The Brief

Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) partnered with VVK PR + Creative to plan and execute a media event unveiling the final design concepts for the Peterboro Streetscape Project in Detroit’s historic Chinatown.

The event brought together elected officials, neighborhood businesses, community stakeholders and project partners to highlight the project’s cultural and economic significance, share the next phase of streetscape improvements and announce a fundraising effort to support the project’s completion.

The Strategy

VVK developed a coordinated event and media relations strategy to generate awareness of the Peterboro Streetscape Project and position MDI as a leading voice in Midtown’s continued revitalization.

The approach focused on bringing together key community stakeholders, securing local and regional media attendance, and preparing project leadership to communicate the project’s historical significance, economic development opportunities and fundraising initiative.

The Work

• Managed event planning and stakeholder coordination: Developed invitation copy and design options, distributed invitations through Paperless Post, managed RSVPs and conducted follow-up outreach. Coordinated event logistics through a pre-event site walkthrough and onsite support.
• Executed targeted media outreach: Drafted and distributed a media advisory, secured attendance from five local media outlets and coordinated interviews with project leadership and stakeholders before, during and following the event.
• Developed executive messaging and event materials: Prepared speaker talking points, key messages and an event run of show featuring remarks from Detroit Shipping Co.’s Jonathan Hartzell, Senator Stephanie Chang and MDI Executive Director Melanie Markowicz, followed by media Q&A and interview opportunities.
• Monitored and documented earned media coverage: Tracked coverage across television, print, radio, digital publications and podcasts, and developed a comprehensive media coverage book documenting the event’s results.

The Impact

The February 23, 2026, unveiling of Peterboro Streetscape Project at Detroit Shipping Co. generated widespread earned media coverage, reinforcing MDI’s role in advancing neighborhood revitalization, public infrastructure investment and pedestrian connectivity.

• 58 million estimated media reach and 194,500 reported media views generated through earned media coverage.
• Five confirmed onsite media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), Fox 2 Detroit, CBS Detroit and BridgeDetroit.
• 30 attending RSVPs from elected officials, project partners, neighborhood businesses and community stakeholders.
• Widespread earned media coverage across Detroit’s major television networks, newspapers, radio stations, digital publications and podcasts, including the Detroit Free Press, WXYZ-TV, Fox 2 Detroit, CBS News Detroit, Local 4/WDIV, WWJ Newsradio, WDET, BridgeDetroit, Detroit Metro Times, Metro Detroit News, Daily Detroit Podcast, MLive and WMYD Detroit.
• Four positive-sentiment coverage pieces, with the remaining coverage neutral, reinforcing key messages around the project’s cultural significance, economic development potential and neighborhood revitalization.

Explore the Media Coverage Book for more information.