Most retail businesses plan their event calendars around the major holidays each year, and for good reason. This is when customers are in buying mode and ready to spend their hard-earned money. It's necessary to be up-to-speed with your promotions and stock requirements during these times of the year.

However, what about the in-between times, those other days on the calendar when there's a long gap between the traditional holidays. What do you do then to spur sales? Having a unique event day specific to your retail business is one way to create customer interest.

An event day is beneficial to your business in two ways:

First, it gets your customers thinking about you as you advertise for the approaching event. They plan for it, watch for it, expecting new or different products, services, and promotion pricing. They talk it up a little, telling family members and friends as they come across promotional material such as flyers, brochures, and even your mobile sign advertising.

Second, it gets your employees excited so they're motivated to promote the business better. Yes, I know, you're going to get the whiners and complainers. Those people who hate the thought of doing the extra work an event day entails, and who let the rest of your staff know. You don't need that kind of attitude in your business, and maybe those employees should not be in a retail environment. For those who enjoy their jobs, an event day makes a normal run-of-the-mill week that much more fun. It adds an element of variety to their job and they thrive in the atmosphere, having fun with your regular and new customers.

What's great about an event day is there is no 'holiday pressure' that your customers are under. It's not like Christmas where everyone's jostling for position in mall parking lots and in stores. It's your day, and the mindset of your customers is on your event, and not focused on larger circumstances that surround a time such as Christmas. This gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the more laid-back attitude your customers may have when they come to your 'event'. They're likely to spend a little more time in your shop and take a more easy-going approach to their shopping excursion.

The following are 5 tips for holding an event day:

* Make the day a 'specific product' day, truly unique, and even offbeat in nature. If you run an organic health food store, make the event day 'Green Tea Day' or something like that. Promote all green tea products you sell. Have your staff dress up like green tea leaves...or a tea bag. Of course, everyone will have to wear green. Serve hot and cold samples of your high profit teas. Promote books you may sell on tea. Again, that's just an example of what you can do. You can choose any product or group of products as your theme.

* Make the day a 'specific event' day, also unique and offbeat. It may be a '80s disco theme day, with a couple of select items selling at 1980s pricing to lure customers inside. Instead of a President's Day sale, choose an obscure historical figure's birthday as the theme for your day...just because. Maybe it's a figure from colonial times, a gold prospector, or an adventurer who helped tame the Wild West. Decorate the shop, dress the staff accordingly, and name the day after him or her or their trade-in-life. It will be a conversation piece with your customers as they seek to learn who this person was. Even a sign announcing the strange event will draw in the curious passer-bys who will want to know "exactly what is this day promoting?" The thing is they're now inside your shop.

* To lend to the days fun, casual atmosphere, consider serving some light snacks -cookies, pastries and the like. Also, have on hand coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks, and fruit drinks for young and older alike.

* If you can afford it, give your customers some sort of freebie: a pen, note pads, a key chain, or a product sample. A coupon for a significant discount on their next purchase works, as it encourages them to come back and visit your store again.

* Have a draw for a grand prize and even hourly door prizes. Make the prizes products you sell. This will get the winners trying them and telling others about them. This will encourage repeat business. In fact, make these prizes products unique to your store, so they have to come back to your shop to get them.

An event day can be an eventful and productive endeavor for your retail business. It makes a normal retail week something a little more special. It creates interest in your customers and your staff. It builds goodwill and loyalty as well. It's something that, when done in a fresh and different way, sets you apart from your competition.