By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca
Downtown Georgetown is set to transform into a social hub as the Business Improvement Area (BIA) introduces its inaugural Downtown Sip & Shop event.
The event, slated to run from 3 to 7 p.m. Feb. 21, aims to breathe life into the typically quiet winter season while showcasing Main Street South’s retail landscape.
Tickets for the event are available on the Downtown Georgetown BIA’s website and cost $20 per person.
Individuals who are 19 years or older can purchase tickets. Identification will be checked on the day of the event.
According to Bethany Hanman, events and marketing manager at the Downtown Georgetown BIA, the event is no coincidence as the BIA wanted to find a creative way to target the retail sector during a slower time of the year.
“There’s not a lot going on in February,” Hanman said.
By creating an adult-only “date night” or “girls’ night out” atmosphere, the BIA hopes to foster new relationships between shoppers and local businesses.
“We thought of the Sip & Shop idea as a great way to focus on the retail businesses and give them a chance to have some new shoppers and new relationships,” Hanman said.
Participation in the event is designed to be seamless and social. Upon arrival, guests will receive a branded wine glass for tasting samples as well as a punch card and map detailing all participating locations.
Hanman said the event will feature approximately 10 participating businesses. Five of these locations will host tastings from local breweries, wineries and cideries, while the others will offer exclusive “event-only” promotions.
The format will allow patrons to set their own pace exploring “hidden gems” they may have previously only seen from outside.
The BIA has pledged 50 per cent of the event’s profits to Halton Women’s Place.
Hanman explained that the choice was a natural fit given the BIA’s existing relationship with the organization through the farmers market.
The fun doesn’t end when the shops close, as Hanman said the BIA is currently co-ordinating an after-party at the restaurant Uncorked on Main, which will serve as a final “community moment” where attendees can relax together after their shopping excursion.
While the February event is a pilot, Hanman said the BIA is already looking ahead.
She noted that depending on how the event is received, they will consider hosting the Sip & Shop “annually or to even have it a couple times a year, like one in the summer and one in the winter.”
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