Looking to set itself apart from the competition, the Galleria of Dallas, Texas, minted “Galleria Gold”—coins in $10, $20, and $50 denominations that function like traditional mall gift certificates. A $17,000 campaign to spread the word led to a 61% increase in Galleria Gold sales, and a 57% increase in the average transaction.

Town East Mall unveils family restroom kitted out with amenities for adults and their infant or toddler children.

Assembly Square Mall was the Big Help Headquarters during Nickelodeon’s “Big Help-A-Thon”. The campaign was designed to teach children about helping, encourage them to volunteer, and showcase their accomplishments.

Patrick Henry Mall had its own “Cans Festival”—but with food instead of films. Local businesses, clubs, schools, and non-profit teams were invited to create and showcase 10-foot-side sculptures made using food cans and some minor props. Each team had 24 hours to build, and had to provide their own materials. Nearly 3,000 pounds of food—or 2,333 meals—were donated to the local food bank at the end of the event.

Some 5,000 shoppers in Kamloops, British Columbia, took part in a five-hour Mardi Gras street party hosted by the Kamloops Business Improvement Area Association. Activities ranged from a dunking tank and apple bobbing to dart throwing and bean-bag tossing. The festivities cost the association $260, and generated $5,765 in revenue.

While Miss America was being crowned, all eyes were on a group of cute canines at Eastland Center’s “All American Dog Pageant”. Judges assessed the pooches as they competed in swimsuit, talent, and sportswear competitions. The media loved the event, which garnered publicity valued at over $48,000.

Burlington Square’s reputation as a festive downtown marketplace was waning, just as the local newspaper ran a story on the large amount of Vermonters leaving for warmer climates through February and March. The mall staged a “Spring is in the Bag” promotion, offering the first 500 shoppers to present receipts of $100+ a beach bag filled with goodies, and giving 3,000 customers the chance to win a vacation for two to Aruba. Merchants’ sales increased 10% to 373% on the day of the vacation draw, and mall sales were up 4% in February and 8% in March.

White Flint used silent, vibrating pagers to notify its shoppers when their tables were ready in The Cheesecake Factory — or when three hours of supervised play had passed, and it was time to retrieve their children.

Rivercenter, like many downtown malls, wasn’t a stranger to complaints about traffic and parking. A two-hour free parking program showed that it wasn’t fulfilling its shoppers’ needs, so Rivercenter mailed out brochures featuring 12 free all-day parking passes, along with discount coupons and VIP cards. The program generated an average of 31 cars per day, creating $554,778 in potential sales. Overall mall sales increased 20 percent.

The Galleria at South Bay hosted its Parte Rama dance party to encourage (and thank) local high school students for partying safe and sober. Attendance was limited to 800, and tickets were sold for $5. The school with the most students in attendance also received $250 for their Associated Student Body.