FAQs for participating shops:
The Cliff Notes:
Each participating shop/roaster has typically 25 minutes (sponsors get a bit more) on each assigned stop(s) where they give a brief presentation and/or talk to their liking along with a sample of a drink or chocolate. Samples and presentations cross the spectrum, and are at the interest of what you feel comfortable with and want to highlight. We're happy to assist with ideas. The routes (groups of attendees) that come through for a stop at your place will max out at 25 people (smaller group sizes during COVID protocols) + a tour guide from our team for this event. On a given route the attendees for that route will visit 4 to 6 assigned shops during the assigned times. Most Caffeine Crawls have anywhere from 10 to 30 participating shops so each route has a different lineup. Attendees do not just pop in randomly to the participating shops - they follow their route and timeslots.
Audience:
Consumers - There’s not another event in the country that not only attracts avid and curious coffee, tea, and chocolate consumers in attendance, but also has a large audience in these categories following the events online. Caffeine Crawl has a healthy following and interactive social media audience. Consumers are what keep shops and roasting companies in business, and other industry events focus solely on the industry audience.
Industry professionals - A given Caffeine Crawl typically has an 80-95% participation from the local shops and roasters in these beverage areas. Conferences in the industry receives a lot lower percentage involved from that host area. This event is often thought of as for consumers only, and that's not the case at all. In addition, often shops and roasters outside of the area will travel in to attend a close Crawl for research, or a team building activity.
Example of recent viewership - Our first 2020 event was a three-day Caffeine Crawl in the San Diego area. Within a 28 hour span Caffeine Crawl social media and the website collectively received over 250,000 views. As a sponsor and participating shop this is traffic and interest that shifts to your business.
A Caffeine Crawl will attract 100 - 300 ticket attendees depending on that individual Crawl. A lot more people are involved in the event. The two key audiences are addressed above - consumers and the industry. The total ticket attendance is a small percent of the total engaged audience on a Caffeine Crawl.
Return on investment: Even if 50 to 100 individuals visit your location on Caffeine Crawl routes the event reaches another 50,000+ in your area (approx. 250k+ coast-to-coast) from all the promotions - strong press coverage, social media presence, the website, store signage, word of mouth, and community partnerships.
A Caffeine Crawl will attract 100 - 300 ticket attendees depending on that individual Crawl. A lot more people are involved in the event. The two key audiences are addressed above - consumers and the industry. The total ticket attendance is a small percent of the total engaged audience on a Caffeine Crawl.
A look at a conservative viewpoint on ROI for being part of the event. It’s free to be a stop on the Caffeine Crawl.
- 10 new year-round local customers from the event that visit once a week. That’s $3,000+ in new revenue.
- 15 other local individuals that start frequenting your business 1 time a month more than they usually do. That’s another $1,000+.
- 30 other area individuals that visit 3 times over the next year. That’s another $500+.
- Out-of-town visitors since the list of participants and links stay on the website, online orders, whole bean sales, and merchandise to this equation easily adding another $1,000.
- The first 3 bullet points don’t even take into consideration for those visiting during the event and making purchases, any sales over $10 including bags of coffee, or equipment, and is a very conservative value on ROI.
The Caffeine Crawl resource has established itself as a solid sales tool for participating businesses. Simply put, the Caffeine Crawl investment can bring your company, and/or shops thousands in new revenue as the largest specialty coffee and tea-based consumer event in the country.
FAQs
What's it look like for your shop or roasting company to participate in Caffeine Crawl? We have answers!
****DUE TO COVID-19: We have smaller route sizes. Routes are now maxed at 15 per. Masks are required to have, and can be lowered to consume, or if 6ft+ of someone you didn't attend with (partner, roomate, family member, etc). Many participating shops are hosting outside. We have less route stops at the same places, therefore if you are a participating shop you might have 1 to 3 total stops depending on the event and your comfort level. We suggest to attendees to also bring their own sanitizer and/or foam soap in between stops, and our team of tour guides have their own, plus some to share. Same goes for participating businesses.
Does it cost anything? No! Though you can sponsor Caffeine Crawl if you want more exposure leading up to the event, during the event, and carrying through the season to the end of the year promotions.
What’s required of me/my shop? Enthusiasm and excitement about your local craft beverage, or chocolate culture! You'll need enough space for several waves of up to 25* Crawlers to visit on the day of the Crawl, and enough staff to keep things running smoothly. You’ll need to prepare a short presentation (more on that below) and offer a small sample to each Crawler. Willingness to talk about Caffeine Crawl with your customers as the event approaches will help maximize your exposure through the event as well!
*In certain cities routes max out at 20, and bike routes are no more than 20. Some Crawls have so many participating locations that shops might only have 1 route visiting. We work that out with each shop during planning. We've hosted these events in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and Portland where space is premium, and each time it's been fun and manageable. If you are concerned about space size, let's talk and figure it out.
I run a (insert description) shop—can I play too? We welcome most artisan, beverages to the Caffeine Crawl lineup! (If you choose to sponsor and host the afterparty, that’s beer & spirit territory, and if you are a coffee shop with a liquor license, we're game as long as there's a non-alc option, too.). Coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, chai, juice, kombucha, ice cream or candy, coffee imports, beverage equipment/repair, etc… if you’re independent, quality focused, craft-oriented, and passionate, we’d love to talk about having you on the Crawl!
My business is thriving, and I have multiple locations. Can they all participate? Congrats, we’re glad for you! Usually we encourage you to choose one location that works well with our routes and has enough space. The exception would be if, for example, you have a location that’s perfectly located for a bike route, and one that works better with a driving route., or one is closed on the weekends, etc. Then we might use both. Sponsorship also plays into that decision.
A presentation? Yikes! On what? Anything relevant that you’re proud of, or excited about - a new coffee or tea, the mission of your shop, a unique specialty menu item. Past presentations have ranged from cuppings, to coffee + toast pairings, to bourbon-infused toddy lattes. The samples are usually part of (or related to) your presentation. This is also a good tool to encourage, and help staff with public speaking, and hospitality. If you need ideas or feedback, we’d love to help! We have a list under Ideas.
"Caffeine Crawl"...do I have to serve a heavy caffeinated drink? Absolutely not. That name stuck, and we went with it. Quality and Local Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate Shop Culture didn't have the same ring to it. Your drink does NOT have to have caffeine in it.
Samples? How many? How big? Crawls vary based on city size and demand, but we’ll let you know how many Crawlers to expect in each group/route when you approve your route time slot(s). It’s generally not a good idea to make espresso the main focus of your presentation UNLESS you have a good size staff dedicated to the times Crawlers are visiting. Full size drinks aren't necessary - Crawlers will be drinking a lot of coffee over the course of the Crawl, so 2-4 oz. is plenty! Gear it to your comfort level.
What does my time investment look like? First of all you set up at your own place unless you prefer to host somewhere else. This cuts down on any travel or set-up time for you and your team. Each route stops vary from 25-30 minutes. Consider the time for you actual stop times, plus some idea brainstorming and drink/sample prep time, but overall the time investment is very minimal for a major coffee event. Starting point starts are 5 minutes longer since we do intros and pass out items before the route gets rolling.
How long will I have for a presentation? How many times will I give it? Will I know ahead of time when people are visiting? We pride ourselves on planning the logistics of Crawls months in advance, and you will be sent your exact route time(s) to approve before tickets go live. Usually, you’ll have 2-4 waves of 25 (or fewer) Crawlers per wave. Each wave will be at your shop for 25-30 minutes. See above for note about smaller sizes. Crawls typically run from 8:30am at the earliest to 7pm at the latest, so your route times are likely to fall within those hours. Each wave of Crawlers will be accompanied by a tour guide to help hand out samples and keep things running smoothly and on time.
Do people eat during Crawls? Can I sell food? Please do! We encourage Crawlers to bring water bottles with them, so be prepared to refill those. Stock up on easy-grab, easy-pay food that Crawlers can take on the road with them—this is a great way to generate some extra income during Crawls (especially around lunchtime).
What’s in it for me? Why should I participate? See above on a sample of the business and financial reward. Benefits of participation in Caffeine Crawls are numerous, from connections with new customers to local and national media attention and press coverage. You'll receive multiple posts and shout outs from Caffeine Crawl's social media platforms leading up to the Crawl, and the event provides a unique setting for you to connect with interested customers while highlighting unique aspects of your company that they might not have been aware of. We receive numerous requests for shop recommendations in Crawl cities, and we steer those people to the event page from that city’s Crawl, or our new Guides, so customer growth from Caffeine Crawl continues long after the event!
Do you have signs I can put up on my community board? T-shirts? Stuff? Signs, yes! Merchandise, sometimes. We’ll provide you with digital event graphics so you can spread the word in your own unique way.
Can I sell tickets at my shop? No. We find it’s simplest for you to send Crawlers to our website to purchase their tickets, so we can stay on top of who’s attending and make sure they get all the info they need.
Can I include some SWAG in the event packets? Yes! We do limit this perk to participating shops and sponsors, and it's a great way to get your whole bean coffee/stickers/swag in the hands of everyone attending the event. You can also hand out goodies to the Crawlers that come to your shop.
How much lead time do you need to include me? We typically work on a 4 to 5-month timetable, but timing can vary from city to city. 2 to 3 months out, we'll finalize participants - you'll need to confirm the address(es) of your participating locations and approve your route times. After that, we'll get tickets live, and then it’s a countdown to the event!
More questions? Also, a list of ideas here. We have answers! Contact us below - we can't wait to hear from you!
Each participating shop/roaster has typically 25 minutes (sponsors get a bit more) on each assigned stop(s) where they give a brief presentation and/or talk to their liking along with a sample of a drink or chocolate. Samples and presentations cross the spectrum, and are at the interest of what you feel comfortable with and want to highlight. We're happy to assist with ideas. The routes (groups of attendees) that come through for a stop at your place will max out at 25 people (smaller group sizes during COVID protocols) + a tour guide from our team for this event. On a given route the attendees for that route will visit 4 to 6 assigned shops during the assigned times. Most Caffeine Crawls have anywhere from 10 to 30 participating shops so each route has a different lineup. Attendees do not just pop in randomly to the participating shops - they follow their route and timeslots.
Audience:
Consumers - There’s not another event in the country that not only attracts avid and curious coffee, tea, and chocolate consumers in attendance, but also has a large audience in these categories following the events online. Caffeine Crawl has a healthy following and interactive social media audience. Consumers are what keep shops and roasting companies in business, and other industry events focus solely on the industry audience.
Industry professionals - A given Caffeine Crawl typically has an 80-95% participation from the local shops and roasters in these beverage areas. Conferences in the industry receives a lot lower percentage involved from that host area. This event is often thought of as for consumers only, and that's not the case at all. In addition, often shops and roasters outside of the area will travel in to attend a close Crawl for research, or a team building activity.
Example of recent viewership - Our first 2020 event was a three-day Caffeine Crawl in the San Diego area. Within a 28 hour span Caffeine Crawl social media and the website collectively received over 250,000 views. As a sponsor and participating shop this is traffic and interest that shifts to your business.
A Caffeine Crawl will attract 100 - 300 ticket attendees depending on that individual Crawl. A lot more people are involved in the event. The two key audiences are addressed above - consumers and the industry. The total ticket attendance is a small percent of the total engaged audience on a Caffeine Crawl.
Return on investment: Even if 50 to 100 individuals visit your location on Caffeine Crawl routes the event reaches another 50,000+ in your area (approx. 250k+ coast-to-coast) from all the promotions - strong press coverage, social media presence, the website, store signage, word of mouth, and community partnerships.
A Caffeine Crawl will attract 100 - 300 ticket attendees depending on that individual Crawl. A lot more people are involved in the event. The two key audiences are addressed above - consumers and the industry. The total ticket attendance is a small percent of the total engaged audience on a Caffeine Crawl.
A look at a conservative viewpoint on ROI for being part of the event. It’s free to be a stop on the Caffeine Crawl.
- 10 new year-round local customers from the event that visit once a week. That’s $3,000+ in new revenue.
- 15 other local individuals that start frequenting your business 1 time a month more than they usually do. That’s another $1,000+.
- 30 other area individuals that visit 3 times over the next year. That’s another $500+.
- Out-of-town visitors since the list of participants and links stay on the website, online orders, whole bean sales, and merchandise to this equation easily adding another $1,000.
- The first 3 bullet points don’t even take into consideration for those visiting during the event and making purchases, any sales over $10 including bags of coffee, or equipment, and is a very conservative value on ROI.
The Caffeine Crawl resource has established itself as a solid sales tool for participating businesses. Simply put, the Caffeine Crawl investment can bring your company, and/or shops thousands in new revenue as the largest specialty coffee and tea-based consumer event in the country.
FAQs
What's it look like for your shop or roasting company to participate in Caffeine Crawl? We have answers!
****DUE TO COVID-19: We have smaller route sizes. Routes are now maxed at 15 per. Masks are required to have, and can be lowered to consume, or if 6ft+ of someone you didn't attend with (partner, roomate, family member, etc). Many participating shops are hosting outside. We have less route stops at the same places, therefore if you are a participating shop you might have 1 to 3 total stops depending on the event and your comfort level. We suggest to attendees to also bring their own sanitizer and/or foam soap in between stops, and our team of tour guides have their own, plus some to share. Same goes for participating businesses.
Does it cost anything? No! Though you can sponsor Caffeine Crawl if you want more exposure leading up to the event, during the event, and carrying through the season to the end of the year promotions.
What’s required of me/my shop? Enthusiasm and excitement about your local craft beverage, or chocolate culture! You'll need enough space for several waves of up to 25* Crawlers to visit on the day of the Crawl, and enough staff to keep things running smoothly. You’ll need to prepare a short presentation (more on that below) and offer a small sample to each Crawler. Willingness to talk about Caffeine Crawl with your customers as the event approaches will help maximize your exposure through the event as well!
*In certain cities routes max out at 20, and bike routes are no more than 20. Some Crawls have so many participating locations that shops might only have 1 route visiting. We work that out with each shop during planning. We've hosted these events in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and Portland where space is premium, and each time it's been fun and manageable. If you are concerned about space size, let's talk and figure it out.
I run a (insert description) shop—can I play too? We welcome most artisan, beverages to the Caffeine Crawl lineup! (If you choose to sponsor and host the afterparty, that’s beer & spirit territory, and if you are a coffee shop with a liquor license, we're game as long as there's a non-alc option, too.). Coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, chai, juice, kombucha, ice cream or candy, coffee imports, beverage equipment/repair, etc… if you’re independent, quality focused, craft-oriented, and passionate, we’d love to talk about having you on the Crawl!
My business is thriving, and I have multiple locations. Can they all participate? Congrats, we’re glad for you! Usually we encourage you to choose one location that works well with our routes and has enough space. The exception would be if, for example, you have a location that’s perfectly located for a bike route, and one that works better with a driving route., or one is closed on the weekends, etc. Then we might use both. Sponsorship also plays into that decision.
A presentation? Yikes! On what? Anything relevant that you’re proud of, or excited about - a new coffee or tea, the mission of your shop, a unique specialty menu item. Past presentations have ranged from cuppings, to coffee + toast pairings, to bourbon-infused toddy lattes. The samples are usually part of (or related to) your presentation. This is also a good tool to encourage, and help staff with public speaking, and hospitality. If you need ideas or feedback, we’d love to help! We have a list under Ideas.
"Caffeine Crawl"...do I have to serve a heavy caffeinated drink? Absolutely not. That name stuck, and we went with it. Quality and Local Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate Shop Culture didn't have the same ring to it. Your drink does NOT have to have caffeine in it.
Samples? How many? How big? Crawls vary based on city size and demand, but we’ll let you know how many Crawlers to expect in each group/route when you approve your route time slot(s). It’s generally not a good idea to make espresso the main focus of your presentation UNLESS you have a good size staff dedicated to the times Crawlers are visiting. Full size drinks aren't necessary - Crawlers will be drinking a lot of coffee over the course of the Crawl, so 2-4 oz. is plenty! Gear it to your comfort level.
What does my time investment look like? First of all you set up at your own place unless you prefer to host somewhere else. This cuts down on any travel or set-up time for you and your team. Each route stops vary from 25-30 minutes. Consider the time for you actual stop times, plus some idea brainstorming and drink/sample prep time, but overall the time investment is very minimal for a major coffee event. Starting point starts are 5 minutes longer since we do intros and pass out items before the route gets rolling.
How long will I have for a presentation? How many times will I give it? Will I know ahead of time when people are visiting? We pride ourselves on planning the logistics of Crawls months in advance, and you will be sent your exact route time(s) to approve before tickets go live. Usually, you’ll have 2-4 waves of 25 (or fewer) Crawlers per wave. Each wave will be at your shop for 25-30 minutes. See above for note about smaller sizes. Crawls typically run from 8:30am at the earliest to 7pm at the latest, so your route times are likely to fall within those hours. Each wave of Crawlers will be accompanied by a tour guide to help hand out samples and keep things running smoothly and on time.
Do people eat during Crawls? Can I sell food? Please do! We encourage Crawlers to bring water bottles with them, so be prepared to refill those. Stock up on easy-grab, easy-pay food that Crawlers can take on the road with them—this is a great way to generate some extra income during Crawls (especially around lunchtime).
What’s in it for me? Why should I participate? See above on a sample of the business and financial reward. Benefits of participation in Caffeine Crawls are numerous, from connections with new customers to local and national media attention and press coverage. You'll receive multiple posts and shout outs from Caffeine Crawl's social media platforms leading up to the Crawl, and the event provides a unique setting for you to connect with interested customers while highlighting unique aspects of your company that they might not have been aware of. We receive numerous requests for shop recommendations in Crawl cities, and we steer those people to the event page from that city’s Crawl, or our new Guides, so customer growth from Caffeine Crawl continues long after the event!
Do you have signs I can put up on my community board? T-shirts? Stuff? Signs, yes! Merchandise, sometimes. We’ll provide you with digital event graphics so you can spread the word in your own unique way.
Can I sell tickets at my shop? No. We find it’s simplest for you to send Crawlers to our website to purchase their tickets, so we can stay on top of who’s attending and make sure they get all the info they need.
Can I include some SWAG in the event packets? Yes! We do limit this perk to participating shops and sponsors, and it's a great way to get your whole bean coffee/stickers/swag in the hands of everyone attending the event. You can also hand out goodies to the Crawlers that come to your shop.
How much lead time do you need to include me? We typically work on a 4 to 5-month timetable, but timing can vary from city to city. 2 to 3 months out, we'll finalize participants - you'll need to confirm the address(es) of your participating locations and approve your route times. After that, we'll get tickets live, and then it’s a countdown to the event!
More questions? Also, a list of ideas here. We have answers! Contact us below - we can't wait to hear from you!