Rechargeable Lanterns Motivate Company Picnic Attendance for Arista Air Conditioning

Challenge: Maximize the impact of the employee gift at the 10th anniversary picnic.

Arista Air Conditioning Corporation prides itself on treating employees like family. The firm, providing air conditioning, heating and refrigeration services to the New York tri-state area, boasts a low turnover, with almost one-third of employees having been with the company for 10-plus years.

This is no accident; the Arista team has long been devoted to making the firm an enjoyable place to work, offering, among other benefits, the quintessential company annual picnic complete with horseshoes, an air castle for the kids, a live band and collegial softball games.

Since launching the picnic 10 years ago, the Arista team has learned to maximize the effect of their annual company picnic giveaway, which they see not as an incentive, but as a reward to employees who take the time to attend. Two such tricks of the trade: first, the team promotes their chosen promotion in advance of the picnic to generate excitement; second, employees know they will receive the product only if they attend the event, which increases attendance and makes the gift and picnic more special.

Solution: Gift lanterns please employees and set a positive tone on picnic day.

This year’s selection: the Liberty Camping Rechargeable Lantern. On the day of the picnic, the Arista team implemented yet another smart strategy by giving the lanterns to employees at the sign-in booth. This strategy not only gets people excited, but also puts employees and family members alike in a good frame of mind. Since then, the team reports, they’ve received much praise on their decision to choose the lanterns, which have also proved useful to several employees on camping trips.