FAQs for participating shops:
Investment / ROI: A Caffeine Crawl will attract 125 - 300 ticket attendees. Overall, that's a small percent of the total engaged audience on a Caffeine Crawl. Even if 50 (2 groups/routes) to 100 (4 groups/routes) individuals visit your location on Caffeine Crawl routes the event reaches another 50,000+ in your area (approx. 200k- 250k+ coast-to-coast) from all the promotions - strong pr, social media presence, the website, store signage, word of mouth, and community partnerships.
What is that ROI for you participating? The short answer is, a lot! Let’s be conservative, and say you gain 10 new year-round customers that visit once a week. That’s at least $3,000. Add another 15 individuals that start frequenting your business 1 time a month more than they usually do. That’s another $1,000. Add 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. 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.
What's it look like for your shop or roasting company to participate in Caffeine Crawl? We have answers!
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!
What is that ROI for you participating? The short answer is, a lot! Let’s be conservative, and say you gain 10 new year-round customers that visit once a week. That’s at least $3,000. Add another 15 individuals that start frequenting your business 1 time a month more than they usually do. That’s another $1,000. Add 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. 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.
What's it look like for your shop or roasting company to participate in Caffeine Crawl? We have answers!
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!