Promotion

Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the neighborhood business district.

By marketing a district's unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers.

These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the district and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.

Girls Day Out November 14, 2009!

View highlights from this years Girls Day Out event

Click on the links below to get your maps and list of participating businesses in each district

“Girls Day Out” is a neighborhood shopping event that will take place in three of Spokane's neighborhood business centers including North Monroe, Historic Hillyard, and Spokane International District (located in Historic East Sprague). Women of all ages are invited to sample the unique local flavor of each district. These business centers offer a little bit of everything – the usual and the unusual, the funky and fun – as well as tremendous antiques and antiquity expertise, new and used furniture, clothing, gift, jewelry, unique book stores, along with some of the best coffee houses, bakeries, and local restaurants in the city.

The Exchange and Girls Day Out

Garland Theatre From the beginning, the Exchange has been a strong partner, promoting the event and publishing district maps and a list of participating businesses. Make sure to pick up your copy on November 12th for a complete list of all participating businesses and maps before you go shopping! Click here to visit the Exchange website.

Girls Day Out partners with Inland Imaging

Girls Day Out is proud to partner with Inland Imaging's "Every Woman Can" campaign to empower and encourage women over 40 to have their annual mammogram screening in a fun and inspirational way. Make sure to pick up your PINK CARD at all Girls Day Out headquarters! Your Pink Card will get you lots of great discounts locally just by presenting it to our partnered vendors. Check out the Every Woman Can Facebook page to see the growing list of vendors.

Girls Day Out District Representatives

If your business is located in these three districts and you would like to participate or need information please contact either your district representative or the Girls Day Out Neighborhood Coordinator.

Girls Day Out Headquarters

Girls Day Out Headquarters will be located in each of the three business districts. Extra district maps along with goodies and extra information will be available for shoppers at these locations:
North Monroe -- Empire Office Machines, 1411 N Monroe St.
Historic Hillyard -- Wear-It-Again, 5025 N. Market St.
Spokane International District -- The Tin Roof, 1727 E Sprague Ave.

Guys Hang-Out

Guys! Wondering what you will do during Girls Day Out 2009? Come check out these "guy hang-outs" in Spokane's Business Districts. Each one is specifically set up to provide you with some entertainment. From watching movies on a big screen at Acme TV or just enjoying a beverage, you will find something to do at these locations:
North Monroe -- Working Class Heroes 1914 N Monroe St.
Spokane International District -- Acme TV, 1727 E Sprague Ave.
Historic Hillyard -- Hillyard Skateboard Shop, 3007 E. Diamond; and Hillyard Heritage Fire & Rail Museum, 3202 E. Queen

Check Out Girls Day Out on Myspace and Facebook

GDO Myspace
GDO Facebook

Check back often for maps and list of participating businesses

Girls Day Out logo

Branding the District Identity

This is a Main Street article on Branding the District Identity.

NBC had developed a short guide on business district branding. Click here to download a PDF file of the guidebook.

Promotional Assistance Free Publicity!

Free Publicity Opportunities. You can post your special event to the calendar at www.visitspokane.com – simply log on and click on the calendar button – that will take you to a screen where you can click “submit an event” and once it’s run past our web editor it will be posted! We get millions of hits a year on our site – it’s a great way to tap into visitors coming to Spokane. And it’s free!

Washington State Tourism will include your heritage destination, festival, package or tour in its Press Room and Tour Operator Site--where tour professional go to put together itineraries and gather information about Washington destinations. A new "What's Happening" section on the webpage will direct user's attention to upcoming events statewide. To add your event, post to www.wastatepressroom.com, or send your information via email to carriew@cted.wa.gov.

Is your city ready for the 'matriarch economy'?

10 million firms (48% of all privately-held firms) have 50% or more women-ownership. Women are starting firms at twice the rate as men, their businesses outperform the economy in employment increases and sales growth. Women aren't just starting retail businesses, but in high tech also, as an increasing number of them are obtaining MBA, engineering and science degrees. Then, there's the growing female influence in the housing industry. Dr. Heike Mayer, a professor and researcher at Virginia Tech whose work focuses on entrepreneurs, particularly women and high tech, calls it the matriarch economy.

The question is, what can cities do to accommodate this growth sector? According to Mayer, women like places where they are accepted and embraced, in an environment that's conducive to different thinkers, to entrepreneurial thinkers - people who want to make a difference, change the world. That will in turn foster entrepreneurship and job growth. Also, women seek larger, more diverse networks than men, and Mayer says women businesses need assistance with connecting to the high-growth, often male-dominated, economic sectors in high-tech consulting, software, and biotech, with less of an interest in manufacturing (which is actually a declining industry.)

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Portland, OR, one of the most progressive, downtown/pedestrian-oriented cities, is the No. 1 metro area in the country for the highest percentage of women-owned companies.

Center for Women's Business Research

Why should your industry market to women?

  • Women control 88 percent of all purchases.
  • Women handle 75 percent of family finances.
  • 43 percent of those with assets over $500,000 are women.
  • One out of every 11 women in America owns a business.
  • Women influence two out of every three of the 3 trillion dollars spent in the U.S. each year!

Mayor Mary Verner's Upcoming Your City Visits and Filming