“They already see increased foot traffic because of the amount of people the event brings, but they may be able to do more business,” he said.
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
Marcum Park and the surrounding g businesses are in one of the largest, if not the largest, Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, or DORA, districts in Ohio. Bates said Hamilpalooza goers can get a DORA drink, take it to the biergarten and relax with a plate of food and enjoy the live entertainment and between stops at some of the 125 vendors. This year the event will be headlined by Stays In Vegas.
Other activities, besides visiting the food trucks and 125 vendors, there will be health screenings from Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital, a petting zoo, and an activities center for children.
Hamilpalooza, which is a business festival that features member and non-member businesses, has grown in its popularity over the years. Some 5,000 people are expected to be at Hamilpalooza between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday. Members of Hamilton City Council on Wednesday talked about their excitement for the event.
“It should be a great time, and the weather’s going to be fantastic,” said Vice Mayor Michael Ryan. “Thanks to our friends and partners at the chamber for hitting a home run with these events.”
The event, which replaced the chamber’s expo event, started out as a way for the Hamilton chamber to reach out to consumers, said Bates.
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
“So much of what we do is business-to-business, and this is a way to reach out to the people we work with and give them an opportunity to go directly to consumers, which opened the door for different types of businesses,” said Bates. “That was completely different from how the expo started out, which was really business-type contacts.”
And membership in the chamber is irrelevant for business participation, he said.
“That helped us open the door for more home-based businesses,” he said. “It gives them the opportunity to be showcased at a chamber event that they may never have been afforded in the past.”
Hamilpalooza is molded on the “That Spring Thing” Hometown Expo presented by the Springboro Chamber of Commerce.
“We liked the idea, and when we decided not to do the expo anymore because for us it had run its course, and we were looking for something else, and we saw what they did,” Bates said, adding it’s different from the Springboro event but ”a lot of pieces are very similar.”
“We found out that if you provide fun and entertainment and all types of vendors and food, you can turn it into a family-friendly event,” he said.
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
Credit: Provided/TVHamilton
HAMILPALOOZA
There will be several activities at Hamilpalooza 2022. Here are what people can expect to find:
Biergarten (new for 2022)
Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital health screenings
125 vendors
Petting zoo
Activities center for children
Live music, featuring Stays In Vegas
Food trucks
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