Introducing the #StrictlyStaycation Contest, an Opportunity to Support Local Hotels, Restaurants, and Retail Stores
Starting this month, Strictly Business (strictly-business.com) invites anyone and everyone to participate in our #StrictlyStaycation contest. The idea for this contest was inspired by what our call-to-action has been these past couple of months: support local businesses! Now more than ever, we need to be investing in our local community. This is especially true for our hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The pandemic has discouraged many people from traveling and getting out of their homes to shop, dine, seek out entertainment, etc. This consumer fear is crippling our economy. We want to encourage people to continue living their lives, even if life looks a little different right now. Our businesses are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that we can still enjoy their services in a safe way, so let’s do that.
How the Contest Works
You don’t have to cross state lines to go on vacation…you can stay right here and be a tourist in your own town. We have a handful of beautiful, unique hotel properties right here in Lincoln, not to mention all the cool concepts in Omaha located just a hop, skip, and jump away. Book a room at one of these hotels and go explore nearby restaurants and shops. Make a day and a night of it! Scheduling leisure time in the midst of your daily work life and/or family life is so important. Take a break from your normal routine and have some fun with your significant other, best friend, family, or even your coworkers!
To enter into the #StrictlyStaycation contest, you have to book an overnight stay at a hotel in Lincoln or Omaha and visit at least one retail store and/or one restaurant. Take some photos from your time at these places and post them on any social media platform with the hashtag #StrictlyStaycation. You can also email your photo(s) to editor@strictlybusinessomaha.com if you’re not on social media. Feel free to call in as well to tell us a little bit about the fun time you and yours had supporting Lincoln and/or Omaha businesses. Everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for free over-night hotel stays and gift cards to local restaurants and shops. In addition, there will be four main categories. The winning group of each category will get included in a fun special full-page feature in Strictly Business. We look forward to highlighting these groups of people who are willing to go above and beyond to support their neighborhood, their city, and their state. We will officially end the contest on January 1, 2021 (that way people can include their New Year’s Eve plans into the running). The four categories are:
• Girls Night Out
• Guys Getaway
• Family Outing
• Couples Retreat (book at least three rooms)
Strictly Business is committed to doing our part to keep Lincoln thriving. Especially with the holidays upon us, we want to spread the message that it is still okay to be engaged in life. In fact, it’s crucial. Not only for the well-being of our businesses, but for the well-being of ourselves and our children. Do not let isolation become the new norm. We were made for community. We were made to experience life together.
I heard this message preached a couple of Sundays ago from Pastor Brian Clark at Lincoln Berean Church. He addressed how it has never been easier to isolate ourselves, especially because of social media. At the end of the day, nothing can replace true human connection. Brian referred to a talk he heard by Sherry Turkle, and she was talking about a conversation she had with a reporter from the New York Times. The reporter told her that in this six-month period since COVID struck, one of the dynamics of how people have dealt with this deep isolation is they have flooded ChatBox to seek consolation and empathy in their hour of need. Now, just to be clear, ChatBox is not a person; it’s a machine—it’s artificial intelligence that is programmed to respond to you. So, in people’s hour of need, they are turning to a machine to find the empathy that they long for. That speaks volumes for what has happened to us as a culture, Brian noted. (See Brian’s full sermon at www.lincolnberean.org/sermons, audio or transcript).
We’re excited to see the response we get on the #StrictlyStaycation contest, and we encourage local hotels, restaurants, and retail stores to reach out to us to learn how they can be promoted around this opportunity.
Let Strictly Business (strictly-business.com) help you lock in your status as THE EXPERT in your industry, utilizing print, the internet, and social media. Find out how by contacting Paige at (402) 466-3330.