Before a region commits to a convention center or major capital project, FORA sits alongside the economic case and answers the second question: is the destination genuinely ready to carry it — in community will, organizational capacity, and the funding environment, not just the numbers?
A feasibility study tells you if the numbers work. FORA tells you if you're ready.
Economic analysis, pro formas and cost studies are necessary to justify funding and construction. They are not sufficient on their own. FORA adds the dimensions that sit next to the numbers — who will actually use the space, where it should go, how it affects surrounding businesses, and what community and elected-official support needs to be in place before the decision can move forward. FORA is built on a community-first premise: economic viability is one dimension of readiness, not its definition.
Refreshes the case
Updates demand and financial models with post-2020 conditions — so a decade-old study isn't carrying a decade of decisions.
Tests true readiness
Measures what an economic study doesn't reach: community will, organizational capacity, and resilience across a 20–30 year horizon.
Built for scrutiny
Designed for council deliberation and funder due diligence — built to tell you the truth, not to confirm a conclusion.
Seven pillars, three foundations of readiness.
Seven questions, held in relationship with each other. The pillars are interlinked — access shapes perception, perception shapes community will, and governance determines whether any of it can be delivered. Select a pillar to see what it connects to. Each pillar is scored on a calibrated 1–5 scale combining quantitative indicators with structured qualitative judgment.
- Destination readiness
- Organizational & community readiness
- Investment readiness
What we look at
How we source it
- Pillar 01
Destination Experience Quality
“Can this place deliver an experience worth traveling to?”
- Pillar 02
Accessibility & Connectivity
“Can people get here, and move around once they arrive?”
- Pillar 03
Community Will & Inclusive Investment
“Does this reflect what the community wants — and who does it serve?”
- Pillar 04
Organizational & Governance Readiness
“Is the organization ready to actually run this?”
- Pillar 05
Economic Feasibility & Investment Readiness
“Is the economic case directionally sufficient — and is the investment environment aligned?”
- Pillar 06
Environmental & Climate Resilience
“Is this investment durable over the next 20 to 30 years?”
- Pillar 07
Destination Perception & Reputation Risk
“What is the gap between self-perception and external reality?”
Scores aren't averaged.
A critical gap on any single pillar is a project-level finding that shapes the recommendation — regardless of how the others perform. A strong economic case can't outvote a community that isn't ready.
- Calibrated 1–5 scale per pillar, combining quantitative indicators and structured qualitative judgment.
- Funders increasingly require documented community alignment and equity positioning as conditions of award.
- The closing recommendation is conditional and sequenced — Advance, Advance with conditions, Pause and prepare, or Reconfigure.
A readiness map, and a sequenced recommendation.
A seven-pillar readiness assessment that tells you, your partners, and prospective funders exactly what conditions must be true, and in what order, before the investment is positioned to succeed. Every pillar gets a rating, a documented basis, and a place in the recommendation. Below is an illustrative example of the closing summary — the shape of the output, not a real destination.
Illustrative only. Scores and findings shown are composites created to demonstrate the format of a FORA summary; they do not describe any client or destination.
Advance
Move to next phase — site selection, governance formation, funding applications — with conditions and sequencing noted.
4–5 on community will, governance and economics. No critical gaps.
Advance with conditions
Name the one or two conditions that must be resolved first, define what resolution looks like, and set a 12-month decision gate.
Mostly 3–4, with one or two pillars at 2.
Pause and prepare
Hold the funding and partner pursuit until remediation is complete. Delivered with a roadmap and milestones, not just a caution.
Any critical gap, or governance or economics at 2 or below.
Reconfigure
The current configuration isn't viable. Explore alternative scales, governance models, or phasing before reinvesting in feasibility work.
Critical gap on economics, or fundamental governance or site issues.
For the decision that has to hold up.
FORA is built for destinations, regions, and public-private partnerships weighing a major capital investment where a council vote, a funding application, and a community's trust all depend on getting the readiness question right.
- DMOs and destination councils weighing a convention center or major venue.
- Multi-jurisdiction regions aligning several communities around one investment.
- Leaders refreshing a feasibility study that predates today's market and funding conditions.
- Boards and councils who need findings that withstand public and funder scrutiny.
Find out if you're ready to build.
Start with a conversation. We'll scope a FORA assessment to your project and the decision in front of you.