Last evening, January 15th, our Manheim facility was host for the January After 5 Event for the Manheim Area Chamber of Commerce. Moove In Self Storage had never hosted a Chamber Event at any of our facilities before, and after last night we definitely plan to continue with similar events for all our locations.
Rachel Bechard, Property Manager at our Manheim facility, worked alongside Kelly Lauver from the Chamber to organize the event from the start. All the way from the email invitation sent to members and building excitement within the Chamber about the After 5 Event, to registering members as they arrived and making sure everyone had a great time throughout the evening…both ladies did a fantastic job! Every time I looked around the room to snap photos, I could tell that everyone was in good spirits by their smiling faces and laughter as they exchanged stories (and hopefully built some business relationships!).
One of our main goals was to offer fine foods and spirits from local businesses within our community in a fun and festive atmosphere. So, we transformed the rental office into a lounge complete with standing tables draped in black with red accents adorned with candlelight centerpieces. Our rental counter became a full bar offering everything from bottled water, soda and sweet tea to a variety of beer and some very exquisite wine from Thorn Hill Vineyards, one of our business tenants at our Centerville Road location. We even had the sounds of smooth jazz resonating through the room.
Our in-office display unit became our banquet hall, filled to the brim with delectable choices. You could start off with fresh Fruit and Cheese, delicious Bruschetta and even sample a Ham Club Sandwich. Then you could delve into “The Opal”, enjoy some Crab Cakes and Chicken Croquettes, and top it all off with some of the best desserts I have ever tasted, which included Lemon Bars, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies and Red Velvet Cupcakes. Between you and me (and everyone who attended the event because I couldn’t contain myself and kept telling them all), I ate three of those brownies! I made sure I grabbed some more of them to take home with me at the end of the night, too. Seriously, I cannot find a word that describes just how good they tasted.
All of this scrumptious food was donated by Lintia’s Restaurant & Bakery, on Doe Run Road where Manheim Central Grille used to be located.
Let me give a big “shout out” to the owners of Lintia’s, Dave and Sadie Crillis, on some very delicious cuisine, along with a HUGE “Thank you!” for partnering with us for the event. If you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out, so be sure to stop in soon.
Not only did we offer great fare and spirits, but we wanted everyone to learn a little more about self storage. John Gilliland, President & CEO for Moove In Self Storage, gave an informative presentation. He gave an overview of the self storage industry, offered some incredible statistics on how many billion square feet of self storage exists in the U.S. (that’s right, I said billion), talked about how Moove In Self Storage got started and answered some questions from Chamber members.
Then, our property manager, Rachel, talked about our charitable units that we donate in the Manheim area. The Manheim Community Library benefits from a charitable unit, as does the local fire and rescue departments. We strongly believe in the communities in which we operate. Helping out these great organizations with a donated self storage unit is one way we can show our appreciation. She also offered up tours of the temperature-control building, which is where we offered our “Pack the Box” game.
Not only could you see the temperature-control units and learn why they are different, you had the opportunity to participate in a fun game. The goal was to get all the items in the box and be able to close the flaps evenly with no bulging and without breaking anything in the shortest time. Everyone who played seemed to have their own method to win, but it came down to speed for sure. Our winners, Brittany Garland and Amanda Eckinger from Pleasant View Retirement Community packed everything so fast – each of them were around 30 seconds. They each took home a Moove In prize pack that included a ceramic mug with utters, some Moo magnets and all the items from the game: Sterlite bowls with lids, dish towels, pitcher, tumbler with straw, plastic cups, plastic food tubs and an insulated cup. Great job, ladies!
We also had a raffle drawing to win a $25 gift card from Lintia’s Restaurant & Bakery. You simply had to fill out a slip to join our email lists and you had a chance to win. At the end of the evening, Rachel drew a name – the winner was Barbara Basile from the Manheim Community Library. She also took home a Moove In prize pack. By signing up for our email list, you will receive our monthly eMoosletter that is filled with tips, articles, a coupon offer and more. If you are not currently receiving our eMoosletter, sign up today!
All-in-all, in was a great night! Everyone had a blast and learned a little more about Moove In Self Storage and how we can help businesses in our community by partnering together. I saw a lot of networking between Chamber members, which is fantastic – that is what these events are all about. Not only that, but everyone who attended went home with a Goodie Bag, filled with Chamber-only coupons for Moove In Self Storage and Lintia’s Restaurant & Bakery, a brochure, tips on packing, storing and moving, an awesome Moo sticker, a Moove In pen and some Cow Tails!
If you are interested in partnering with Moove In Self Storage for a future business event, or would like to work together and build a business relationship, please contact me today for more information.