Shawn Stephens, Baker Hostetler partner and head of the firm’s Texas appellate practice, is serving as chairman of the Houston Ballet’s Nutcracker Market this year. The Nutcracker Market, the third-largest volunteer staff event in Houston, generates about $2.5 million annually for the Houston Ballet, representing about one-tenth of the Ballet’s operating budget.
When it comes to the Nutcracker Market, Stephens says says timing and tradition are everything.
“We think that part of the reason the Nutcracker Market keeps setting records is because it’s such a tradition—people save money for it all year,” she says. “And it comes at a time of year when people really do need to shop—and buy—anyway.”
The words “economy” and “recession” likely won't even be uttered among the 1.2 million square feet of space encompassed by the Market which will be held Nov. 11-14. The Market will play host to 350 vendors that are expected to sell between $13 million and $14 million worth of merchandise in a four-day period.
And with charitable donations feeling the drag of the economy, the Nutcracker Market is the Ballet’s shining star... The addition of more space and more than 30 new merchants, as well as aisles that are being expanded to 30 feet this year, should help them meet their goal. A heightened marketing campaign—which will use social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter—is also expected to help boost attendance to new records.
“People really just love the tradition and spectacle of it all,” Stephens adds.