GreEnid

The concept was in place; hold a green marketing event in Enid. But there were some obvious challenges. First, organizers wanted more than just some environmental expert with a Power Point presentation in a sterile conference room. It also had to hold some relevance in the community or people wouldn’t attend. And if the event could be held in a venue where fun could be had by adults and children, the projected response would be tremendous.

Oh, and it needed a catchy name. So on June 26th, after many months of discussions between the Enid/Garfield County Regional Development Alliance, Enid Farmers Market and Eagle Marketing, the event brought in the highest attendance figure in the two-year history of the Enid Farmers Market.

The catchy name? GreEnid.

“In Oklahoma in just the last couple of years, the attitude of organic or green or whatever the buzzword is, folks are focused on it now,” Eagle Marketing director Frank Baker said. “Green is no longer a political thing, it’s now good business. It’s conservation. We were thinking about some kind of business conference that was green-centered, but we also thought there’s got to be a fun, educational thing for the public to talk about green issues.”

The leaders of the Enid Farmers Market bought in immediately, seeing the natural tie-in with the fresh produce its vendors bring to market each week and the green movement. That gave GreEnid its venue, as Enid Farmers Market is in an easy-to-get-to location on the corner of Highway 412 (Owen K. Garriott Rd.) and Grand at the entrance to downtown Enid. Now what Eagle Marketing needed was a title sponsor. Enter Drew Ritchie of Enid Realty Group. Ritchie is known throughout the Enid community and region as Enid’s green home builder, and Ritchie became GreEnid’s title sponsor.

“We started building green – or rather energy efficient – back in 1998. We were looking for some sort of a marketing edge that would differentiate ourselves from the competition,” Ritchie said. “Through the education of the past 12 years of being energy efficient, green was just a natural transition to how we were already building. By doing so, we have kind of caught it right at the upswing of a national trend. And it’s a very wise trend to be on because all green means is that we’re being smart with the materials that God has already given us. It’s just an opportunity for us to build a smarter home, build a longer-lasting home and providing more comfort to a family.”

GreEnid was billed as a green, eco-friendly event, educating people to go green and shop local. Vendors not only brought their home-grown produce but also such items as goat cheese, eggs, jewelry, crocheted dish rags and wooden furniture. The event was advertised traditionally, through local newspaper and radio as well as on popular social media venues such as Facebook and Twitter.

The vendor booths were not the only thing going on at GreEnid. Ritchie had a booth set up to begin the education process of making your home more energy efficient, and he had a volunteer signing up participants for one of Ritchie’s upcoming seminars on making your home more energy efficient. There was live music performed by local guitarist Billy Beck, and Jason Turnbow and Krista Reimer from the Enid branch of Rose Rock Bank had their grill cranking out free samples of recipes made with items available that morning from the vendors.

“Our main reason to be out here is to support the farmers,” said Turnbow, the bank’s marketing director. “We wanted to promote what they had and provide some different ideas on how to prepare it.”

Children had plenty of green activities going on as well. Enid’s branch of NBC Bank sponsored the “Mr. Potato Head Races,” where kids could design a spud car, add wheels and race them down a long ramp. Another area saw children making their own pine cone bird feeders, and a third vendor sponsored a scavenger hunt where children asked adult attendees questions about the Enid Farmers Market and the green movement.

The city of Enid also got involved, bringing one of its newspaper recycle bins on site and displaying the new poly-cart system of picking up trash and yard waste. Anyone that brought newspapers to be recycled received a free, Eco-friendly shopping bag courtesy of Ritchie, the city of Enid and the Enid branch of Star Tek. And the local branch of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was on hand with adoptable pets anyone could take home.

GreEnid became more than just a morning at a farmers market.
“This offers not only fresh produce but it’s also in reality an event,” said Main Street Enid director Lindy Chambers while doing a little shopping of her own. “There’s live music in the background. You see tons of people so it’s a networking opportunity.”
In the end, Ritchie, Enid Farmers Market and Eagle Marketing got exactly what they were hoping for; a fun setting better than a conference room with relevance to the Enid community. And the community turned out better than ever. Enid Farmers Market’s average attendance figure through the first seven weeks of 2010 was between 250 and 375 people. GreEnid drew a record 665 visitors.

“We tried to launch a (green) publication two years ago. It was a resounding thud,” Baker said. “This time it’s like almost everybody we talk to was interested, so there’s been an incredible mood change.”

It sounds like Enid has gone green for good.

“GreEnid,” Chambers said. “Don’t we have the perfect name for it?”
Rob Houston and his wife, Kathie, own and operate Houston Promotions, a promotional marketing company in Enid, OK.