The Village
This morning, while I did my usual singing, speed racer impersonation,
a commercial came on the radio. Normally when this happens my hand leaves the “2”
position in order to quickly find a new
jam. (Nobody dances in their car better than me!) But, I stopped mid-button
pushing. The commercial talked about The Village at Meridian’s grand-opening.
At first I thought, “seriously, another new store on Eagle road!?” Then I
listened a little more. The event consists of a 300 swag-bag give-a-way with
five bags containing $500 shopping sprees, food, live-music, fountain show and
sculpture unveiling. This sounded all fine and dandy until I heard that the
festivities began at 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning. I thought, “seriously, who in
their right mind would drive out to Eagle road at 6:00 a.m.? Then, the light
bulb moment. The Village promoters know their audience.
Supply and Demand
Eagle road, while the bane of my shopping existence, seems
to be one fastest growing retail center in the state of Idaho. It is also close
to the money. Ada County has a median family income of $73,929, the highest
monetary contributors to this figure reside in Eagle, Star, and Meridian and
these consumers demand products. The Village plans to provide it.
Leave’m Hangin
After the commercial ended a million questions ran through
my mind. What is The Village, a new store, shopping center, events arena? How
haven’t I heard about this before? What am I doing Friday morning at 6 am? The
ad delivered all the important information in a way that made me forget my mad
singing/dancing skills. I pondered on all my questions throughout the remainder
of my 10-minute drive. As I began my trek to my first class I whipped out my
GalaxySII (product placement) and searched the interwebs for information on
this amazing event. The ad effectively piqued my interest but left me with more
questions than answers. This lead me to actively searching out The Village
online.
The Website
Strike a pose, Vogue. My first thought as the web page downloaded.
The first page made connecting with The Village simple, but required you to
click on the “GRAND OPENING. Come see what’s happening at The Village. Grand
Opening Events Guide” link. Once there the site delivered the information on
the festivities in a clear, easy to follow format. The color scheme–tiffany
blue–gives the site a luxurious feel and the simple font lends itself to
elegance. Simple, clean and concise.
The Plan
The events planned encompass every conceivable activity for
families, singles, and teens. The 3-day event includes a super hero/princess
meet and greet, cookie decorating, food sampling and a Beatles tribute band in
addition to the previously mentioned activities.
Is Failure an Option?
Planning a multitude of outdoor events in an Idaho city,
what could go wrong? I’m sure the Farmer’s Almanac, The Weather Channel and God
were all consulted before the dates of the Grand Opening became solidified. But
I can’t help but wonder if anything short of a tornado possessed enough power
to kill the awesomeness of this event.
Final Question
So what is The Village? I leave the answer to this question
up to the readers. The link http://www.thevillageatmeridian.com/
will provide the information, but the interpretation is up to you. How were you
inspired?
