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events

events April 2008

Bank of Virginia Visit our sponsor

Enjoy RMA's new events blast, coming to you on the third Thursday of every month. Each month our RMA paparazzi will be covering meetings and events, in Richmond, Goochland, Powhatan, Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Amelia, and beyond—wherever Retail Merchants members and guests gather to network, learn or advocate! Special thanks to our Events sponsor, Bank of Virginia.

Click here for New PR Opportunities Click here for upcoming
Member Events

First Friday Forum

April 4, 2008

"Strategic Planning for Change: Delivering and Managing Change in the Workplace" with Jennifer Scott and Joel Ratekin

New phone system. New computer system. New branding program. New website. New insurance provider. New management. Whatever the change, it affects your workplace and therefore your interaction with customers and clients. Generally, change does not come easily. Your staff and associates have opinions, ideas, and your changes should encourage creativity and collaboration. Thank you to our title sponsor, Village Bank.

Click any of the photos above to visit the photo gallery.

Click here to view video footage of Jennifer Scott and Joel Ratekin's video and download their power point presentation

Upcoming...

Friday, May 2, 2008

"Higher Education and the World Outside"
With Dr. Edward L. Ayers, President, University of Richmond

Click here for more information >>
Don’t we remember when, as college-aged “practical idealists,” we wanted to change the world—but in concrete and immediate ways? That is how students arrive, to a higher education environment that is changing quickly, and becoming more important than ever to the United States.

In responding to the changing educational landscape, it has been an interesting challenge to figure out how to connect the various parts of the university to one another, to the city of Richmond and to the world beyond. Thank you to our title sponsor, Village Bank.

7:45–9:15 a.m.

Location:
Holiday Inn, Central
3207 N. Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23230
Directions >>

Cost: Members, $20; Non-members, $25*
*Prospective RMA members may attend at no charge

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Retailers 4 Life

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Retail Merchants Association's Donor Sign-Up Day

The Retail Merchants Association is partnering with the Donate Life Partnership—which comprises United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS based in Richmond, VA), Donate Life America, LifeNet Health, Old Dominion Eye Foundation, and Minority Organ Tissue Transplantation Education Program (MOTTEP) of Richmond—during the month of April 2008 to increase awareness and encourage Organ Donation. RMA members will offer their retail locations as places where customers can further their education about the importance of Organ Donation as well as sign up to become Organ Donors.

Saturday, April 19th will be regionally promoted as “Retail Merchants Association’s Donor Sign-Up Day.” Retailers are encouraged to offer sales incentives during the day, however, these incentives must be available to all customers and not tied into donation. Customers wishing to become Organ Donors may do so on-line or via the mail; both of which will maintain confidentiality. Donation and organ transplantation saves lives. One organ donor can save 7 lives, restore sight to two people and help many others. Four Virginians die each week waiting for a life-saving organ transplant that doesn’t come in time.

Click here for more information >>

Click any of the photos above to visit the photo gallery.

Click here Ad spot from our partner, WWBT NBC12! Back to top

SLPA

March 25, 2008

Security & Loss Prevention Association Monthly Meeting-Internal Theft . . . When and How It Happens

Guest Speakers Linwood Byrd, Ukrop's Supermarkets, Brad Long, Home Depot, and Doug Rogers, CVS Pharmacy

Internal theft accounts for over 60% of all retail losses. If you think "it doesn't happen at my store" or "I know my employees—they wouldn't steal from me" then you probably are already a victim!

Attendees saw actual videos, heard how these three Loss Prevention Specialists catch employees stealing, and learned how they build cases involving internal theft.

Click any of the photos above to visit the photo gallery.

Upcoming...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Security & Loss Prevention Association Monthly Meeting—Best Hiring Practices: Looking for the Red Flags

Guest Speakers Doug Mann and Steve Martin Ukrop's Human Resource Specialists

When interviewing a prospective employee, do you ask the right questions—and which answers to those questions should raise a red flag?

  • Ever look at an application and wonder why there was a two year gap between the applicant's first two jobs?
  • Ever really wonder why he was released from his last job?
  • Whom should you call for references?    

Our guest speakers are Human Resource Specialists with Ukrop's. They each are responsible for the hiring process in multiple locations and associate relations issues. During their time in Human Resources they have reviewed thousands of applications ranging from courtesy Clerks to Upper Management. Thank you to our meeting sponsor, Richmond Alarm Company.

8:30–8:45 a.m.: Continental Breakfast
8:45–9:45 a.m.: Program

Location: The Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Ave.
Richmond,VA 23230
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

Cost: SLPA Members—no cost; Non SLPA Members—$5

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Smart Marketing: An Executive Dialogue

Upcoming...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

"Smart Marketing: An Executive Dialogue" Moderated monthly by Tom Blue, RMA Marketing Guru

Click here for more information >>
You don’t have to hire an ad agency to get expert marketing advice. If you’ve ever worried that you’re not getting the most from your marketing dollars, Smart Marketing is well-worth your time.

Once a month, you’ll explore your most vexing marketing challenges with a select group of 5 to 9 peer executives. These structured, 90-minute discussions moderated by marketing expert, Tom Blue are designed to deliver the marketing answers you need today while offering invaluable lessons from the real-life experiences of other executives.

April 22, Breakfast—7:30–9:30 a.m.
April 23, Lunch —12:00–1:30 p.m.

Location: The Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Ave.
Richmond,VA 23230
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

SPACE IS LIMITED—2 Groups . . . 20 Participants.

Cost per session : $79 member / $99 non-member*
*Non-members who join after the second session will receive a $50 discount on membership.

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Connect@

Upcoming...

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Connect@ Comedy Sportz™

Click here for more information >>
Like to laugh? Looking to network? Find both this special evening—The famous Connect@ networking opportunity combined with a mini-improv-comedy show, and cocktails of course. Don’t miss this one. Register now! Thank you ComedySportz and thank you title sponsor Central Virginia Bank.

5:00–6:30 p.m.: The cocktail hour

Location: ComedySportz™
7115 Staples Mill Road
Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 266-9377
Directions >>

Cost: Members—$10; Non-members—$15

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Announcing InLight Richmond

Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Photos by Amie Oliver

We are pleased to announce InLight Richmond and would like your help.  InLight Richmond will celebrate the arts in Richmond and encourage lively dialogue about contemporary art throughout the Central Virginia region and beyond.  This unique art happening will be a spectacle of InLight sculptures, multi-media installations, performances, and anything else that creative minds come up with that meets 1708 Gallery's standards for great contemporary art.

Inspired by Nuit Blanche Paris, Rome, Toronto, and Turin, Italy’s multi-installation, light-based public art exhibition, Luci d’Artista, the vision is for InLight Richmond is to be an annual, late-night celebration of the contemporary arts.  This year the event will be in the First Fridays art-walk area, with the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of West Broad Street closed to vehicular traffic.  Broad Street will be transformed into an outdoor gallery and event space for visual and performing arts, with the buildings and streetscape becoming the "canvas."

1708 Gallery will curate this open air exhibition with the theme of Light.  Facades, walls, balconies, rooftops, doorway, parking lots, and median strips have been identified as possible sites for art installations and/or performances.  A national call for entries has gone out, and we are broadening the reach to artists around the globe.  Artists’ proposals are due April 22, 2008. 

Below is a link to a survey which will help us guide the planning of InLight Richmond; your input is extremely important to making this event a success so we thank you in advance for taking just a few minutes to complete it.  

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227LFSBP2GS

Sincerely.

The InLight Richmond
Planning Committee

For more information, go to http://InLightRichmond.blogspot.com

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New! PR Opportunities

October is VA Wine Month

The 20th anniversary of Virginia Wine Month is in October and Virginia Tourism Corporation is doing a PR push, so please consider tying into wine-related travel packages that will be featured on Virginia.org.  Check with your local CVB or tourism office to learn if you fit in!  Tamra Talmadge-Anderson, Director of PR, Va Tourism Corp, (804) 545-5573, ttanderson@virginia.org, www.Virginia.org

"Stimulus Checks" Promotions

According to a National Retail Federation survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers plan to spend 40.6 percent of tax rebate checks when they are distributed later this year. What part of that will be yours???

The checks should arrive during a period that includes Mother's Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July and the back-to-school shopping season.   Will you be running any special promotions to reap the benefits of the soon-to-be-mailed Stimulus Package Checks?   RMA would like to include your special deals in the member-to-member offers on our website.  (Or, with enough response, we may put together a news story.) In a short paragraph (no longer than this one), please describe your offer, include your address, website and phone number, and your information will be listed, right away.  Questions?  Contact Pat, 804-662-5500 or patricia@retailmerchants.com

New Ad Space Available

Retail Partners newsletter is now offering a single-month advertising spot: a quarter page ad on page 4.  This will be the only ad on that page—first come first served.  This is the perfect location (with the “In Brief” news stories) for special announcements, events, introductions, or openings.  Available to RMA members only, $400.  For available months with single page-4 ads, now through the December 08 issues (or other advertising information) contact patricia@retailmerchants.com  Monthly newsletter themes are also available. 

Members Only

Want to tell other members about your upcoming event?

Once a month, your event information can be listed with this e-mail and sent to over 1800 member e-mails!  Simply send your information by e-mail to patricia@retailmerchants.com:  be sure to include date, location, brief description of event, contact information and website or link.  Your information is due before the second Friday of each month. 

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Member Events

Lemaire at The Jefferson Hotel is pleased to host a wine dinner

featuring the wines of Orchid Hill Winery from Paso Robles, California, on Thursday, May 8th, at 7 pm.  Orchid Hill is a 51-acre vineyard located on sloping limestone hills in the Templeton Gap area of the west side of Paso Robles Wine Country on property formerly owned by Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek.  These low vigor vineyards are hand-harvested and the resulting wines are rich and bold.  Both “California Food and Wine Magazine” and “The Wine Spectator” have reviewed Orchid Hill, and we agree that they are making exceptional wines. Please join National Sales Director, Victor Brandstetter, as he leads a tasting of these wines from Paso Robles paired with the cuisine of Chef Walter Bundy.

 Please click here to view the menu for the event:

The cost is $100 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.  We will allow a 48 hour cancellation without charges to the credit card given at the time the reservation is made.  Cancellations made inside of the 48 hour window will result in full charges being applied to the credit card.  Please contact Lemaire at 804.649.4629 to make reservations, or contact us by email at lemairerestaurant@jeffersonhotel.com.  Please forward this email to any friends who you feel would be interested!

Thank you!

Ben Eubanks, Director of Restaurants

Embellish Anniversary Celebration

 Embellish will be celebrating its 2nd anniversary on May 1st, 2nd and 3rd with door prizes, refreshments and a special sale! Come visit this eclectic shop at 5105 Lakeside Ave. in Richmond’s Northside.  Phone 622-7770.  www.embellish-yourhome.com    Coinciding with the opening of the Lakeside Farmer’s Market, May 2nd and 3rd as well as  Lakeside May Market Days.

Sign Up for the Great Richmond Region Adventure Race

There’s no need to span the globe for hidden treasure, its right here in the Richmond Region. The Great Richmond Region Adventure is back with new maps, new clues and another chance at $2,500 for your team, and $2,500 for the non-profit attraction of your choice! Spaces are filling up fast so sign up your team today at greatrradventure.com. The Great Richmond Region Adventure is brought to you by RMCVB and Raven chase Adventures.

Capital Ale House Expands South

Great news for Southsiders! You no longer have to cross the river for a great beer.

We are very excited to announce that we have completed the deal on our third location! The Capital Ale House at Midlothian Village Square is set to open the week of April 21st 2008. (probably Wednesday)

It will be located at 13831 Village Place Drive which is on Midlothian Turnpike two miles east of Route 288 near the Charter Colony Road intersection.

 A few highlights: lots of patio and sidewalk dining, a mezzanine level that overlooks the ba,r and indoor and outdoor wood burning fireplaces.

Not only will we offer 82 drafts and over 200 exceptional beers in the bottle, but also the same great food, service and atmosphere you’ve come to expect from the other Capital Ale House locations.

We look forward to putting Midlothian on the map as one of the Top Fifty Places to Have a Beer in America alongside our West End and Downtown Ale Houses. Cheers!

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