Whatever business you're in, this time of year lends itself to holiday-themed events. Hosting a festive gathering has a two-fold benefit: First, it's an opportunity to give back to your customers and community, and second, it generates an excellent marketing and publicity opportunity. LifeStorage, a Chicago-area operator of 17 facilities with an 18th scheduled to open in March, decided to realize both of these benefits by hosting a "Santa's Workshop" at multiple locations. The event featured jolly Kris Kringle himself inviting children of all ages to take a seat on his knee, eat candy and rock around a decked-out Christmas tree. Parents could enjoy free refreshments and take advantage of free gift-wrapping.
As a Chicagoan residing only a few miles away, I hopped on the "L" train and rode to the Far North Side to check out the facility in my old neighborhood, Rogers Park. The store is right across from the Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Transit Center as part of a retail complex. (I used to belong to the Bally Fitness club located on the floors above the facility.) This location actually changed hands from Simply Self Storage to LifeStorage in November 2010, facility manager Fred Weaver shared. In a little longer than a year, LifeStorage has managed to make the facility truly its own by fully implementing its branding and creating a clean, spacious, resource-filled office and lobby.
While chatting with me, Santa revealed he's actually a tenant at this particular LifeStorage facility, which inspired the friendly Fred to chime in quickly: "If it's good enough for Santa, it must be good enough for everyone else."
Over on Self-Storage Talk, the industry's largest online community, facility representatives are sharing how they have executed similar holiday shin-digs. Want to post photos or information about how your facility is celebrating the season? You must be a registered SST member to log in, but registration is free and takes only a few minutes. Visit www.selfstoragetalk.com and click "register." Meanwhile, enjoy the photos below. I promise I've been a good community manager this year.