EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – One Indiana University fan won tickets to watch the Hoosiers play Monday in the college football national championship in Miami through a local business contest.
More than a dozen small businesses also consider themselves winners in the drawing. Organizers say the ticket giveaway brought in business during a typically slow month.
Rhanda Carlile owns Locally Loved Boutique on Virginia Street in Evansville. Carlile and a friend saw excitement among Hoosier fans and had an idea.
“We’ve been collecting names to give away tickets to the national championship where we’re gonna see the Hoosiers win of course,” Carlile said.
This isn’t the first contest Carlile and Kelly Winzinger, the owner of flower shop It Can Be Arranged, have coordinated. Last week, the two businesses gave away tickets to see the Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl.
“A couple years ago we did Taylor Swift ticket giveaways and it was wildly successful. We had a bunch of small businesses join forces cause I think you can go far by yourself, but you can go much further together,” Carlile said.
The local small business owner says that’s helpful during the winter months.
“January and February is a tough time for retail,” Carlile said. “So, I just started getting on the phone dialing for dollars, I’m like, ‘Do you want to be a part of this?’”
Around 15 businesses signed up to sponsor the contest. To have a chance at the tickets, people had to do things like go into a participating business, take a selfie and post on social media. Businesses say, once people were in the store, they tended to do a little shopping.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in sales,” said Kate Potter, owner of American Honey Market on Darmstadt Road. “It’s been a huge blessing for us.”
“I actually have experienced more people coming in for this in the past few days than our busiest Christmas days,” Carlile said. “Which is insane and all the other businesses are saying the same.”
Carlile says sponsorship money and other donations came to more than $10,000. She says that paid for the two tickets plus extra to help with travel expenses.
The winner was announced at the Hornet’s Nest tonight and notified. The game is Monday night at 6:30 Central.
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