HARVARD SQUARE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
50 CHURCH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 www.harvardsquare.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO ADVANCE THE COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND PUBLIC INTERESTS OF HARVARD SQUARE, TO PROMOTE A COMMERCIAL EXCHANGE, TO ACCUMULATE AND GIVE TO ITS MEMBERS BUSINESS INFORMATION, TO ADJUST CONTROVERSIES AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS, TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN UNIFORMITY IN COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS, AND TO PROMOTE JUST AND EQUITABLE PRINCIPLES OF TRADE

PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS - 2020THIS IS A BRIEF OUTLINE OF OUR MISSION AND A STATEMENT OF JUSTIFICATION FOR OUR THREE LARGEST INCOME/EXPENSE LINE ITEMS.THE HARVARD SQUARE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION WAS FOUNDED IN 1910 FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING COMMERCE IN HARVARD SQUARE, WHILE BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF THE SQUARE. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING WAS A METHOD THAT SEEMED TO WORK BEST FOR HARVARD SQUARE. SUBSEQUENTLY, A SERIES OF ANNUAL EVENTS WERE CREATED TO ATTRACT PEOPLE THAT SPANNED THE ENTIRE DEMOGRAPHIC SPECTRUM. 2020 WILL GO DOWN AS THE YEAR WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED DUE TO COVID-19. GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN MID-MARCH OF 2020. NON-ESSENTIAL CITIZENS WERE QUARANTINED AND NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES WERE SHUTTERED. IN-PERSON EVENTS WERE COMPLETELY PROHIBITED.BY THE END OF MARCH, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT OUR USUAL LARGE-SCALE EVENTS LIKE MAYFAIR AND OKTOBERFEST WOULD NOT TAKE PLACE. WE HAD TO QUICKLY CHANGE GEARS AND REPLACE OUR IN-PERSON EVENTS WITH VIRTUAL EVENTS. INSTEAD OF ENCOURAGING FOOT TRAFFIC TO THE SQUARE, WE HAD TO TELL PEOPLE TO STAY HOME, A CONCEPT WHICH IS COMPLETELY ANTITHETICAL TO OUR MISSION OF "PROMOTING COMMERCE IN HARVARD SQUARE WHILE BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF THE OUTSIDE SPACE."WE BECAME ADEPT IN PROMOTING VIRTUAL EVENTS AND FOUND A WAY TO SHOWCASE THE SQUARE TO THE WORLD AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD COULD NOT COME TO US.OUR (3) MAJOR EXPENSES IN 2020 ARE ENTIRELY RELATED TO THIS PROCESS AND THEY INCLUDE:*MARKETING - $23,910*INTERNET - $12,910*HOLIDAY LIGHTS - $11,477MARKETING: OUR VIRTUAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF VIDEOS THAT WE DIRECTED AND PRODUCED. THE FIRST VIDEO WE PRODUCED HAS IMPRESSIVE DRONE FOOTAGE TAKEN OF THE SQUARE IN MID-APRIL OF 2020 AT THE APEX OF OUR QUARANTINE. I WROTE THE SCRIPT WHICH WAS NARRATED BY A HOMELESS GENTLEMAN WHO HAS BEEN LIVING IN FRONT OF THE COOP FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS. THE MUSIC WAS COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY A 13-YEAR OLD HARVARD SQUARE BUSKER. IT HAS BEEN WATCHED NEARLY 20,000 TIMES ON YOUTUBE. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=05Y3KQFKOKQ&FEATURE=EMB_LOGO OTHER VIDEO SERIES INCLUDE:BLACK LIVES MATTER SERIES HTTPS://WWW.HARVARDSQUARE.COM/BLACK-LIVES-MATTER-TO-HARVARD-SQUARE/ DOORS OF HARVARD SQUARE HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=_6MUFSUSOFQ&FEATURE=EMB_LOGOHISTORICAL SITES IN HARVARD SQUARE HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=1M7VTEGD29G&FEATURE=EMB_LOGOSACRED SPACES AND GOOD WORKSEACH VIDEO IN THIS SERIES FEATURES A SPECIFIC HOUSE OF WORSHIP LOCATED IN THE SQUARE AND WILL BE RELEASED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (WHEN THE CHURCH WAS FOUNDED) EACH DAY AT 3PM AS NOTED BELOW: DECEMBER 11TH 1632 THE FIRST PARISH IN CAMBRIDGE, UU DECEMBER 12TH 1633 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE, CONGREGATIONAL DECEMBER 13TH 1744 MEMORIAL CHURCH OF HARVARD UNIVERSITYDECEMBER 14TH 1759 CHRIST CHURCH DECEMBER 15TH 1844 OLD CAMBRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH DECEMBER 16TH 1870 THE SOCIETY OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST DECEMBER 17TH 1873 ST. PAUL PARISHDECEMBER 18TH 1901 SWEDENBORG CHAPEL DECEMBER 19TH 1928 UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHURCH DECEMBER 20TH 1930 FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, CAMBRIDGE DECEMBER 21ST 1941 HARVARD-EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THE VIDEO SERIES WERE BE FEATURED ON HARVARDSQUARE.COM AS WELL AS HARVARD SQUARE'S FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER AND YOUTUBEINTERNET:IN ORDER TO PRODUCE THESE VIDEOS, IT WAS IMPERATIVE FOR US TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT AND INTERNET ACCESS. TO KEEP EVERYTHING IN GOOD CONDITION, WE SPENT $12,910.00 WITH OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS AND IT CONSULTANT. HOLIDAY LIGHTS: WHILE THERE WERE FEWER "BODIES" IN THE SQUARE DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, IT WAS CRITICAL TO OUR OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT THE SQUARE WAS LIGHTED UP EXTRA SPECIAL DURING THE DARK MONTHS OF WINTER. WE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME IN LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS THAT ENABLED US TO TAKE WONDERFUL PHOTOS OF THE SQUARE TO POST ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.THIS ACTIVITY ALSO SPEAKS TO AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR STEWARDSHIP IN CARING FOR THE OUTSIDE SPACE. THE HSBA IS COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE IN THE PUBLIC WAY THROUGH THE INSTALLATION OF LIGHTS, FLOWERS, BANNERS, PLANTERS AND DECORATIONS. IN 2020, WE CONTINUED OUR ADVOCACY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS BY THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, WHICH RESULTED AS WE REPORTED LAST YEAR, RESULTED IN THEIR FINAL APPROPRIATION OF 8.6 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE OUT OF TOWN NEWS KIOSK STRUCTURE AND PLAZA. THE PROJECT WAS FURTHER DELAYED IN 2020 DUE TO COVID. WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT IT HAS FINALLY COMMENCED AND IS EXPECTED TO LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

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