Event Overview for Arvada Merchants
LOST 2017
Thursday - May 4 | 4:00 to 8:00 pm
Hosted by the Original Shopping Districts and supported by BID/HOTA
Started in 2004, Ladies Only Sample Tour (LOST) brings your best target demographic (women!) to your Original
Shopping District and introduces them to the retail and services available. It also creates an opportunity for merchants
to welcome and thank existing customers. LOST creates an event during a typically slow shopping time and encourages
ladies to create a social event with their friends and family. LOST helps establish or support a buying habit where the
shopping destination is your business. LOST invites ladies, their friends, mothers and daughters for an evening of
socializing and shopping at your location. This is experiential marketing at its best!
I am a consumer. How do I join in the fun? Between April 10 and May 4, ladies can buy a bracelet packet from
participating merchants. Availability is limited and some areas sell out quickly. Each packet costs $12.50 and contains an
area map, coupon book and event bracelet. The bracelet in conjunction with the map allows the wearer to receive free
samples at participating merchants during the event. The coupon books contain deals from Arvada, Golden and Littleton
merchants.
I am a merchant. How do I participate?
1. Fill out the Merchant Commitment Form and submit it no later than March 3 to be included in all promotional
materials.
a. Posters are available at no charge. Order as many as your location needs.
b. Postcards are available at no charge. Order as many as your location needs.
c. If you wish to sell bracelet packets, decide how many you wish to sell.
d. Create an outstanding coupon offer. Based on experience, we know a 10% discount is not enough value to
motivate customers to return. Also, offers that are not unique and available throughout the year do not perform
well. To maximize the number of return customers, make your coupon offer unique to this event.
2. Prior to the event determine what you will offer as your “sample.” All merchants participating in LOST must offer a
free service or item to everyone who shows up with the bracelet and area map on event day. We suggest offering an
item that represents your shop or services to create brand excitement for your location.
Do I need to join an association? If you are a merchant within the BID/HOTA boundary, no fee is charged. You are not
required to belong to BID or HOTA to participate. However, there is a $50 charge to cover costs if you are not within the
BID/HOTA boundary. You will need to submit payment with your commitment form.
What happens if my location is not open when the delivery is made?
If you are not open when deliveries are made,
we will leave your items at BID/HOTA at 7307 Grandview Avenue. You will need to pick them up there.
Do merchants have to pay in advance for the bracelet packets requested?
No. We collect the money or any unsold
bracelets on event day. The exception is for any businesses who are NOT within the BID.HOTA boundary. These must
pay the non-member fee of $50 in advance.
How do I find out where bracelets are available for sale? On the LOST web site: LadiesOnlySampleTour.com
When can I start selling the bracelet packets?
April 10
What type of payment is accepted from ladies who purchase bracelet packets? Cash or check made payable to Original
Shopping Districts (OSD). NEW THIS YEAR: Bracelets will be available for sale online. Look for a button on the Arvada
page beginning April 10. There is an additional fee of $1 and the bracelets will be available to pick up at LOST HQ on
event day.
Who determines the number of bracelets sold? Each district determines the number of bracelets it wishes to sell.
How many bracelets will be sold in my area?
How many samples should I stock?
Arvada will have 400 bracelets available for sale.
400 - You need to have the same amount as the number of bracelet sales.
How much should I spend on the “samples?”
It is up to each merchant to determine its budget for the samples. You
don’t have to spend a lot. We suggest that you reach out to your suppliers and get free samples from them. Marketing
On Demand is happy with brainstorm ideas with you.
Can consumers purchase bracelets in one area and use them in another area? No. The bracelets and maps will be colorcoded to each area. Merchants need only hand out samples to those with the blue Arvada bracelets.
How will the event coordinator communicate with me? All communication will be done via email and using the web
site. This includes print proofs, status reports and updates. Please check your email on a regular basis and look for emails
from [email protected]. You may need to “white list” this email address.
How do I market this event?
• Display posters in your store windows.
• Hand out postcards in your store
• Mail postcards to your prospect database or find another creative method to attract new customers by promoting this
event.
• The easiest and best way to promote this event is to make sure your staff knows all about it and they are trained to
sell bracelets to everyone who walks in your door.
• Use your social media to promote the event.
• If you do any advertising, feel free to contact Marketing On Demand for assistance creating your ad.
• Feel free to contact Marketing On Demand to brainstorm promotional ideas.
On event day, is there be a contact location?
We will staff a table in Town Square where we will be available to
answer questions, sell bracelets (if available), hand out LOST shopping bags and solicit emails for each area’s database.
Will the bracelets be available for sale on the event day?
Yes unless your area has sold out.
I am selling bracelets. What should I do when I sell out?
When your location sells out, please call (303-797-9507) or email ([email protected]) and let us know.
Another merchant wants me to give them my bracelets to sell. Should I do that? You can but you will be expected to
pay for all packets you do not return. So, you need to collect the money for each bracelet packet you give them.
What do I do if someone comes in on event day without a bracelet and map and asks to receive the free sample?
suggest merchants should only give samples to those customers with a bracelet and map. If samples are given to
everyone, you may not have enough for those who did purchase bracelets. However, merchants may decide for
themselves how to deal with this situation.
We
Why should the ladies wear the bracelet and show the map? Merchants have reported some people come back for
multiple samples. For this reason, we suggest you mark each person’s map after they receive their sample and require
the recipient to wear the bracelet.
Can I use the LOST logo in my marketing materials or web site? Yes. But, all Ladies Only Sample Tour graphics must
conform to the brand guidelines and it is trademarked. The LOST logo and image standards are available to download on
the merchant page at www.LadiesOnlySampleTour.com/merchant.
On event day, how do I let the ladies know our location is participating? Each district will provide pink balloons to
participating locations. Anything you can do to create a visual or aural distraction (music, bright pink items waving in the
wind, etc.) will create a better buying destination for your location. MOD staff will also place directional signs on event
day in locations that will assist customers to know where to go.
How do I find information about the status of LOST or contact Marketing On Demand?
• Consumer information begins on the LOST home page: LadiesOnlySampleTour.com
• Merchant information is located on the LOST merchant page: LadiesOnlySampleTour.com/merchant
• Event HQ: Call 303-797-9507, fax 303-797-6746 or email [email protected]
Calendar
March 3
March 13 to 17
April 3 to 8
April 10 to May 4
May 4
Deadline to receive merchant commitment forms
Posters and postcards delivered
Bracelet packets delivered to merchants
Bracelet sales
Get LOST!
Ladies Only Sample Tour Merchant Commitment Form
Arvada
Business Name:
Contact Name:
Street Address:
Phone:
Email:
Web site URL:
Are you within the BID/HOTA boundary?
If no, there is a $50 participation fee
Yes
No
Coupon Offer: Please describe in detail the offer you wish to place in the coupon book. The coupon will include your
business name, address, phone and web site URL. Make sure you include relevant details such as “only available to ages
16 or older,” etc. Your offer must be text only and no more than 5 lines with 32 characters per line. We will add the
following disclaimer: One coupon per customer. Must present coupon for special offer. Cannot be combined with other
discounts or offers.
Coupon Expiration Date:
Month
Date
, 2017
Marketing Materials Request:
Posters (no charge)
Qty:
Postcards (no charge)
Qty:
Bracelet packets to sell Qty:
Each packet contains a bracelet, coupon book and map. Please collect $12.50 for each packet sold.
On event day, we will collect unsold packets and the money collected from the bracelet sales.
Please fax this form to 303-797-6746 or email to [email protected].
Deadline to receive this form to be included in all print materials is March 3.
Details are also available at LadiesOnlySampleTour.com/merchant
Questions? Contact us at 303-797-9507 or [email protected]