Mardi Gras with Dubuque Main Street
Downtown Business PM and Tradeshow , Tuesday, February 20
The most popular of all Business PMs returns! While all the Chamber of Commerce after-hours mixers make for a good time and a great place to do some business networking, the Downtown Business PM, traditionally held the third Tuesday of February and hosted by Dubuque Main Street at the Julien Inn, always proves to be both well-attended and a heckova lotta fun.

A big part of the appeal of the annual event is that each year a kooky theme gives participants an excuse to dress up in costumes and decorate their booth spaces for fun and prizes. But mostly for fun. Well this year, the third Tuesday of February happened to be the 20th of the month, but more importantly it is also one of the traditionally biggest party days of the year: Fat Tuesday. So what better theme for the tradeshow than “Mardi Gras” New Orleans style?

In keeping with the Mardi Gras theme, attendees and booth sponsors are encouraged to decorate their booths and dress in costume. Prizes will be awarded for best booth, best male and best female costumes. Premier Entertainment spun tunes to keep the Mardi Gras parade moving. Food was provided by a variety of downtown restaurants and beverages by Kirchhoff Distributing, Bartinis, Stone Cliff Winery, and Dubuque Main Street.

Besides the costumes, decorations, entertainment, food and fun, the Downtown Business PM provides a great opportunity for businesses to highlight their unique goods or services to Chamber members and guests – the movers and shakers of the business community. Usually featuring more than 80 booths sponsored by area businesses and non-profits, the tradeshow is a great place to learn about new businesses or meet potential customers. Plus, there’s beer.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the 365 booth and all those 365 stickers we saw all over the place. Below are some choice photos from the event. Enjoy!