Great Holiday Promotions

[garner]

Thought we could start a thread where folks can find holiday promotions. I'll go first, but you all need to add your stuff in to make this a kind of cheat sheet (for you and others):

Last weekend we went to a BBQ / campfire where the entry fee was 10 cans of food or $10 for the food bank in our neighborhood. Bands were playing, pig roast was stellar, beer was flowing.

Basically, the bands were local store owners (pizza shop, pet store, other local business people) who donated their time, the food and beer were donated by local businesses and their vendors.

If you're in a strip center, what talents do you have? What vendors can you lean on? What groups can you include to help you spread the word (High School Band anyone?).

[garner]

Wine Shops: Sell wine / cheese / app tastings to small retail and other price conscious businesses as their holiday parties.

A 5 person insurance agency doesn't have many choices for a holiday party (cater it at their house?) and you can do it for a good price and in a neighborly way.

Pharm Reps can hold a  holiday open house at your place for their clients.

Real Estate agents can do the same.

Hold them on Sunday nights (or other slow nights) and actively sell these to small businesses, retail owners, pharm reps, and real estate agents.

(Past Success: a coffeehouse and wine bar sold 10 of these at an average price of $200 between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This economy might see better returns.)

[garner]

If you support what your community supports, they'll support you.

[garner]

Make a connection with families.