e-NEWS

Open to all members and future members. Please refer to our online Calendar of Events for chapter meetings and locations.

Friday, March 2, 2007: First Friday Forum: "Marketing to Hispanics: A Nuts and Bolts Approach" with Daniel Durazo

There has been an explosive growth of the U.S. Hispanic market and at the same time, U.S. Hispanic buying power has hit $800 billion. In 2005 advertisers spent $3.3 billion to reach Hispanics. While the market continues its rapid ascent, there is a tremendous opportunity now for marketers to establish brand loyalties with Hispanics before competitors begin to move in. more info >>

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

Tuesday, February 27, 2007: Security & Loss Prevention Association (SLPA) Monthly Meeting: Board of Directors & Membership Meeting

Please plan to attend this informal meeting to share your ideas on these topics. We want to make the monthly meetings and the annual conference informative and beneficial to Loss Prevention Professionals and Retail Business Owners.

Location: Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Avenue
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

Tuesday, March 6, 2007: 2007 Business Development Seminar Series Featuring Michael Guld: "The Magic Words of Leadership"

Building a successful business is all about building relationships. Discover how easy it is to "lead" when you use the magic words every day.

Location: Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Avenue
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

Cost: $50 per person per session. Or register for all 5 seminars and the last seminar will be free!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007: Connect @ Nacho Mama's

Vengan al nuevo Nacho Mama’s en Mechanicsville y tangan una fiesta y un tiempo muy caliente (Come to Nacho Mama’s in Mechanicsville and have a great time)! Bring lots of business cards to exchange with other professionals, and register to win some cool prizes!

Location: Nacho Mama's
7610 Left Flank Rd
Mechanicsville, VA 23116
(804) 730-7311
Directions >>

Cost: $15.00 per person—includes heavy hors d'oeuvres and 2 drinks of your choice

RMA News

The Retail Merchants Association is delighted to have Village Bank as the Title Sponsor for the 2007 First Friday Forum series. Village Bank associates at the Feb. First Friday Forum included (l to r) Bob Staples, Elaine Peek, Harril Whitehurst, Todd Peele, Charissa Johnson, Sue Wilhelm, Tom Winfree, president, and Gardner Fields

Also: Check out new members at the Feb. First Friday Forum and the Connect @ Texas de Brazil event >>

101st Annual Celebration

Mark your calendar for April 19 for the Gala Celebration from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Richmond Sheraton West Hotel. Live music, drinks, dinner and a silent & live auction.

Donate to the Silent/Live Auction

Members are invited to donate an item or package for the Silent & Live Auction to be held in conjunction with the 101 Annual Celebration on April 19.

Items and packages donated to the auction will gain your company high visibility with attendees, while helping support the RMA’s membership services throughout the year.

Some of the most popular donation ideas include: retail products, dinners, attraction tickets, advertising packages, spa packages, and vacation packages. Be creative! Items should have a minimum value of $100.

Don’t Miss Michael Guld’s seminar —“The Magic Words of Leadership” on March 6

Building a successful business is all about building relationships. How do you lead to get the most out of your employees? How do you build loyalty where they will go the extra mile for you and your customers? How do you keep your best employees from taking the next offer that pays a little more? Discover how easy it is to lead when you use the “magic words” every day.

Important Information About Ad-vantage for 2007

NEW! Associate members may now earn up to $200 credit on their RMA account for using the RMA logo.

Retail members may earn up to a maximum of $500 (previously $700) in credit on their RMA account when they use the approved RMA logo in advertising in any medium.

Call Preston Perrin at 662-5500 or go to retailmerchants.com for more information.

The Retail Marketing Expo Committee is planning a great show at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on August 7. Be a part of the success! Sign up to work on a sub-committee. Click here for more information.

Member News

Richmond.com Invites You to Get on “The List”

With almost 10,000 business newsletter subscribers tuning in for the results each week, "The List," Richmond.com's weekly top 10 listing of area businesses, is one of the easiest ways to have your business recognized — completely free! Should you and your company be included in one of our lists? Visit Richmond.com to view all of the current lists, and contact Mike Kulick by e-mail at Michael.kulick@corp.richmond.com, or by phone at (804) 355-4500 ext. 363 to be considered for an upcoming list for your business now!"

Great Richmond Region Adventure T-shirt Design Competition

Amateur and professional designers from the Richmond Region are invited to participate in the Great Richmond Region Adventure T-shirt Design Competition. The winner of this contest will be awarded a $500 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to see hundreds of people racing through the streets of Downtown Richmond wearing his or her artwork during the Region’s exciting new community event, the Great Richmond Region Adventure. Check out all the details >>

Rachael Hawks-Worsham is the New Curator Crossroads Art Center

Crossroads Art Center recently announced that Rachael Hawks-Horsham has been named The Curator for the Crossroads Art Center. Rachael will be responsible for procuring local, regional and national artists to exhibit at the art center as well as coordinating traditional and mixed-media monthly exhibitions and gallery shows for the art center.

Acacia has new days of operation and online reservations

Effective February 20th, Acacia will be open Tuesday through Saturday. Acacia also has a new online reservation system. Visit www.acaciarestaurant.com and look for the link on any of the menu pages. Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner and can also be made by phone at 804.354.6060.

Summer Camp Registration Continues

General registration for Children’s Museum of Richmond Summer Camps continues. New this year, CMoR is offering both half-day AND full-day sessions PLUS extended care. With so many camps to choose from including science, art, drama, nature and more, what could be easier or more fun? Sessions fill fast, so book today! For more information or to register, call (804) 474-7012.

JSRCC Parham Road Campus Dedicates Building

Georgiadis Hall, named for Dimitri and Maggie Georgiadis, will be dedicated on April 2, 2007. The Georgiadis have been U.S. citizens for more than 75 years and believe strongly in the American ideals of economic opportunity, access to college—regardless of circumstance—and philanthropy. They have pledged more than $1 million to JSRCC Educational Foundation. << Back to top

FYI

Sales Tax Holiday for Appliances Passed

The General Assembly has passed a Sales-Tax holiday for the purchase of Energy Star-qualified appliances* and some other energy related products. The four-day holiday will be Oct. 5 - 8.

* appliances (priced at $2,500 or less) included are dishwashers, washing machines, air conditioners, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, refrigerators and thermostats

The VCU Adcenter is Hosting an Executive Education Program for Brand Managers and Marketing Leaders

It's an intensive, 5-day session, (March 12 – 16) where participants will gain insights into emerging best-practices. They’ll learn practical techniques for understanding the changing marketing landscape, monitoring consumer trends and attitudes, developing creative strategies that work, and proving it by quantifying return on investment.

Guest instructors include industry leaders like John Jay, Partner/ECD, Wieden + Kennedy; George Neill, Corporate VP of Global Marketing, Motorola; Scott Slagle, Senior Brand Manager Chrysler Brand, DaimlerChrysler Corporation; Ted Ward, VP Marketing, GEICO; Elizabeth Talerman, VP Marketing, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; and Bill McDonald, EVP, Brand Strategy, Capital One.

Hokies or Hoos?

Find out who donated the most food to the Central Virginia Foodbank to win the Food Fight sponsored by 1-800-Got-Junk? www.HokiesVsHoos.com

Visit The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail

Go to www.crookedroadvirginia.com and take a 253-mile virtual trip along U.S 58 in Southwest Virginia. The interactive Web site also lets you build your own bluegrass song, hear it played back, and send it to friends and family. Check it out!

Free Offer from SpotlightRichmond.com

SpotlightRichmond.com is a community website focusing on “spotlighting” the good things that are happening in our community and is committed to supporting local businesses. As a way of introducing the Web site, in addition to a free business listing, Spotlight is offering members of the Retail Merchants Association either a free banner or a free coupon advertisement in its exclusive Coupon Connection section for one month. They will create the banner, if needed, and set-up the coupon connection at no cost. This is a free offer — with no obligation.

Do you know what is going on in Greater Richmond? Do you care? Want to make a difference?

Picture you and nine others, plus a well-known and well-prepared mentor. One minute you're visiting a homeless shelter, the next minute you're meeting with the Chief of Police. You're asking questions, taking notes and opening your eyes to new ways of solving the region’s greatest problems that were identified as part of the recent Vision 20/10 Mid-Decade Update research: Affordable Workforce Housing, Crime & Public Safety Education, Transportation Workforce Development

For 30 hours, you and your team will be challenged to discover current efforts to address our region's issues and present your findings to the group. We'll provide food, lodging, and transportation. You provide the inspiration, imagination and curiosity. Stay tuned in, clued in and engaged. This is just the beginning.

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE? Click here for more information and an application. Deadline is Feb. 28.

Easy Parking in Shockoe Slip!

Experience the convenience of easy parking, dining, dancing and shopping! Go to Historic Shockoe Slip!

Self Parking

Valet Parking

Valet pick up point is located at 13th & Cary Streets in Shockoe Plaza. After 5pm, pick up is on Cary Street between 12th & 13th Streets.

For more information on the parking program call Lanier Parking System at 804-225-1336.

Virginia Arts & Letters Live Returns in March

James River Writers and Barksdale Theatre, in association with The READ Center, present Virginia Arts and Letters Live, with guest host and acclaimed actor Barry Corbin.

VALL features Virginia actors performing short stories by Virginia writers, accompanied by Virginia musicians. Scheduled to appear are actors Barry Corbin, Erin Thomas, Jill Bari Steinberg, and Justin Dray, reading works by R.T. Smith, Janet Moss, Kimberly Elkins, and Greg Bottoms.

VALL is a stand-out event you won't want to miss, the hottest ticket of the season.

For ticket information and reservations, contact the Barksdale box office at 804-282-2620.

The performance will be recorded and broadcast Thanksgiving evening, 2007 by WCVE 88.9 FM.

The Easy to Love Customer Service Award - $500 Cash Prize!

The Easy to Love Customer Service Award recognizes the importance of frontline hospitality employees to the Richmond Region tourism community. The award honors an individual who has proven to be an exceptional representative of the Richmond Region by consistently providing top-notch customer service, often going far beyond the call of duty. Eligible nominees include all Richmond Region non-management frontline employees, as well as behind-the-scenes service staff members who play a part in enhancing the customer experience. This year's award will include a $500 cash prize and plaque, to be presented at the Discover America Week Luncheon May 10. Nominations must be delivered to RMCVB by Friday, April 6. Click here to download the application >>

RMA e-NEWS

Upcoming Events

Member Chapter Meetings!

2007 Title Sponsor

Print Media Sponsor

Radio Media Sponsor