Events With Wings: Thinking Outside The Box To Get Exposure For Your Business

The theme for this month encompasses thinking outside the box, but most can agree that our business is complicated, so if we can even keep up with the stuff inside the box, we are happy. But there are ways to think - and act- outside the box while also having fun and engaging your employees, customers, and community.

In the ongoing task of increasing exposure for your business, most have embraced online and social media and these are certainly important. But we can do better. One way is to pick up on the increased popularity of community and/or charitable events that combine shopping locally, small business, and philanthropy. This concept itself is not new, but accomplishing the objectives for a return on investment of your efforts involves some outside-the-box thinking.

With the permission of Dr. Michael Kreuzer at Glasses Half Full, here is a well-executed example of this concept.

Glasses Half Full (GHF) is in a trendy arts district of Edmonton that hosts an annual ‘light up the street’ event called the All Is Bright Festival. During this event, many of the retailers run exclusive offers and are open for business.

GHF partnered with Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society - an organization that raises and trains service animals - to plan an in-office event as part of the All Is Bright Festival.

Both GHF and Dogs with Wings promoted the event prior to the date, and did a photoshoot with the dogs in the GHF office to add visuals and context to the event. Anyone following the charity is now aware of Glasses Half Full, and anyone following GHF is now aware of Dogs with Wings.

The night of the event, everyone was invited into Glasses Half Ful to meet the dogs, get a picture, and purchase items such as hot chocolate, homemade dog treats and dog bandanas to support the charity. (No eyewear was for sale that night). Signage was placed out front to make those attending the All Is Bright Festival aware of the event at GHF. As people waited in line to meet the dogs, I heard comments such as:

• “I did not know this optical shop was here.”

• “This is a cool place.”

• “I love those frames.”

The last critical step was a card given to all attendees with an offer - if they came in for an eye exam in the next couple of months, GHF would donate $25 from the fee to Dogs with Wings.

GHF has run this event every year since 2018 (except during COVID lockdowns), and Dr. Kreuzer says each one has attracted about 500 people. The event always achieves the objective of increasing exposure and growing the business.

Guidelines for a Successful Event:

1. Look for community or charitable opportunities that align with your business personality:

   1. Be selective - ensure that it is something you and your team genuinely care about.

   2. Ensure that it aligns with your values.

   3. Ensure the group or event has good press/reputation.

   4. Ensure that the group and its team are motivated.

2. Look for an opportunity to mutually benefit:

   1. In addition to supporting the community or group, we also want to ensure that our business gets exposure. Make this clear to the group up-front.

   2. Does the group have a target audience that would be interested in your services?

   3. Does the group have a good online presence and following?

3. Be creative and spread the word:

   1. Both parties need to advertise and promote the event.

   2. Think of ways to get people onsite or bounce back coupons to have the visit later.

4. Set a goal, devise a plan, execute, and debrief:

   1. Agree on action steps, owners, and timelines.

   2. Always debrief the event so you can identify what you will repeat and what you will not do going forward.

Dr. Kreuzer’s Advice:

“I really feel that a magical element to a successful charity event is choosing a charity that’s around the same scale as your business. I have found over the years that when I try to engage with major national or international charity organizations, I lack the scale and therefore the ‘oomph’ for them to mutually participate in an event at the same level that we try to.”

“The things I look for in a charity are its size, its overall business model, and most importantly, the eagerness of the charity contacts to work and communicate with you during the charity events. And it’s always the events that are co-promoted that are the most successful.”

Another magical thing I observed the night of Dr. Kreuzer’s event: the staff was bursting with pride knowing they work for an organization that genuinely cares, and that they are making a difference - #employeeengagement #employeeloyalty #funtimes.

This does require extra effort, but I think we can agree that this is certainly offset by the return on investment.

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Nancy Dewald is a business development professional, workshop facilitator and optical industry veteran who founded and is CEO of Lead Up Training & Consulting, a company specializing in identifying business gaps, implementing solutions and developing leaders.

Article as seen in Optical Prism