1.What methods of communication do you utilize to attract customers to you events?
Online advertisements and registration, in store and word of mouth are the primary methods used

2.In which ways do you engage or interact with customers attending your promotional/educational events?
We have workshops for kids (4-12), Do-It-Yourself workshops for the general public, Do-It-Herself workshops for women, and online videos and tricks to guide customers through a project.
Our workshops last from one to two hours, during which we work side by side the participants to guide them through simple DIY projects. Kids workshops require an attending adult, where we demonstrate simple safety and construction skills like how to use a hammer and wood glue in order to construct simple projects like stools and bird houses. At adult workshops we show attendants how to preform simple home improving projects properly and safely. We work side by side and demonstrate easy tasks like tiling a backsplash or laying laminate flooring. At these workshop we show participants how to safely complete these types of jobs, which tools are needed for specific jobs, how to care for and protect your tools, and give advice on ways to make many projects easier.

3. In which ways do you feel it is important to tie the types of events you hold to the image of the store? If it is not why?
It is very important to keep events clean, safe and enjoyable, just like the atmosphere we provide in our stores. We genuinely care about the success of the attendants of these workshops, as we genuinely care about the customers shopping experience in our stores.

4.Do you feel customer satisfaction is increased by the use of promotional and educational events?
Absolutely. We want our participants to learn from and continuously grow their skills in home improvement areas. By working side by side with them, they learn how to complete simple tasks that will assist them in accomplishing their home improvement goals. By empowering them to complete these projects, they are more satisfied by the workshops and shopping experience as a whole, because of the trust and relationships we build at them. We often get thanked by returning customers who have used our workshops or employees expertise to complete a project on their own.

5.Do you feel that customer’s attitude is changed after attending one of your events? Is so, in which ways?
Yes, it is our goal to have attendants leave feeling a sense of accomplishment and trust. We are here to help and empower customers to complete jobs on their own. They enjoy getting one on one help with our knowledgeable staff and knowing we sincerely care about their project success. By building relationships in this way, we maintain loyal customers and give them something to look forward to when visiting a Home Depot store.

6.Do you use any methods of measuring effectiveness of your events? Is so, what are they and how do you measure it?
Not at this point in time.

7.How appropriate are your events in regards to the setting and typical customers attracted of your store?
It is important for our workshops to reflect possible reasons people may visit our store. When an participant completes a work shop, they can purchase materials at a Home Depot location and complete the job that they have learned how to do. Therefore our events are directly related to the atmosphere of our stores.

8.Who plans the promotional events at your store?
Regional management. We hold our workshops on the second Saturday of every month, themes are provided at the beginning of the month with registration information.

9.How do your events promote the interest of your company and its brand?
By empowering customers to complete their projects, it is our hope they will return to us when they choose to utilize they skills they have learned, and purchase materials.

10.How do you keep customers involved and engaged in your events?
By working closely alongside them, assisting in any struggles or questions they may have about the project or future projects. We use a hands on approach and allow attendants to physically complete the workshops themselves, keeping them personally involved through the duration of the workshop.

11.Do you feel it is important to be creative in the events you plan? Why or why not?
Yes. We are constantly thinking of new themes of workshops that will draw in participants and interest our customers. The more people that can visualize themselves completing the project, the better, and it reflects in the amount of participants that show up. The best turnouts come from creative and interesting workshop themes.

12. How do you feel the customers post event shopping enjoyment and attitudes change due to the events you hold?
Participants will know how to safely and correctly perform small jobs, changing the stigma around DIY project from being difficult and frustrating to enjoyable and rewarding. By reducing confusing in how to complete a home improvement project, customers will be more likely to take on these types of projects.

Researchers Beliefs
When planning in-store educational events, retailers must rethink traditional methods to adapt to the new quick paced shopping environment. It is important to note that the enjoyment level and attitudes a consumer holds about a particular retailer are influenced by more than just physical characteristics of the store, but relationships and consumers engagement with the employees there. By using direct contact with in store promotions, retailers can experience firsthand how customers react to products and services they are offering, although it is not always an easy task getting them to participate. Shopping events, shopping enjoyment and consumers’ attitudes toward retail brands-An empirical examination, by Leischnig, schwertfeger and Geigenmuller , suggests three main criteria must be present in order to positively change or reinforce views of the retail brand through the use of promotional events. The criteria of holding a successful event consist of event inventiveness, event appropriateness and event adequacy. Event inventiveness relates to the level of creativity and excitement perceived to be implemented in the promotional event. Originality and creativity draw in consumers with hedonic shopping value,they want to have fun and be entertained.