By Tiffany Broughton
The winner will be posted on the Meet Me In Midway Facebook
page created by the business association. For more information on the Stroll and other events hosted by the merchants, visit
Facebook.com/meetmeinmidway.
The page is not yet affiliated with meetmeinmidway.com, the
city’s website, and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift attended Wednesday’s association
meeting partly to say the operators of the sites need to communicate and
coordinate.
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Valentine's Day is approaching, meaning the annual Chocolate
Stroll is just around the corner, but the Midway Business Association has been
working on several other ideas for the upcoming year, including new ways to
promote and advertise.
The Chocolate Stroll will be held Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Midway. The event is hosted by the business
association and merchants are encouraged to participate.
Patrons will pick up a ticket in any of the participating
stores, which will be labeled by a sign in the window. Those who have their
ticket punched the stores with signs can drop their punched ticket off in the
Kennydid Gallery for a drawing at the end of the event.
The drawing will be for a $250 Historic Midway basket that
will have donations from each of the participating merchants. The event and
tickets are free of charge.
"It is up to the individual merchant what they do as
part of participation for this event," said Peggy Angel of Steppin' Out
Boutique. "I am giving flowers away for the first 50 buyers, chocolate
treats, which all merchants usually give and I'll be giving away door
prizes."
The Facebook page is the first public evidence of the
business association’s plan to revamp and redirect its advertising and
marketing.
"The goal of this Facebook page is to promote Midway to
tourists," by promoting events and related webpages, said Elisha Riddle of
Lexington, creator of the page and owner and operator of Charismatic Media.
The
Midway Business Association pays Riddle $125 per month to keep the page
updated. Riddle said she puts $25 of that monthly payment back into advertising
and promoting the page to targeted audiences on Facebook.
The page was started three weeks ago and as of Feb. 7 had 80
likes. The page will share merchants’ postings and be an outlet for tourists to
check out Midway. She said it will help merchants build their email lists to
send out email blasts that promote
events and businesses.
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| Screenshot of city's website, MeetMeInMidway.com |
"If we spread ourselves out, we're not creating more
traffic," said Vandegrift. "I'm afraid we're just diluting
ourselves."
Along with Facebook promotions, the business association is
having James Reed of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association develop a media and
advertising campaign to market to tourists. Reed also works with Midway
University.
"Hopefully, next month he will be ready to report to us
with what he recommends as the general campaign for us as a small city,"
said Angel, speaking as secretary of the association and member of its
advertising committee. "We are hoping to market our brand as our
city."
The association will have a budget of $16,000 to $20,000 for
the campaign, Angel said. Advertisements will cover a 70-mile radius and reach
out to families with a decision maker 30 to 60 years old, she said.
"You've got to be consistent and I think that is
something we haven't done so well in the past," said Angel. "You've
got to limit what you do, but you have got to be effective with what you
do."
Part of the advertising money will cover the Midway Fall
Festival, which is the association's main money-maker.
The merchants do not yet have the membership they had last
year. As of Wednesday’s meeting, only three merchants have paid their dues;
last year there were 18 members. Dues are $100 per year.
"We really need to campaign for members for this
association.," said Angel.
The members present agreed to sponsoring the Francisco’s
Farm Art Festival, but without a quorum they could not officially vote on the
sponsorship.
Applications for the festival have closed, with 112 artists
seeking consideration by jurors who will select exhibitors, said business
association President Kenny Smith, who also works with the festival.
The
applications for vendors and non-profits at the festival are on the festival's
website. Non-profits will be limited to those in Woodford County.
"We were getting people from Cynthiana selling dogs.
... I think it was a puppy mill," said Smith. "If you are selling
windows or Tupperware, no. We are an arts and crafts festival."
Don Vizi, executive director of the Versailles-Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, told those at the
meeting that there will be a ribbon cutting for the new factory in the next two
weeks. The Woodford County Economic Development Authority wants to have Gov.
Matt Bevin attend, he said.
"We can't get the governor to commit when and if he's
coming or not," said Vizi.
The chamber is starting a drive for used cell phones, to be
donated to abused women. More information will be available shortly, said Vizi.
Leslie Penn suggested that the chamber seek help from local
churches, which “tend to have a big influence on collecting things for the
needy.” She volunteered to pick the
donated phones up from the churches if the chamber goes that route.
Vizi said the chamber is working on the Hike Bike Waterways
Horseback Riding Trail Committee, which will meet on March 12 at KCTCS in
Versailles from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to display proposed trails to the public.
"We will lay out all the charts for the future trails
and how they will tie together," said Vizi.
Merchants in attendance were Kenny Smith of Kennydid
Gallery, Leslie Penn of Historic Midway Museum Store, Peggy Angel of Steppin'
Out Boutique, Ellen Gregory of Midway University and Kaci Leatherwood and Connie Snyder of Cherokee & Co., a
boutique that will open late this month. The Midway Business Association meets the first Wednesday of
each month at 9 a.m. upstairs in City Hall.
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