Why We Do Events: Connecting Local Business + Community
At Shop Local Raleigh, we believe local businesses are stronger when they are connected to their community and communities are stronger when they have reasons to shop, eat, explore and spend locally.
That’s a big part of why we produce events. Our events aren’t simply about putting on a great festival or bringing thousands of people downtown. They are an opportunity to put local businesses directly in front of consumers, create new customers, generate economic activity and give our members another platform to be discovered.
Events Create Economic Activity
When people come out for a Shop Local Raleigh event, they aren’t just spending money at the event. They may park locally. Grab coffee before they arrive. Visit a restaurant afterward. Stop into a retail shop. Meet friends for dinner. Discover a business they’ve never visited before. That ripple effect is local economic development in action. Our goal is to create more opportunities for locally owned businesses to benefit from the people we bring into the community.
We’re Listening to You, Our Members
As Shop Local Raleigh continues to grow, we’re also expanding our events and programming based on what you are telling us you need.
We’re hearing from members who want:
- More opportunities to get in front of consumers
- More events in different areas and communities
- More ways to promote their businesses
- More opportunities to network and collaborate
- More reasons for people to visit their neighborhoods
- More resources to help their businesses grow
This means you’ll see Shop Local Raleigh continuing to explore new events, partnerships, programs and opportunities designed around the needs of our membership, not simply doing events because we’ve always done them.
And Here’s a Benefit You May Not Think About: Your Membership Helps Make It Possible
One of the things we’re proud of is keeping Shop Local Raleigh membership affordable. Our membership is just $125-$275 per year, and we work hard to provide far more value than the cost of membership.
How can we do that? Events are part of the answer. Events create additional revenue opportunities for SLR that help support the organization, our staff, marketing, programming and member services. That allows us to reinvest in the organization without having to rely solely on membership dues.
In other words: Your membership helps us build the platform. Our events help us grow the platform. And the bigger the platform becomes, the more opportunities we can create for our members.
Your SLR Profile Is Working Behind the Scenes, Too
Every Shop Local Raleigh member has a profile in our online directory and those profiles are more than just a listing. When we promote local businesses, create guides, publish blog content, highlight members, share resources and direct consumers to local businesses, your SLR profile becomes another digital doorway to your business.
Our events and marketing efforts help drive people to Shop Local Raleigh online, creating additional opportunities for consumers to discover your business, your website and your information. And because your SLR profile includes a link back to your website, it can also provide an important SEO benefit through a relevant local backlink.
So while an event may happen for one weekend, the value of being part of the SLR ecosystem can continue working for your business long after the event is over.
We Want to Be More Than a Directory
Our vision for Shop Local Raleigh is bigger than a membership list. We want SLR to be a local resource for local businesses.
A place where you can:
- Discover resources
- Find opportunities
- Connect with other business owners
- Reach new customers
- Learn something useful
- Promote your business
- Participate in the community
- And have someone in your corner advocating for local business
That’s why we’re continuing to evolve, because being a member of Shop Local Raleigh means more than having a logo on a website.
It means being part of something.
- A network of locally owned businesses
- A community of entrepreneurs
- A collective voice for local business
- And an organization actively working to drive people, dollars and attention toward the local businesses that make our community special
This is why we do events and why we continue to grow and why your membership matters.
Thank you for being part of Shop Local Raleigh.
