Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 16, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 27 By Rob Luzzi Rob Luzzi is the senior director of marketing for RAVentures, the hospitality division of Westfield-based Ryan Development. RAVentures' brands include 110 Grill, Apex Entertainment, Evviva Trattoria, Oar & Iron, and Kelly's Roast Beef franchises in Florida. 7) Grow together. About three years ago, RAVentures decided to combine the individual marketing efforts of each brand into a single team. Now our team of nine can work to strategize and market more globally across our 58 locations, allowing us to work together. 6) Find your niche. The rapid growth of 110 Grill to 41 locations across five states can be mostly attributed to its allergy commitment and how every item on our core menu can be made gluten free. While the menu has varied over the years, this commitment is a niche to be proud of. 5) Grassroots efforts are key for expansion. After our success with Apex Entertainment in Marlborough, we brought the concept to Syracuse in 2018, Albany in 2019, and Virginia Beach in 2020. To grow a brand with no name recognition, use grassroots efforts like attending events, and pay attention to local demographics. 4) Control your message. While Kelly's corporate team handles the website and its Northeast marketing efforts, we handle everything for our four Florida franchises. This allows us to constantly put out our own Instagram content and do radio, digital, and print advertisements, and establish unique local partnerships. 3) Know your audience. At one point, the company had talked about opening 110 Grill locations in Florida, but it was determined the traditional décor and menu items might not be the best fit for that market. So Oar & Iron was created, offering an elevated dining experience in a bright colored open-aired concept. 2) Ability leads to flexibility. Our department wears a lot of hats, from content creation for graphics and social media, printing of marketing materials, public relations, promoting new openings, maintaining corporate partnerships and more. In many instances, this depth gives us more flexibility and opportunity. 1) Everyday is different. Maintaining a portfolio of wide ranging brands is no easy task, but you should embrace the unique challenges. Focus on allowing your brands to keep their attention on operations. Fostering inclusivity at public events BY SARA BEDIGIAN Special to WBJ C ompanies are starting to incor- porate volunteer efforts into their mission and goals; 47% of U.S. companies offered community volunteer programs in 2022, compared from 40% in 2014, according to an annual survey from the Society of Human Resource Management. Traditional volunteering can provide help for projects like serving meals at shelters, and skills-based vol- unteering can help support nonprofits by utilizing volunteers' professional expertise in areas such as finance or marketing. Listen to employees. In addition to supporting company goals, ask your employees what volunteer efforts they want to participate in. Employees who feel supported by their employers in volunteering activities are more likely to stay loyal to the company because they are more satisfied with their jobs, according to a 2023 global study con- ducted for investment company Ares Management by Edge Research. When company leaders allow employees to support their personal values, they feel as though their voice matters. Involve other stakeholders. Tradi- tional employee involvement can be a good way to start, but involving other stakeholders can increase effectiveness. "I have seen companies include cus- tomers, suppliers, retired workers, and even board members in their volunteer activities," Jessica Rodell writes in a Harvard Business Review article. ese stakeholders can help benefit a volun- teering initiative by providing resources and professional expertise traditional employees may not have. Share the impact. ere is no better reward than hearing about the impact. "We always create time at the end of our engagements for volunteers and non- profits to talk about their work togeth- er," Leila Saad says in a Forbes article. is can be a powerful way to boost morale of employees when they can see the efforts of their work paying off. It not only looks good for a company, it highlights a nonprofit and creates net- working opportunities for both groups to work together. HOW TO INCORPORATE VOLUNTEERING INTO COMPANY INITIATIVES BY VICTORIA MARIANO Special to WBJ T o me there is nothing more beautiful than a room of extremely diverse characters having a great time together and learning from each other. I feel great pride in not just practicing, but actively encouraging inclusivity. Electric Haze has many examples, but one that stands out to me is Airspray, a monthly, welcoming night of music and dancing that lasted seven years. It was known as a safe and fun place for the LGBTQ community, consistently at capacity and drawing all types of people. I remember sitting next to someone as they told me they used to experience homophobia at events until they came to Airspray. Now they felt welcome, having found new close friends who are LGBTQ. Inclusivity at events can change minds through positive experience and learning, having a huge ripple effect to help create a safer world for everybody. A business that is welcoming and safe is way more likely to be successful than one who is not. I see inclusivity as two parts, physical and emotional. Physical is about actively inviting others, having an open, accessible, and non-judgemental safe space for everyone. Emotional is being conscious of how to create and host an emotionally inclusive event. When you can create an event both physically and emotionally inclusive, there is an emotional warmth you and your guests can feel, which is hard to forget. Here are some tips on inclusivity: • Make events accessible for all types of physicalities. Use a circular or open format so no one is left out, with activities broad enough to allow all to enjoy, and encourage people to talk to each other. • Put thought into invites. Use invitations not geared or designed in a style that excludes people. Verbal invitations are key, even in this age of social media. The more you talk about your event with people and encourage them to be there, the more they will do the same to others. Ask a diverse array of people and organizations to help invite people in their circles. • Think of financial accessibility. Have something free for everyone so there isn't a price tag associated with everything at the event, even if it's just water. Have an option for others to sponsor another person's ticket if they can't afford it. • Make people comfortable. Make sure all people working the event make eye contact and warmly greet everyone coming in the door and leaving. Whenever possible, have a conversation and listen, with actual interest and curiosity. Make it known and obvious who is there to help if someone has an issue. These are just a few that have stuck out to me over the years, but there's a lot of ways to promote inclusivity. Once someone has successfully felt invited and included, then it's more than likely they will become a regular at your events. 7 Things I know about … ... Marketing for multiple brands Victoria Mariano is the program director of the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District and the co-owner of Electric Haze, a Worcester hookah bar and live music lounge. W W W

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