 BIDs.

Fun fact: You can see vibrantly wrapped CITIBIN trash enclosures throughout the city, including Times Square.

CITIBIN IDA Takeaways 

One of the best parts of exhibiting at trade shows is the opportunity to show and tell how CITIBINs work. At the IDA conference, COO Frank Picarazzi and Sales Manager Alejandro Bautista demonstrated some CITIBIN top sellers. And the feedback was incredible.

BasketPlus™ was the belle of the ball. “Part litter basket, part storage, BasketPlus takes care of those all-to-common situations when the basket is overflowing,” said Frank, while demonstrating how CITIBIN’s side-car module works. BasketPlus™ also has modules for recycling and composting. 

 

Visitors to the CITIBIN booth raved. Some of what we heard:

1. Reliable and easy to use. Visitors to the CITIBIN booth loved the product line’s simplicity. Both trash collection and storage are easy to navigate and come without unnecessary and often unreliable electronic components.

2. CITIBIN style. Visitors to the CITIBIN booth commented on its style, saying that our trash bins are unexpectedly modern and attractive for a trash bin.

3. Wraps rock. CITIBIN booth visitors saw huge creative possibilities with vinyl wraps. In this way they were able to envision the way they could be using their bins as canvases for branding, PSAs, maps or advertising. “Trash enclosures are now being used as canvases for community branding and local art,” said Liz, “As a marketer I’m delighted that customers are using my product as a canvas for their message.”

4. It’s easy to get started.Visitors were glad to hear that CITIBIN encourages trial before full product rollout. Sales manager Alejandro explained the process. “The first step is simply to share photos —  the worse the better.” Also notable, CITIBIN has no minimum order quantity, lengthy contracts, or ongoing service fees. Email us at info@citibin.com to get started.
   

5. All in the family. Visitors to the booth enjoyed meeting the wife/husband team of Liz (CEO) and Frank (COO) Picarazzi. “As a family-owned business, we get to know every client and enjoy meeting with current and future clients at IDA,” Liz said. They care so much about your trash that it’s not uncommon for it to be the topic of discussion at dinner! 

6. A final thought from Liz. “We look forward to IDA next September in Washington, DC!” We’ll be sharing new case studies about our work with the cities of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Brookline, Newark, Hoboken, and more. 

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