The holidays are just around the corner and we have some exciting activations and promotions to drive traffic to Downtown this season.
Light up the Night
November 18 is the first official kick off to Hometown Holiday and our magical holiday lighting displays. To celebrate we are hosting 'Light Up the Night' featuring a concert in Towne Square starring the CW Caroler Champions The Sugar Plums. Performances will take place on the half hour from 5 pm to 9pm.
We have also arranged for horse and carriages to offer rides throughout the historic residential district, with pick up at both Towne Square and Centennial Square. Santa will also be visiting from his cozy cottage in Centennial Square (Navy/Lakeshore).
How you can participate:
Stay open late until 8
Activate in your store
To ensure inclusion in this campaign please confirm details on or before November 1.
Holiday Happy Hour
Holiday Happy hour returns, this year running the first 3 Saturdays in December. Once again we will feature music at 3 spots along Lakeshore. Santa will also be on hand to visit along the street and also in his new cottage in Centennial Square (Navy/Lakeshore). This activation will run from 3pm to 7pm.
We will have an ad campaign to support this event.
How you can participate:
Stay open late until 7pm on the first 3 Saturdays in December
Activate in your store
To ensure inclusion of your activation details please confirm participation before November 15.
12 Days of Giftaways
From December 1-12 we will post a prize package each day on Facebook and Instagram featuring donated goods from our members.
We will invite followers to comment on and share each post to enter. This viral campaign is a great way to generate exposure for your brand and your products/services.
How you can participate:
Donate an item for inclusion in the 12 days of giveaways. Provide an image, description and price-point of each item.
Drop off the item to the Downtown BIA by November 23.
Downtown Oakville Gift Card Campaign
Our brand new Downtown Oakville Gift Card program is expected to launch November 18. This program is built on the EML platform and runs on the Visa system. This means the card is processed as a Visa and requires no additional set up. This program is free to participate.
We will be heavily promoting Gift Cards throughout the holiday season including promotion on local buses, in Town facilities, and across print and digital channels. You will definitely want to accept the card to ensure recipients can spend that card in your store.
How you can participate:
Schedule a time for the BIA to come by your business. We will have you sign off on a digital agreement and to swipe a decline transaction on your POS.
The deadline to participate is November 1
Holiday Gift Guide
This year our holiday gift guide will be published as a 7 part blog series featuring unique gift giving themes. i.e. The Trend Setter
We will highlight 1-2 products from a variety of shops or services across 7 weeks. These blogs will be promoted through a paid social and digital marketing campaign.
How you can participate:
Submit 1-2 items, along with product description, price point and photo. Website photos work great.
Submit all items on or before November 4
The following activations do not require participation confirmation however will also be happening this holiday season and may feature your business
Augmented Reality Holiday Hunt
Join in a reindeer game of hide and seek!
Rudy and his friends are hiding from Santa in five locations across Downtown.
Visitors are invited to find all the reindeer on this Augmented Reality adventure for the chance to win $1000 to spend in Downtown Oakville.
Secret SCAN-ta
Beginning on Black Friday through December 24, customers could win their purchase.
Acrylic frames will be delivered for placement on shop counters before Black Friday. When visitors spend $25 or more, they are invited to scan a QR code and upload their receipt to enter.
Three winners will be selected and notified before January 1. Winners will be acknowledged on social media.
'My Favourite Things'
Beginning in mid November we are rolling out an 8-part Instagram campaign and have invited several influencers to select 2-3 shops or services they feel are a fit for their follower base. (We will work with influencers to ensure there are no duplication of stores.)
Influencers will visit selected businesses and shop for their favourite item(s). A reel highlighting their finds will be posted to their channels. We will share to our Instagram followers of 24K+.
If your location is selected the Influencer will reach out to schedule a time to visit.
We look forward to another fantastic holiday season and can't wait to see how you will participate with your neighbours to make visiting Downtown Oakville the best part of the holidays.
If you have any questions about the above opportunities or the process to submit please reach out to skay@oakvilledowntown.com