4

.

Do you have a small business and seek exposure? Apply to be a vendor in April’s DC MEET Market. The market selects over 40 vendors for the event each month. Craft categories include: food and beverage, art, jewelry, home goods, baby items, health and beauty, clothing. If you are interested, visit The DC MEET Market’s website and select the “Vendors” tab. A small fee accompanies the short application. Vendors who apply will be notified of their status in early March. For any questions, please feel free to email info@dcmeetmarket.com. The DC MEET Market is excited to feature D.C.’s talented businesses for the 2015 market season!

Calling all small businesses!

Follow, Like and Connect With Us!

@DCMeetMarket

@dcmeetmarket

@fb.com/DCMeetMarket

MEET Market hired to plan holiday market

Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District planned a holiday market and recruited DC MEET Market staff to design and organize the event. The holiday market will take place in D.C.’s Canal Park from December 13th to the 15th. The purpose of this market is to bring the new Riverfront community together in celebration of the holidays. Fifteen vendors of various craft categories will be featured. An emphasis will be put on fashion, jewelry and home good items. The event will also have seven food vendors in attendance. D.C.’s popular Baked and Wired and Runningbyrd Tea Company

will be present along with kettle corn, barbeque and hot drink vendors. The market will have much more than just retail attractions. The ice skating rink will be open for everyone to enjoy. “This event will be a family friendly market for not only the residents of Capitol Riverfront, but for the D.C. community,” said Capitol Riverfront Marketing Coordinator Lyndsey Gore. “We hope to bring attention to our new complex and as well support local businesses.”

Upcoming Markets in D.C.

Downtown DC Holiday Market:

When: Nov. 28- Dec. 23, 2014Time: Noon to 8 p.m.Where: F Street NW, between 7th and 9th StreetsWebsite: www.downtowndcholidaymarket.com

Union Market

When: Tuesday- Friday and Saturday- SundayTime: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekendsWhere: 5th Street NEWebsite: www.unionmarketdc.com

German Christmas Market

When: Nov. 22, 2014TIme: 12:30 p.m- 5:30 p.m.Where: 8617 Chateau Dr. Potomac, MD 20854Website: www.dswashington.org

Dec. 13: 5 p.m.-9 p.m.Dec. 14: noon-9 p.m.Dec. 15: noon-5 p.m.

DC MEET MarketMark-et off your “to visit” list

On the first Saturday of each month in the heart of Logan Circle, visitors gather at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, but not for the reason you may think. There’s no religious service, but instead, a community market! The DC MEET Market attracts hundreds of D.C .residents every month to come out and support local businesses and have a great time with friends and family. The DC MEET Market is a small-scale market that highlights over 40 different vendors each month. Categories of vendors vary from jewelry, cuisine, clothing, home goods, art and baby supplies. Well-known companies like Honest Tea, Relay Foods, Think Local First and Zipcar sponsor the market. In addition to the vendors and sponsors, the DC MEET Market has live music from bands around the D.C. area. There is also an arts and crafts booth set up for children who visit the market. The market presents a relaxed atmosphere and welcomes pets. The DC community is encouraged to stop by from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 15th & P St. NW.

“The DC MEET Market is a way to not only recognize the hard work of our vendors, sponsors and partners, but it’s an event that brings people together in such a big city,” said market director, Virginia Arrisueno. “A lot of planning goes into developing themes for each market as well as the organizaing the details of the event. We want everyone to leave the market happy and excited to come back next month!” The DC MEET Market is a well-established event, but this wasn’t always the case. According to Arrisueno, when the market began in 2012, less than 100 people attended. Now the market has over 500 attendees each month. The market continues to grow and never falls short of pleasing the D.C. community. “I can’t wait for the first Saurday of each month because the market is a great time,” said market visitor Brian Topper. “I don’t think there’s a better way to spend my Saturday. I love the live music, tasty cuisine and the friendly vendors and company. I can’t wait until the market returns in April!”

A glimpse of the successful November market. The cold weather couldn’t keep the DC community from coming out and supporting local businesses. Photo source: Julia Steinly

Volume 1 November 2014

In This Issue

MEET Market’s on fire.....................................2

Social media makes the market......................2

Q&A with Virginia Arrisueno........................3

Vendor Highlight: Kate Zaremba...................3 Calling all small businesses...........................4

Canal Park market...........................................4

Social Media makes the market

Vendor Highlight

Kate Zaremba Company

How did you hear about the DC MEET Market?

35%

18%22%

10%

7%

5%

3%

Over the course of the eight-month study, each month guest attendance increased by nearly 5 percent from April to August. From September to November, market attendance spiked by nearly 9 percent each month. Arrisueno said that she decided to increase the amount of posts on social media from September to November to see if social media made an impact, in which it did. The second part of her study focused on which channel of communication market

visitors engaged with to find out about the event. The leading channel was Facebook, followed by Instagram, Twitter, word of mouth, other, flier and then news article. From this information Arriseuno was able to strengthen the weaker channels and use the stronger ones. “ I think that this study can be helpful for any small business trying to increase consumer awareness or attendance,” said Arrisueno. “The more you engage, the more you see the positive effects. It’s a great feeling to know that hard work pays off.”

2 3

Credit: Julia Steinly

Market Coordinator, Virginia Arrisueno, never imagined that a small market in the parking lot of a church would receive such widespread attention and positive feedback from the community. This past October, the prestigious “DC’s 50 on Fire Awards” notified the DC MEET Market of its nomination for the Marketing and Advertising Award. The Market was nominated for its excellence in engaging with the public through the use of strategic social media platforms. “This is the first time the DC MEET Market has been nominated for this award

and it’s truly a humbling experience,” said Arrisueno. “Organizing the market is not an easy task. I dedicate hours of work to the market along with my husband and two interns. Even if the market doesn’t make it to the final rounds of this award, I couldn’t be any happier with how far this event has come. Our strategic social media plan helps the market expand and receive recognition.” Arrisueno is excited for the results of the award that will be announced on December 4, 2014.

MEET Market’s on Fire

The DC MEET Market invited The Kate Zaremba Company to join the market this past November. Kate Zaremba manages a successful business in D.C. and has won many awards for her illustrations and textile designs. The market would like to recognize her success, craftsmanship and funky designs. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. This past month, Actress Zooey Deschanel ordered Zaremba’s wallpaper for her new home.

Craft: Textiles, paper goods, illustrations and custom designs

Services: Freelance illustration, wholesale inquires and custom service design

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kansas City Art Institute, Graduate school at Corcoran College of Art

Experience: Assistant for designer, Jonathan Adler, and designed textiles for fashion designer, Rachel Antonoff

Mission: Using CSF certified papers to create ethical and sustainable products

Price Range: $4-$100

Shop: www.katezarembacompany.com

Follow her on:

Photo Source: Kate Zaremba

Every day when the DC MEET Market interns come into the office, the first thing on their “to-do” list is social media engagement. Posting on social media is a crucial part of their responsibilities. The act of social media engagement is proven to not only grab the public’s attention and bring them to the market, but also, create loyal market customers and visitors. “As soon as I hear a ping from my laptop, I jump onto social media and respond as quickly as possible,” said DC MEET Market intern Marissa Sherman. “It’s so important to show the public that we care about their opinions. We work everyday to help gain recognition for the market and its vendors.” DC MEET Market coordinator, Virginia Arrisueno, stresses the importance of social media engagement because of what data suggests. Arrisueno conducted a study from June to December of 2014 to see how the public heard about the market. In addition, she wanted to see if there was a correlation between posting more on social media and increasing attendance numbers. At the market each month from April to November, Arrisueno had all guests fill out a survey. The question was, “ How did you hear about the market?” Guests could then circle either “Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, word of mouth, news article, flier or other.” Arrisueno used that data to not only monitor the number of guests attending each market but also the trends with social media.

Q&A with market owner, fashion designer and mom

Current DC MEET Market intern, Julia Steinly interviewed market owner, Virginia Arrisueno, about managing two successful businesses and still finding time for family.

Julia Steinly: As we know, you are the coordinator for the DC MEET Market, but you run another business too?

Virginia Arrisueno: I am a business owner of a fashion line named DeNada. DeNada is high-quality knitwear line where the entire product is made from alpaca fur. DeNada is my brainchild and passion, and I would love to see the brand expand. My vision is to one day open a store in DC.

JS: How do you manage both the DC MEET Market and DeNada?

VA: Fortunately, I have wonderful interns who help me with both businesses. If I didn’t have their help, I would be overwhelmed. But at the same time, when you are an entrepreneur, you have an urge to do everything you can to help your business grow. So if that means working more hours, then that’s what has to happen. It’s absolutely worth the extra time because it is so satisfying to get positive feedback from customers and the DC community.

JS: What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a business owner?

VA: The biggest piece of advice I can give someone is to believe in your brand or concept. It’s almost impossible to become an instant success. You have to put in the time and effort, but it will be worth it. So don’t get discouraged if you aren’t where you want to be quite yet.

JS: Is it difficult to find family time with all your endeavors?

VA: My husband and I are both artists and business owners, so it’s hard to set aside time to spend with my son. We are always going to promotional events or working after hours, but at the same time we make it work. Our son, Atticus, is the most important part of my life so we always find time for family.

50 on Fire winners will be announced at 7p.m. on December 4th at D.C.’s Howard Theater. Photo source: 50 on Fire

Photo source: Virginia Arrisueno

Source: DC MEET Market

Arrisueno relaxes with her son in her eclectic studio apartment that she designed from start to finish.