Community events Opportunity or Waste of Resources

Community Events: Opportunities to sell or a waste of time and resources?

On Sunday, I joined thousands of people for Greek Day on Broadway, in Vancouver. The food was amazing, as usual (I’m very lucky to live in this area and get to indulge myself at the BEST Greek bakery and deli around), as was the entertainment! I was a bit disappointed, however, for one reason that maybe not many people pay attention to, but me… I was disappointed by the number of retail businesses that chose to stay closed.

Now, I’m sure that many of them felt they couldn’t compete with the Greeks but to me, I’m not so sure. While many people were taking delight in the Greek food stalls, just as many people chose to eat in local restaurants and pubs along Broadway (the patios were packed, despite the periodic rain).

A number of local retailers did have merchandise tables and open doors, and while I can only guess, I bet they met a number of tourists and other people that didn’t living in the area. Living in Kitsilano, I am lucky to have these retailers in my own backyard but when I head to other festivals (like the recent Italian Days on Commercial Drive) I take a look at the stores and booths in that area; it’s fun and I never know what I’ll find – that’s the great thing about independents, after all!

That being said, I also recognize the costs associated with staying open, keeping the lights on and paying the employees.

So… are these local festivals, while an opportunity to build community, also an opportunity for revenue? Or… are they not worth the resources? I’d like to hear your thoughts/opinions here, at the MerchantHub.

~ Melissa@shelfspace.ca

Comments:

Joanna - The Granville Island Toy Company, 7/2/2010 9:55:10 AM

Hi Melissa, While I can't speak for the current owners, the previous owner of the Toy Box would close at the regular time on Greek Day which I thought was absolutely crazy. When I asked why he chose to close, his response was it wasn't worth staying open the extra hours as there were more "looky-loos" than sales so not worth the extra overhead.

Melissa@Shelfspace, 7/5/2010 3:28:14 PM

Thanks for the post, Joanna. I did notice the doors open but not sure how that translated to sales day of. Would be interesting to see the difference, for sure!

misti, 7/5/2010 4:34:56 PM

Thanks Melissa, As new owners of the Toybox, we did choose to stay open longer, but as it was our first year, we weren't aware of how late things might go so we weren't open till the very end. It was a great success!! We had a wheel out front and gave away prizes to all the kids (and adults) who wanted a spin. We also had free pictures with the Groovy Girls. The revenue definately reflected the strong community gathering that was taking place. We have already started planning how to increase our presence next year and will definately have our doors open even longer. Misti--the Toybox/Toy Jungle

Donna, 7/5/2010 5:37:29 PM

Hi Melissa, Just Imagine Fun Clothing has enjoyed 4 Greek Days. We on the same block as the Toybox. We had 2 men dressed as Spartan Warriors, and several women dressed as Goddesses. We posed for thousands of tourist photo's. And we created a custom temporary tattoo for the day with our store name and the greek flag. We applied 850 tattoos in 6 hours. Our sales are always higher than a regular sunday, but staffing costs are huge as we need all hands on deck to handle the crowds. It is a massive promotional opportunity and loads of fun. Donna Dobo Just Imagine Fun Clothing Kitsilano and the Kids Market

Melissa, 7/6/2010 9:17:12 AM

Thanks for sharing Misti and Donna! Personally, I love living in this community. I am so glad to have retailers like you being part of it and in turn, I'm glad that it was an opportunity for exposure and revenues for you both. Looking forward to all the fun next year!

Melanie, 7/6/2010 4:42:34 PM

Misti & Donna are on the right track. They got involved in the event and participated fully. This is definitely a lot better than just staying open and waiting for people to come to you. Also, as Donna said - it's a promotional opportunity. Customers that do not buy today, may buy down the road. Making that assumption, what can you do to try to get the looky-loos back another day?

Tyler Cumberford, 7/7/2010 2:37:45 PM

Interesting observation indeed. My concern with the retailer who said there were too many "looky-loos" was what they lost in potential sales. What a great opportunity to talk about your store and your product. Not everyone buys right there and then, but if you get into a passionate owner about some of the products they sell, it just makes you want to buy it just because they are so passionate about it. And even if they didn't buy, how many people might tell their friends about the cool store they were in? Too much opportunity is lost if you're closed on a high traffic day in my opinion.

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