Downtown Providence Working Business Lunch
Thursday, March 12 | 12:30–2:00 PM
Arrival and lunch beginning at 12:00 PM
The Pavilion at Grace Church | Downtown Providence
A curated, invitation-only working lunch bringing together downtown Providence small business owners and operators, alongside a limited number of employers and institutional partners, for a focused, facilitated conversation about current downtown business conditions.
The session is designed as one-time working session and listening and synthesis exercise to surface on‑the‑ground realities, shared friction points, and near‑term coordination needs affecting the downtown business ecosystem.
Why This Lunch Matters
This working lunch responds to interest from downtown business owners in having a focused, time‑bound opportunity to share day‑to‑day operating experiences and hear directly from peers across industries.
The session is designed to:
Surface real, on‑the‑ground business operating conditions
Identify friction points affecting confidence and activity
Highlight where coordination or information‑sharing may be uneven
Gather input to assess whether stronger business coordination downtown would be useful — and if so, what form that might responsibly take
Format
Moderated, off-the-record discussion
Small, curated tables
No panels, speeches, or presentations
Following the event, a brief, non-attributed summary will be prepared capturing high-level themes, areas of alignment, and shared points of attention raised across tables.
The summary is intended to support continued dialogue and general awareness among participants and select stakeholders.
No comments or perspectives will be attributed to individuals or organizations.
Event Support Opportunities
Companies and institutions are invited to participate as supporters of the Downtown Providence Working Business Lunch.
Support at the $1,000+ level helps underwrite event production, facilitation, documentation, and follow‑through for a curated, off‑the‑record working session centered on downtown business conditions.
A portion of support also helps cover time‑bound facilitation, synthesis, and exploratory planning work following the lunch, intended to responsibly assess next steps and options for improving downtown business coordination.
For Small Business Owners
These peer support levels are designed specifically for downtown small business owners who want to help offset the real costs of producing the Working Business Lunch and support structured follow‑through on insights that emerge.
Participation at these levels is not a sponsorship and does not include corporate branding. It is an accessible way for business owners to support the work, be part of the room, and contribute to stronger coordination among downtown businesses.
$150 — Supporter
Supports the production and coordination of the Downtown Providence Working Business Lunch.
Includes supporter acknowledgment on event materials.
$250 — Contributing Supporter
Provides deeper support for curated outreach, stakeholder coordination, facilitation planning, and structured follow-through connected to the working lunch.
Includes acknowledgment on event signage and materials.
$500 — Founding Supporter
Provides deeper support for curated outreach, stakeholder coordination, facilitation planning, and structured follow-through connected to the working lunch.
Includes acknowledgment on event signage and materials.