On April 8, 2024, nearly two-thirds of Arkansas will be within the path of totality for the Great North American Eclipse. This is only the third full solar eclipse to pass over Arkansas. The first was in 1834, and the last was in 1918.
Many scientists believe that the 2024 eclipse will be the most-viewed eclipse in history.
Therefore, locations with an unobstructed overhead view are in high demand for spectators to witness the silhouette of the moon as it obscures the bright light of the sun.
Expect Big Numbers
A 2017 non-Arkansas eclipse proved to be a major tourism event for states within the path of totality. Those states reported historic visitor numbers and economic impact for their eclipse.
However, there is a major difference between the 2017 and the 2024 eclipse! In 2024, the path will be nearly double in size, and the time of darkness nearly twice as long.
According to the Wyoming Office of Tourism, in 2017, more than 260,000 peopled traveled in Wyoming to view the eclipse. Travelers spent an estimated $63.5 million there during a five-day period.
Casper, Wyo., was one of the places along the eclipse’s path in 2017. In Casper, the internet went down for nine hours, causing problems for visitors and merchants trying to process credit or debit cards.
Estimates for visitors coming to Russellville for the eclipse range from 50,000 and up. That’s about two times more people and vehicles in the area than normal. Many local hotels have a three-night minimum stay for the eclipse, so people will start arriving on Thursday or Friday.
Statewide, Arkansas expects 1.5 million tourists to visit for the eclipse!
3 Ways to Get Ready
Think about what your business provides and consider what people will want to buy while visiting.
Here are three tips to help your business prepare for the eclipse.
1. Staff Up
If you are in a business that serves the public, the first thing you should do is to staff up.
If you get even a portion of those 1.5 million tourists, you will be busier than normal. Businesses that sell food or gas will be the busiest of all.
You will want to have all hands on deck, especially during peak times. Having enough staff will help keep things moving and people happy.
To prepare, take a look at how customers typically order and check out. Is there any way to improve efficiency and speed up wait times? Consider adding temporary “express lanes” for certain sizes or types of transactions.
Plan to have cash on hand to make change, and pre-train staff to handle a cash-only scenario, in case the internet goes down, like it did in Wyoming.
2. Stock Up
Get your inventory ordered early, and order extra. Think about what you sell that would interest those visiting for the eclipse.
For some businesses, this might create a cash flow problem. For example, retail businesses typically start ordering in early fall for Christmas. Business is then usually slow in January and February.
Depending on your product, you might need to order for the eclipse during those slow months, when cash is tight any way.
Ordering for the eclipse will be similar to doing those Christmas orders; putting out funds for the promise of a big return. Of course, how far ahead you order depends on what you sell.
Restaurants can’t order perishables too far out, so they might consider locating additional vendors for anything that is needed last minute. Retailers might talk to vendors to see about the possibility of getting additional time to pay, if needing to order earlier than normal.
Businesses that have lines of credit with their bank might check balances to be sure funds are available to draw for early ordering.
On a personal note, if you are in the path of totality, you should also consider making sure you have groceries and gas for yourself before the visitors start coming.
Eclipse Merch
If you are considering carrying eclipse merchandise, such as T-shirts and other novelties, and you normally don’t carry those types of items, consider hands-off, dropshipping platforms such as Printify, Teespring, etc.
With these platforms, you can order samples, the customer orders from you, then you submit the order online, and the customer is shipped their merchandise from the drop-shipper.
If you already carry T-shirts and other novelties, you might consider making at least some of your designs general enough to sell post-eclipse. For example, a shirt with the word “Russellville” with a solar eclipse or someone biking or fishing is more general than “Russellville Eclipse April 8, 2024.”
3. Look Up
Make a plan for your employees to get a quick peek at the eclipse, if at all possible. You and your staff should not miss it!
Consider getting a supply of eclipse glasses for your employees. If you order early, you can get them with your logo and show your team you appreciate them and their safety.
You don’t want to be the boss that wouldn’t let your employees go outside and witness this wonderful display of nature. Instead, you can be the cool boss that gave them eclipse glasses and a break so that they could create a memory.
For the timing of the eclipse, see NASA’s Where and When page.
Additional Advice if Your Business Serves Food
Improving efficiency and wait times were mentioned above. Here are two additional ideas for food service businesses for the days surrounding the eclipse.
Serve a Limited Menu
Switch to a limited menu. Items that take longest or require many different ingredients than others can be taken off the menu to make the kitchen more efficient. Some restaurants do this for Mother’s Day and other big-crowd days, so you may benefit by limiting your menu for eclipse days.
Have Fast, Fun Grab-and-Go Items
Consider a themed grab-and-go menu, such as Eclipse Burger Bags, pre-made Solar Salads, Twilight Taco Kits, etc. Get creative and keep the kitchen moving.
Reminders If You’re Hosting an Eclipse Event
Finally, businesses holding eclipse events or hosting visitors, remember: Visitor safety and comfort is your no. 1 priority.
April is always a mixed bag of weather treats. It can be 80 or 40 degrees, sunshine, rain, or even snow. As the date gets closer, monitor the weather and have a contingency plan for keeping your guests comfortable.
Don’t forget to make sure enough restrooms are available. If you are offering camper/RV spaces, check with the city for dumping stations or restrict to self-contained units.
Also, make sure you collect and remit any sales and tourism taxes required on short-term rentals/campgrounds. If you use VRBO or AirBnB, they will take care of that for you. Otherwise, you will need to have a sales tax permit and collect from the visitor and remit directly to the state.
Without delay, market your event. Arkansas.com has a calendar page where you can list your eclipse event. You can also list your eclipse events and campsite/rental info locally. For example, Russellville Tourism is managing the page, EclipseRussellville.com.
Don’t forget to add your events to Google, Facebook, and other online platforms. Consider creating a separate Facebook page or Group to help get the word out.
The post Eclipse Tips: Get Your Business Ready Now for April 8 first appeared on Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.