Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

To help you promote your practice in an increasingly competitive retail environment, Marchon® and Altair® have created this planning guide,

Event Checklist

complete with a timeline and checklist, to assist you in running a successful eyewear style show. Style Show Checklist

Style shows are great avenues for promoting your practice, bringing in new patients, launching new collections, and increasing your sales. They also strengthen your position as a leading retailer in your community.

12 Weeks Prior m Schedule date and time with participating representatives. m Choose a theme for the show. m Decide on a sale or promotion.

6 Weeks Prior m Create an invitation/flyer. m Merchandise your office featuring the show collections. m Begin marketing the show.

Style shows are effective once or twice per year, usually not more than

m Book a photographer.

that. If you hold an event too often, it ceases to be special and becomes

m Organize the advertising.

more commonplace. The more special an event is perceived, the better

m Solicit free publicity.

the attendance.

m Book exams for show day.

4 Weeks Prior

2 Weeks Prior m Mail invitations and flyers. m Start making personal calls to your best patients.

1 Week Prior m Confirm representative participation. m Organize refreshments and music. m Hang banner.

Conducting a style show requires a two-fold commitment: you and your

Show Day m Set and measure financial goal for the day.

staff’s commitment to planning and promoting the show, plus a commitment

m Hold a preshow meeting.

from your Marchon and Altair representatives to assist you in achieving your

m Send thank-you notes.

desired results. Together, we’ll make your show a grand success!

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After the Show m Evaluate comment cards.

Notes:

Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Choose the right brands. The key to a successful dispensary is to create a retail environment that appeals to the styles and needs of the majority of your patients. Your frame offering

bebe® Optical and Sun Collection Now Available from Altair

must be fresh and relevant. Practices can broaden their selection by adding The bebe debut collection

successful brands that appeal to different consumers.

features 16 optical and 10 sun styles. bebe’s signature look of hip, sophisticated and sensual fashion for women is embodied within four inspirations—Rocker, Glamour, Lover, and Logo. Inspired by her desire to make a fashion statement, the collection mixes iconic bebe details of hearts, crystals, studs, animal prints, and a custom lace acetate. Point-of-purchase materials include: a single-piece display, a five- or ten-piece display, mirror, counter cards, and posters. Each optical frame and sunglass comes with a black patent leather case, featuring bebe’s signature “i bebe” printed on the inside. Each case includes a cleaning cloth highlighting bebe’s tossed-heart pattern. Metro Eyecare LLC , Colorado Springs, CO

For information contact, Altair Eyewear at 800.505.5557, or online at altaireyewear.com.

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Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Schedule date and time with representatives. (12 Weeks Prior) Schedule your style shows during the fall or spring seasons. Style show attendance is usually lower during summer and winter months due to vacations and holiday preparations. Choose a day when most of your patients are likely available. If your office or store is located in a retail environment where there’s foot traffic, then Saturday is the best day for your show. If you’re located in a professional or medical environment, then a Wednesday or Thursday evening probably works better. Limit the show to four hours to create a sense of urgency and excitement around this special event. Optimal show hours on a Saturday are from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For a Wednesday or a Thursday, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. are the most effective hours. Once you determine your date and time, contact your representatives so they hold the date.

Choose a theme for the show. (10 Weeks Prior) The theme can be as simple as the name of a featured collection, such as FENDI Fashion Day or a holiday like Valentine’s Day, or it can relate to an exotic time or place. You can also schedule your show and design your theme around a popular community event. Your invitations, dress, music, and food should reflect your theme.

Plan a promotion. (10 Weeks Prior) A popular promotion is to offer free single-vision lenses with a frame purchase. This has a high value to the consumer and a low cost to you. It also boosts the sales of lens add-ons, such as anti-reflective (AR) and scratch-resistant coatings. Another popular promotion is a raffle where you award small prizes every 15 to 30 minutes and/or a large prize at the end of the day. You can accept raffle entries during the week of the show to build more excitement around the show. A creative idea is to write various discounts, prizes, and lens add-ons on small pieces of paper, roll them up, and insert them into balloons. The balloons are then filled with helium. Guests are invited to pop a balloon and get their prize. Finally, a gift with purchase works well if you can find a gift that is reasonably priced.

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Schedule “your style shows during the fall or spring seasons.



Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Design an invitation/flyer. (6 Weeks Prior) To ensure a good turnout for your show, you’ll want to mail a minimum of 1,000 invitations. This is the single most important step you can take to ensure a successful show. Keep your invitation clean and simple. State the date and time of the show, the featured collections, and any promotions you’ll run. Also let your customers know that a professional stylist(s) from Marchon and Altair will be on hand to offer personal styling assistance. To create an elegant, upscale invitation or flyer, be sure to print it on high-quality paper. A graphic designer may charge about $200 to create it for you, but if you are competent on the computer, you may enjoy creating your own. (Your representatives may have samples from other shows and can sometimes provide collection-based invitations from their companies.)

Merchandise your office. (6 Weeks Prior) Make sure that everyone who enters your office or store takes notice of your featured collection(s) and the upcoming show. Take an invitation or flyer to a local print shop and have them make two or three posters to display in your front window or on an easel in your waiting area. Check your inventory and make sure you have stock of your featured collection(s). Be sure to have all the sizes and colors of the best-selling styles and multiple pairs of the best-selling sunglasses for patients who want them now. Then, merchandise all of your display areas with featured Marchon and Altair collections point-of-purchase (POP) merchandise and product.

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Keep your “invitation clean and simple.”

Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Start marketing. (6 Weeks Prior) This is the second most important step to a successful style show. Everyone in the office must start word-of-mouth marketing through friends, family, and neighboring businesses. Enthusiastically tell everyone about the show and give them a flyer to take home. This includes all browsers and patients, even those seeking repairs and adjustments. Be sure to emphasize that the complete Marchon and Altair collections, including all designer lines, will be on display, and that a Marchon and Altair representative(s) and stylist(s) will be on hand to provide personal consultations. Ask neighboring businesses if you can put a poster or a flyer in their windows. If you’re friendly with retailers around you, ask them to insert your flyer in the bag with their customers’ purchases.

Book a photographer. (6 Weeks Prior) Arrange for a photographer to be at your style show. You can use the photos afterward in your office and for publicity in the local press. As an added personal touch, you can also enclose photos in thank-you notes you send to style show attendees.

Organize advertising. (4 Weeks Prior) This can be the most time-consuming part of planning a show, so it’s a good idea to start addressing flyers and invitations early. Any outside advertising, e.g., newspaper, radio, etc., should start now as well. It can be expensive, but it allows you to reach a wider market and will surely attract new patients.

Solicit free publicity. (2 Weeks Prior) Send a press release to the fashion, beauty, or upcoming events editors of your local news media, telling them the time, date, location, and details of your event. Eyewear style shows are a bit out of the ordinary, and fashion editors are often eager for news of this sort. Contact your local television and radio stations and ask to be listed on their calendar of events, if they have one.

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“in Everyone the office must start word-of-mouth marketing …



Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Mail invitations/flyers. (2 Weeks Prior) Two weeks before the show, put your invitations/flyers in the mail. At the same time, submit an ad to run in local weekly newspapers. Run ads in daily papers three to four days before the show.

Begin “making phone

Call your best patients. (2 Weeks Prior) Begin making phone calls to your best patients. Keep a phone log and try to average 10 to 20 calls a day. You can turn this into a contest for your staff by offering a prize to the person who can get the most patients to attend. This is also an excellent time to invite your contact lens patients to come and shop for sunglasses.

Book exams for show day. (2 Weeks Prior) Start booking exams for show day. A good idea is to put a reminder sign next to the phones. Set a goal to fill the appointment book for the show, making a special effort to book private-pay patients and those with better insurance plans. On show day, consider scheduling your patients closer together than normal, and try not to book rechecks or too many contact lens checks. Some offices offer mini exams as a way to see more patients on show day; you might consider it.

Confirm representatives’ participation. (1 Week Prior) Finalize your plans for the show with participating Marchon and Altair representatives. Allocate at least one hour before the show for representatives to set up, and to spend time with your staff presenting new featured products. Plan to remove other vendors’ frames from your displays on show day to make room for the Marchon and Altair collections and merchandising materials you’re featuring. This will ensure maximum exposure for the products you’re promoting.

Hang banner. (1 Week Prior) Hang a banner outside announcing the show. If possible, make it visible to passing traffic.

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calls to your best patients.



Eyewear Style Show Planning Guide

Organize refreshments and music. (1 Week Prior) Refreshments and music help create a fun and upbeat atmosphere, encouraging sales. Remember to keep it simple and clean. For an evening show, appetizers and wine go very well. If the style show is on the weekend, something light and refreshing is best. Upbeat music adds to the atmosphere and keeps everyone’s energy level high. If your office doesn’t have a music system, bring in a CD boom box for the day.

Decide on “a reasonable goal for the daily receipts.



Hold a preshow meeting. (Show Day) Schedule a preshow meeting 30 to 60 minutes before the show begins. When the show gets very busy, this meeting will pay off. This is the time to review your pricing structure for the representatives (ophthalmic and sun) and patient flow for your staff and representatives. This is also when the representatives should review their products with your staff. Make sure everyone knows their duties, so that when it gets busy, all of your patients are attended to. Remind everyone to smile and have fun.

Set a financial goal for the day. (Show Day) Decide on a reasonable goal for the daily receipts. Measure and track your progress toward the goal, posting and updating your progress every hour or so in a lunchroom or office. Graphs are fun and inspiring because you can watch sales rise closer and closer to your goal as the day progresses. Be sure to praise (and consider rewarding) your staff and representatives for a record day. The excitement of a record day can motivate higher sales for your office for weeks following a show.

Send thank-you notes. (After the Show) Make a list of everyone who attends the show so you can send thank-you notes and comment cards. Use the comment cards for feedback about the show to evaluate how you can make it even better next time. You can also use your list as the mailing list for the next show. Also send thank-you notes or gifts to friends, neighbors, and businesses that helped to make your show a success.

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Photo Gallery of Style Shows

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Style Show Checklist

12 Weeks Prior

Notes:

m Schedule date and time with participating representatives. m Choose a theme for the show. m Decide on a sale or promotion.

6 Weeks Prior m Create an invitation/flyer. m Merchandise your office featuring the show collections. m Begin marketing the show. m Book a photographer.

4 Weeks Prior m Organize the advertising.

2 Weeks Prior m Solicit free publicity. m Mail invitations and flyers. m Start making personal calls to your best patients. m Book exams for show day.

1 Week Prior m Confirm representative participation. m Organize refreshments and music. m Hang banner.

Show Day m Set and measure financial goal for the day. m Hold a preshow meeting.

After the Show m Send thank-you notes. m Evaluate comment cards.

©2011 Vision Service Plan. All rights reserved. VSP Global is a service mark and VSP is a registered trademark of Vision Service Plan. Marchon is a registered trademark of Marchon Eyewear, Inc. Altair is a registered trademark of Altair Eyewear, Inc. Eyefinity is a registered trademark of Eyefinity, Inc. EYEDESIGNS is a registered trademark of Eye Designs, LLC.

JOB#6381DR 5/11