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Buzz around The Mall at University Town Center has gotten louder in recent weeks.
For good reason: The mall, a $315 million retail project in north Sarasota County, is scheduled to open Oct. 16. New store announcements, inside configuration of stores and various future grand-opening events have dominated the news of late. The project is an 880,000-square-foot, two-story mall, a partnership between University Park-based Benderson Development and Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers. Anchors are Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Dillard's.
The latest buzz-building move is a photo contest to bring out the creative side of the mall's future shoppers.
The Facebook-based contest, Show off Your UTC, runs through Sept. 30. By show off, mall officials want people to create and photograph the letters “UTC” in a variety of settings. The mall will give away at least $20,000 in prizes to winners. That includes a grand prize of a $5,000 VIP shopping spree, a year of monthly valet parking, $250 in dining vouchers and a Santa photo package.
More than 20 entries came in during the first week, UTC marketing and sponsorship director Kim Dominguez says. Dominguez, who worked in advertising and branding for 20 years in New York City and Atlanta, says the contest is the result of research that shows how much potential customers use Facebook. “The response has been extremely favorable,” Dominguez tells Coffee Talk. “People are excited about it. This is a small community, but it's a very engaged community.”
The contest, with a Sept. 30 deadline to submit photos, is open to legal residents of the United States ages 18 and up. Individuals and groups can enter the contest. Entries will be reviewed from Oct. 1 through Oct. 9, and five photos will be selected to move into the semi-finalist round.
Facebook fans of The Mall at UTC can then vote for their favorite photo from Oct. 10 through Oct. 19. There is one vote per person per day, and every person who votes in that period will be entered for a chance to win one of 10 daily $1,000 shopping sprees.
The photo with the most Facebook votes wins the grand prize.
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