Summer party at the Pavilions

The Challenge

Off the back of positive footfall and to ease retailers concerns of a drop off as the school and summer holidays kicked in, OnBrand were invited to create a memorable event in the Pavilions Shopping Centre.

Enter OnBrand

To recognise the challenge of maintaining and increasing footfall, we wanted to create an event that the community would enjoy, and that retailers would directly see the benefit of – hence the Summer Party at Pavilions was launched – creating an uplifting festive atmosphere that was both budget-friendly and engaging. Our event also had to be compelling enough not to allow the external Street Fair to draw away footfall from the centre as well.

OnBrand devised a plan to ensure success:

  1. Give shoppers reasons to go into the centre
  2. Create an internal event to increase dwell time, entertain shoppers and add atmosphere
  3. Engage shoppers (and young families) with new experiences and see the centre in a more positive light
  4. Entice them to participate and sign up to future newsletters and comms.

Recognising the budget was low, we capitalised on the fact the centre owned its own car park and created a competition for shoppers to “Win 3 Months Free Parking, a prize worth £500”

We also brought in a handful of specialist pop-up shops for the day (bringing to life the dormant vacant units in the centre) and four mini-gigs performed by up-and-coming artist Rozen Child who created song content around shoppers.

Equally popular was the appearance of a fortune teller, who created so much word-of-mouth hype that her table was never empty.

This was all topped off with striking posters and postcards pre promoting in the run up and a circulated press release which won some free local coverage.

We also created internal radio messages promoting the event in the build-up to the party, as well as messages that played throughout the day itself.

On the day Pavilions branded promotional staff handed out hundreds of balloons to the many families in the area and in the centre, and postcards highlighting the competition and previewing the event inside the mall.

Key Wins

  • A show of support towards the local council
  • Enhanced shopper experience for the customers
  • Supportive comments from retailers
  • Increase in online engagement across social media
  • Spike in footfall (highest footfall for a Saturday in July 2017, up 3.4% from 2016)

What They Say

“OnBrand have been fantastic. By taking the time to really get to know us, our customers and our tenants they were able to deliver a fun and memorable event that was enjoyed by all. Planning and looking after every detail meant my team and I were able to relax and enjoy the day, knowing that everything was under control. With some good feedback, strong footfall figures and happy customers, I can’t wait for the next one!”

Gary Cook, Centre Manager – The Pavilions Shopping Centre

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