Like the local business they serve, the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber has had a difficult two years. COVID-19 canceled the chamber’s largest event two years in a row and Hurricane Sally …
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Like the local business they serve, the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber has had a difficult two years. COVID-19 canceled the chamber’s largest event two years in a row and Hurricane Sally damaged their main office, but leaders here say they found ways to change and adapt.
The cancellation of the Annual National Shrimp Festival in 2020 due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to the local community. But from the cancellation, a new event was created.
Vice President of Special Events Steve Jones focused his energy on revamping the old Merry Market event. Jones said the event had become stale and the staff decided to reimagine it. Chamber President and CEO Greg Alexander wanted the event to have the feel of the outdoor Christmas markets he experienced during his time in Germany. The Holly Days on Main Festival was the result and despite the short notice the event saw 15,000 people and 53 vendors in 2020.
“We have a lot of new vendors this year that have not been here before for this event with different products. The goal is to have different product lines and not the same thing every year. Some things will stay like the Pub Crawl and the lighted boat parade passing Saturday night,” Jones said.
In its second year, Holly Days on Main will have a new layout to ensure visitors can visit booths and The Wharf businesses with ease. The vendors will be set up in the center of Main Street facing The Wharf tenants. Jones has room for 79 vendors this year and hopes visitors will find new and interesting gifts they couldn’t find normally.
Alexander said the festival benefits from the infrastructure that already exists at The Wharf like the ice-skating rink, Christmas decorations and laser light show. A line-up of entertainment that includes local dance, school and church groups helps keep the family-oriented atmosphere.
Due to the popularity of the crafting booth by the Gulf Shores Eco Center last year, a children’s crafting booth will be set up at the chamber’s office at The Wharf. Flip Flop Vacations is sponsoring and is also staffing the booth. The Gulf Shores Eco Center crafting booth will return this year with a larger space to accommodate crafters.
The Second Annual Holly Days on Main Festival is Dec. 11-12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Wharf in Orange Beach.
In order to continue to grow events such as the Annual Holly Days, the chamber invested in new technology this year and purchased the program, Eventeny, which makes it easy to manage vendors, volunteers and sponsors and also provides event attendees with maps, event schedules and photos.
The product was purchased for use at the Shrimp Festival, but the cancellation has given Communication Coordinator Ryan Moberly time to test it with the Holly Days on Main Festival. This year you will see QR Codes located throughout the Holly Days on Main Festival area. Once scanned, the QR code will take you to a schedule of events, display photos and special deals being offered by tenants of The Wharf.
Moberly said Eventeny is an event hub that allows the chamber to streamline large events. Vendors can now apply online and even find the event on a calendar of events across the country that utilize the program. It also creates a database of vendors that can be used for future events, create a database of volunteers, and has the ability to send out rapid communication.
“The last Shrimp Festival was delayed due to poor weather. If you can imagine hundreds of volunteers and vendors. We couldn’t get the word out. Once we list everyone in our database we can send alerts with one text,” Alexander said.