Making Events Work for Your Business

Community events like Celebrate the Night, Our Neck of the Woods, Canada Day, the Maple Ridge Christmas Festival & Santa Claus Parade, the Haney Farmers’ Market, Earth Day, Pride in the Park, Country Fest, Tropical Vibes Music Fest, Diwali, and the Bon Odori Japanese Canadian Festival (just to name a few!) each attract thousands of folks from across the city, region, province, and beyond.

Beyond just community events, there is also a wide variety of privately run events, seasonal businesses and attractions, and regionally renown retail sales events that regularly attract tens of thousands of people to Maple Ridge each year. These include pumpkin patches, corn mazes, U-pick berry and flower farms, Golden Ears Provincial Park & Alouette Lake, major retail sales events, LARPer groups, community theatre & music groups, and more.

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At The ACT Arts Centre, more than 80,000 people attend more than 1000 shows, activities, classes, and exhibitions each year, and many of these folks are looking to make a day or evening of their visit.

These events and their crowds of attendees are an opportunity to share your community spirit with existing customers and introduce your business to new ones. As a business owner or operator, you have an important role in promoting Maple Ridge and welcoming residents and visitors to experience everything our community has to offer.

Look for ways to turn the challenges of welcoming thousands of folks to your neighbourhood into opportunities for them to enjoy, shop, and leave some money in your till. After all, just because someone isn’t a ‘regular’ customer, doesn't mean they can’t become one!

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• Community and special events bring thousands of people to Maple Ridge and encourage residents to explore their own community, significantly boosting local merchants' potential to earn extra income during these events. This is a day-of-event benefit.
• Special events allow visitors to see all that Maple Ridge has to offer. While not everyone who attends an event will be shopping or dining, they will certainly all be looking at what stores, restaurants, and services are available. If visitors have an enjoyable time during the event, they are much more likely to return later to make purchases. This is a post-event benefit. 
• Successful events get people thinking about Maple Ridge as a destination for shopping, food, and entertainment, rather than simply a place to pass through to get somewhere else. This is a long-term benefit.

The ideas in this guide will give you helpful information on how you might make these community and special events work for your business - before, during, and after the event.

With so many community and special events taking place in Maple Ridge, it can be a challenge to keep up with them all. The websites below will often have information about events taking place in Maple Ridge, but this list is far from exhaustive.

You’ll also want to keep your eye on the community or neighbourhood groups hosted on sites like Facebook, NextDoor, or Reddit, and you’ll want to follow Maple Ridge-relevant hashtags (e.g., #mapleridge, #exploremapleridge) on apps like Instagram.

Maple Ridge Discovery Hub

Discover.MapleRidge.ca

City of Maple Ridge – Festivals & Events

MapleRidge.ca/Events

Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association (DMRBIA)

DMRBIA Events Calendar
Community Events Calendar

Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Events Calendar
Community Events Calendar

The Maple Ridge News

Community Page

AllEvents Maple Ridge

allevents.in/maple-ridge

Eventbrite

www.eventbrite.ca
 

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Find out the theme of upcoming events and look for ways to tie that to your products and services or decorate to match the theme.

A few weeks before the event, put some items near your till or in your window that fit the event theme. For example, use colours, shapes, fonts, and symbols like the event’s promotional materials. If the event is themed around the outdoors, place more ‘outdoorsy’ merchandise or décor around your shop. If it’s a summer event, offer hats or visors for sale, or if it’s the holiday season, bring out the snowflakes and holly!

The point is to raise awareness of the event and inform your customers about what you’ll be offering during the event.
 

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Advertise some special buys in your store during the event. 

Beginning a few weeks before the event, put the flyers in your customers’ shopping bags and/or online parcels so they know about the event and what will be happening at your store.

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If you have an email list of your customers, email them and let them know about the event, your business hours during the event (particularly if you’re adjusting them or not), and what you’ll be offering.

If you have a mailing list, consider sending a hard-copy flyer or letter with a coupon that is valid only during the event.

Staying in contact with your customers makes them feel valued and keeps your business top of mind.

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If you can offer discounts on your items or services, create coupons and hand them out during the event. These could be coupons that could be used during the event or at a later date to encourage a repeat visit by customers. The important thing is to let people know that your business is open for business.

Remember that offering discounts and coupons is not for everyone, and there can be downsides to this marketing approach. Check out an article from Investopdia.com on the Pros and Cons of Coupons.

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Take local marketing to the next level with social media. X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are great platforms to build interest.

Visit the event web page and social media channels to find popular hashtags. Hashtags are short words or phrases that identify trending topics. By using event hashtags, you can draw attention from anyone following the event. Imagine the impact when an event has thousands of followers!

Consider running promotions leading up to the event, which can work on any social media platform you choose. Offer a discount or small giveaway to customers for sharing your posts, photos, videos, and other content.

For restaurants, consider promoting reservations for brunch, lunch, and dinner during the event; offer an event-themed happy hour special or a prix-fixe menu; entice families with a special kids’ menu.

At the same time, give people a reason to stop by your store during the event. After all, the point of building awareness is to boost sales!

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Your business can support the event and, in return, be promoted at a variety of levels as seen in the sponsorship materials.

Find out who is hosting or producing the event and reach out to request sponsorship information. Some event sponsorship packages might even include promotional booth space in the actual event zone, and some event organizers might be open to in-kind sponsorships that don’t require a cash outlay.

If you can't afford the staff time (or if you don't have staff), sponsorship can be a great way for your business to be seen as being involved and community-minded.

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You can’t make a sale if you aren’t open!

While special event attendees may not be your regular customers, they are your potential customers. Show them that you support the community, and that Maple Ridge is a great place to be! Event visitors might be looking for a way to kill some time, and they might already be in the spending mood, so give them an opportunity to spend money at your business.

Consider extending your business hours—opening earlier or staying open later than usual—to capture event attendees and other visitors. It’s again to the point that you can’t make a sale if you aren’t open!

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Even if your business is open, sometimes a closed door or lack of an ‘Open’ sign is enough of a barrier to prevent potential customers from visiting. You’ll need to find a way to reduce or remove any physical or perceived barriers that could cause event visitors to simply walk past your business.

Turn on your lights. Prop open your door if the weather allows. If your storefront windows can open, make sure they’re open. Post a brightly coloured custom ‘welcome’ sign that mentions the event to signal to folks that they’re welcome inside. As silly as it sounds, you might need to roll out a literal Welcome mat to get folks through the door!

Decorate your storefront in line with the event theme. Curate your storefront display with products or décor that will cause someone to pause for a moment and want to head inside and visit your business. Contact event organizers to see if there are any posters, decals, or other promotional materials you could use in your business.
 

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Provide specials on select merchandise or services to draw people into your business. 

While folks are in your shop, consider running a simple contest (e.g., a draw for a gift card or voucher, guess how many event-colour jellybeans in a jar, or a trivia question about your business or the event). Have participants fill out an entry slip with their guess/answer, name, phone number, email, and postal code. By doing so, they’ve entered the contest, and you’ve got information to add to a mailing list or to begin one, and you’ll learn where your customers are coming from.

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Let’s face it, we’ve all been there: you’re out for the day or attending an event, when you go to reach for something in your bag only to realize you left it at home or misplaced it along the way! If only there were a place you could pick up that something and get back to your day.

Make your business a place that can be a retail knight in shining armour!

During a summer event, it might make sense to carry sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, or rain ponchos. For a winter event, maybe you’ll want to offer mitts, toques, hand warmers, or even hot chocolate. 

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Food providers can offer a ‘take-away’ menu or special ‘grab-and-go’ items that can be promoted to event attendees and staff. These items can be ordered using your in-house apps, online ordering forms, or by phone call - whatever works best for your business.

Remember to provide all this info before the event to your social media, mailing lists, passers-by, and event organizers to drive broad awareness and create a ‘buzz’ in the community.

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Some people resist making purchases during special events because they don’t want to carry additional items with them during the event, or they may not be allowed to bring purchases into the event venue for reasons of safety and security.

Holding customers’ purchases is an easy way to help close a sale and provide great customer service that will long be positively remembered.

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This is a great way for service-related businesses to introduce themselves and their services to the public.

Have a brief sign-in form to capture the name, email address, and phone number of everyone who attended so you can follow up with them after the event. Also, pass out flyers or business cards to all who attend.

Create a fun atmosphere in your store or office by creating activities that will engage visitors and customers. Event patrons are more likely to visit a busy store.

Following up with customers is the key to getting repeat business and referrals.

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Take every opportunity to get names and contact information from event attendees. Building a mailing list allows you to communicate directly and inexpensively throughout the year with your customers.

One way is to encourage customers to enter a draw for a door prize. Once customers have filled out the entry card, you can use the information to send out promotional mailings.

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Community events of all sizes usually use volunteers to support the events, and this is an especially great way for non-retail businesses to get their name out there during events.

Volunteer with the City

The City of Maple Ridge offers opportunities to volunteer in a variety of areas, including Festivals & Events, Youth Services, and Sport & Fitness.

Visit MapleRidge.ca/Volunteer to learn more.

MyVolunteerPage.com

Visit www.myvolunteerpage.com to find volunteering opportunities with community organizations across Maple Ridge. Use the search term “Maple Ridge” to find local opportunities.
 

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If you collected names and contact information from people who visited your business during the event, reach out to them.

Even if someone didn’t purchase anything during the event, sometimes a follow-up is all that is needed to make a sale, close a deal, or have that person say something positive about your business to someone else.
 

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In today’s world, staying in contact is easy and inexpensive.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to stay fresh in the minds of your customers is to send them regular email newsletters. There are many programs available online, such as Canva, Envoke, and Campaigner, through which you will find a wide range of easy-to-use templates for creating your own email newsletters.

Use an email newsletter to:

• Tell your customers what’s new in your business
• Let them know of other upcoming community events
• Conduct a survey to find out what your customers are looking for

The possibilities are endless. Between newsletters, maintain contact and inform customers about sales and specials through email and snail mail.

With a bit of planning and preparation, you can use the Snap Admail service from Canada Post to target specific neighbourhoods across Caanda by geography, demographic profile, and lifestyle data. Mailings can be in a variety of formats, and professional graphic designers are available to help. 
 

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Community events don’t happen by themselves; they take months of planning and organizing by volunteers and merchants just like you. If you are part of the planning, you can have direct input on how events can be structured to better meet the needs of the local businesses.

If you are interested in joining an event committee or other ways to get involved, get in touch with the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association (DMRBIA), the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce, the City of Maple Ridge Arts, Parks & Recreation Services teams, or any of the community groups or societies that run events in the city.

You can also view a listing of events and festivals happening in Maple Ridge on the City’s Festivals & Events webpage.
 

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Perhaps you’re looking to hold a community event in your parking lot, or maybe you’d like to collaborate with your neighbouring businesses to host a block party or festival. You and your team—and your customers—will have some great ideas for events!

Refer to the Host Your Own Special Event section of this guide to learn how to host your own event and what support is available to help you do it.

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Not every promotional idea will work for every business every time. Local marketing takes practice.

Try different things. Keep what works, eliminate what doesn’t, come up with new ideas, then repeat!

Hosting a special event in Maple Ridge is an opportunity to celebrate our cultural identity, community spirit, pride and unique sense of place. By creating a new community event or sharing your ideas and creativity to enhance or expand an existing festival or special event, you are building and celebrating our community spirit, pride, and culture.

This guide covers events to be held in public spaces such as parks, roads, sidewalks, and plazas, but you’ll find some great resources that may apply to any event, regardless of location, including safety plans, waste & recycling plans, event planning, day-of checklist, and food truck requirements.

If your business is hosting an event on private property, you do not need a Special Event Permit from the City. However, if you expect your event to draw significant numbers of attendees and their vehicles, you might need to consider traffic management and traffic control, which may require a permit and sign-off from the City.

Visit the Hosting a Community Event guide
 

The Downtown Maple Ridge BIA represents and serves nearly 800 businesses in the downtown area and can provide support and general assistance for events hosted by member businesses within the BIA catchment area.

The BIA can assist in communication with member businesses, provide community knowledge, advise and assist with access to community resources, provide general planning and promotional assistance, offer the services of the Core Area Patrol, and possibly offer limited funding for event operations.

Visit the DMRBIA Events & Marketing page

The Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce represents 500-plus businesses across Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows (more than 350 in Maple Ridge alone), serving them through advocacy, connection, and education.

The Chamber of Commerce can support member businesses with promotional assistance and access to member-exclusive discounts for products and services offered locally, regionally, and nationally.

Visit the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce