Our Town Motueka gears up for festive celebrations

November 13th, 2011

Our Town Motueka is gearing up for a busy time over the next month, to make sure Motueka shows and enjoys a vibrant retail and celebratory atmosphere for visitors and locals.

The business association's November "Streetlines" newsletter highlights activities around the annual Starlight Parade to be held on Friday December 2nd. Registrations are still available from the OTM office.

The street will be closed earlier this year to provide for a bit more fun and festivity before the floats roll out. Past experience has proven that people generally go home from 5.30pm to collect families, and return to town around 7.00-7.30pm. Therefore, Our Town Motueka (OTM) is focussing some resources on activities to encourage some early shopping before the parade.

In the early promotion, High Street will be abuzz with fairies and elves to help carry shopping, wrap parcels, and generally provide Christmas treats. Included will be a fun race, start outside Elevation at 7pm. Entry fee is kids $1 and a second-hand toy for charity, and adults $2 and something for the Christmas Hamper. Race Dress is festive. The prizes include a Christmas hamper and shopping vouchers.

There will be a kidzone in Wallace Street from 7pm - 8pm, with a ferris wheel, face painting, balloons, bouncy castle and food stalls, and time to check out the Christmas window displays. Then it's time to get your 'pozzie' for viewing the floats when they roll down high street at 8.30pm.

OTM suggests retailers could use the tea hour period to operate on skeleton staff, recharge their batteries to make the most of this captive market.

"Showcasing our place with genuine hospitality with some 'kiwi flair' is a key element to attracting and retaining visitors," OTM's publicity says. "Our local flavour is not to be underestimated. Our Town Motueka has key local community events and some associated activities to keep the wheels spinning."

Supporting this work, OTM is organising a 'best dressed festive shop window' competition, which will run from Thursday December 1st to Friday December 9th. Prizes up to the value of $500 will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. On Friday 2nd, Starlight parade night, mystery judges will be out in force gauging public reaction. Results will be announced in the following week.

Hanging flower baskets will be installed very soon for the summer period, which are certain to lift the spirits of all users of High Street.

OTM is recommending that shop owners "make hay while the sun shines" by staying open seven days a week in the December/January period, embracing Sunday trading and taking advantage of holiday, impulse and positive experience buying.

It says feedback from numerous customers indicated surprise that many retailers were closed on Sundays. OTM can only suggest opening hours, but says strong support will provide an opportunity for coordinated promotion.

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