SAN FRANCISCO — Few events garner as much worldwide attention and engender as much excitement as the Olympic Games.
The residual national pride resulting from the sporting contests four years earlier, the build-up during the qualifying rounds, traditional rivalries between teams, the torch runs and the spreading interest in the Olympic sports among novice players all add fuel to the fire of enthusiasm for this major global event.
Even though the actual event is taking place in Rio this summer, sports fever is everywhere. All this broadcast attention on sports pomp and ceremony provides a tremendous opportunity for you to capitalize on the excitement it generates and turn it into increased sales volume, visibility, and most importantly, additional profit for your business.
The idea of gold, silver and bronze medals can lead to an entire range of promotional efforts that can build your business. Some examples are sponsoring fitness events like bicycle rides (races and/or miles for charity) with winners being acknowledged on an Olympic-format podium, or sponsoring charity runs, swims and kayaking in the same manner.
Incorporating maximum pomp and ceremony, award prizes to winning individual or group donors (i.e. schools) for donating the most:
Coats in your coat drive;
Gowns for prom dress collection efforts;
Blankets and sweaters to your “Keep Them Warm” drive; or
Whatever donation your imagination can create.
Tip: Park your van near the entrances or on the field at local stadium events to collect the donations.
Though the Olympics are an inspirational catalyst this year, sports and fitness are a focus all the time and can be a continuing source of big business for you!
The pomp and ceremony of sports can also be a model for you with which to capitalize on ceremonial opportunities outside the sports world as well. There are many predictable life events that trigger the celebration and ceremony that includes the need for your expertise.
Be alert to the unique and less predictable events around you, too. The motivations for throwing a party are endless, and you can provide a much-needed service to make these festivities a success.
These celebrations can involve everyone, everywhere, all the time, so your potential to get involved is limitless.
Of course, there are the predictable standards of weddings, traditional holidays, religious celebrations, landmark birthdays, and rites of passage that have long been targets for cleaners.
As populations become more diverse, explore the less widely observed festivities that are occurring in your community as well.
Due to the emotional and historical meaning of these fetes, many of these private commemorations have budgets that equal or exceed the budgets of lavish weddings. A good example of such a custom is the Hispanic observation of Quinceañera for 15-year-olds.
Public heritage celebration like the national-themed fairs provide a showcase to commemorate ancestral customs and to wear extravagant traditional costumes that need special tender loving care for cleaning and storage at the end of the event.
You can sponsor awards for the best costumes and gain great exposure for your brand and obvious top-of-mind position for timely cleaning and preserving service. Search the Internet for calendars of celebrations around the world.
Reaching out to different ethnic groups and events plays on their national pride and helps you broaden your market share and increase referrals to your business. Remember both immigrant and Native American festivals in your planning. If you need ideas, the opening ceremony at the Olympics can stimulate your creativity.
In addition to the folkloric events, there are many ceremonial public events that are unique to a given market, like the annual Black and White New Years Eve Ball in San Francisco, the gala openings of the symphony or ballet, the many jazz festival events around the country, and parades for various occasions, whether recurring or to celebrate a major victory.
All of these occasions provide an opportunity for swagger and regalia that falls squarely into your area of expertise.
Showcasing your expertise informs customers and prospects of services they don’t readily associate with you. Similar to the sports letter jackets, displaying a preserved military uniform in a shadow box in your lobby will attract attention and requests. This service is particularly popular for memorials for WWII veterans.
It is also appropriate for any life-event attire, i.e. christening gowns, bar/bat mitzvah clothes, graduation caps, gowns and college designation shawls, judges’ robes, dance costumes, beauty contest gowns, theatrical costumes or any sentimental outfit worn for a memorable event.
Theater is the height of pageantry that can provide you with ongoing business. New theater companies are being created in cities and towns across the nation. Performances are often quite strenuous, and the costumes need regular professional cleaning. Your expertise is needed to preserve the special effects created by the clothing for the actors and other talented performers.
Acknowledging the proliferation of talent shows and the popularity of Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent, American Idol, The Voice, etc., consider co-sponsoring a talent show that allows you visibility to the contestants and to the audiences.
These community events need not be expensive but do require creativity and commitment to succeed. Your choice of experienced co-sponsors makes the idea much simpler to implement.
As you help provide pomp and ceremony by being a good citizen in your community, you create fun and excitement for your associates and customers, become more visible to the society you serve and build your business at the same time. Enjoy the celebrations.
To read Part One, click HERE.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].