The weekend before Halloween the hospital held its second Halloween Town. Notice I didn’t say “annual,” which is nonprofit speak for an event that’s best known for its regularity. HT is much more than an annual event; it’s evolving into a major Boston attraction that’s a great example of philanthrotainment.
HT is the brainchild of Boston-based retailer iParty, who set out to help the hospital raise money and visibility and to enhance its own standing as the ultimate destination for party supplies, especially for Halloween.
One area that distinguished HT from other Halloween events was how we integrated our partners into the set. Each partner had a 6,000 square foot zone in which to conjure up their own Halloween brand-land experience. And sponsors were up for the challenge of engaging consumers in new, fun and memorable ways.
Shaw’s Supermarkets, brewed one of our most popular zones, the Pumpkin Patch. Shaw’s shipped in 15,000 pumpkins that were used both for decorations and for decorating by our young guests.
Bugaboo Creek Steak House brought their trademark moose for a ring toss that the kids really enjoyed. The set they used for a backdrop was just like their restaurants, complete with a booth with red and white checkered tablecloth.
Finagle A Bagel was in Frankenstein’s’s Lab. Using the names of the different bagels Finagle sells, we created a bagel toss game for kids that kept families focused on the Finagle name and having fun.
Storytelling in the Staples Monsterpiece Theater was a relaxing addition for kids and parents alike. As a national supporter of literacy programs, Staples found a great way to show families about what it really cared.
Valvoline Instant Oil Change manned the Spooky Speedway where kids could try their hand at a mock pit stop, ring toss a quart of oil (guess which brand!) or sit behind the wheel of the Valvoline race car.
The main stage area was where BMC told it’s story—with the help at one point from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Every couple of hours, we encouraged kids to join the hospital’s Monster Mash Club. For a minimum 
donation of $5 kids got an orange “kids caring for kids” wrist band, Halloween tote and official club membership card.
As folks left Halloween Town, they exited through our very own iParty store, which had hundreds of items for sale. The best part was that 100% of sales went to the hospital. iParty was a great partner indeed. And we worked to thank 
them as much as possible. We even had one of our volunteers strap on a video monitor supplied by Ads on Feet so we could air iParty commercials. After all, it was the weekend before Halloween.
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