INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 6, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- Interacting with Santa has never been easier
than it will be at Simon Malls during the 2017 holiday shopping
season. Simon, a global leader in premier shopping, dining and
entertainment destinations, has announced exciting new ways to
interact with Santa including the revolutionary 'Santa Messenger
Bot,' which allows everyone's favorite bearded man to come to life
via a Santa Bot add on for Facebook Messenger. The Santa Bot will
help shoppers find the right store for the perfect gift based upon
for whom they are shopping or the shoppers' categories of
interest.
An interactive augmented reality game, 'Santa's Helpers,' will
launch at select properties in the new Simon Family app this
holiday season and will further enrich the on-mall shopping
experience. The app uses AR to take kids or kids at heart into
three locations at the North Pole where they will help Santa get
ready for his big night. After completing the three challenges in
the game, shoppers can enter a sweepstakes in the app to win a
grand prize and receive a special keepsake at Simon Guest Services
to commemorate the year they helped Santa.
As always, eager children and their families can experience the
joy and magic of the holiday season with a visit to the Simon®
Santa Photo Experience at most Simon properties. Families can save
time and avoid the line with 'Santa by Appointment,' by making
reservations online at http://simonsanta.com. Select Simon malls
will have a 'Fast Pass' option available whereby, for a nominal
fee, families reserve a two-hour 'window' for their big date with
Santa.
The 'I Saw Santa' program provides children with an easy
opportunity to relive their special photo experience. Children will
get special stickers to commemorate their visit with Santa and will
be recognized by staff and fellow shoppers as they travel about the
mall with their parents!
At select Simon properties, families can share a snack or a
story with Santa through the popular Breakfast with Santa, Story
Time with Santa, and Cookies with Santa programs.
And speaking of cookies, there is something new this holiday
season. On Saturday December
9th, over 120 Simon properties will help provide
shoppers with Santa's favorite holiday treat, cookies! Simon is
teaming up with Cookies For Kids Cancer, Mrs. Fields, Nestlé® Toll
House® Café by Chip®, and the Great American Cookies® to distribute
133,000 cookies in one day!
The nationally-recognized 'Caring Santa' program, offered in
alliance with Autism Speaks, returns to provide children with
special needs and their families an opportunity to enjoy this
time-honored holiday tradition through a sensory-friendly
experience. 'Caring Santa' has become incredibly popular, growing
from seven events in 2011 to an all-time high of 145 events this
year, reflecting the positive impact of this unique program.
Our four-legged friends won't be forgotten this year either as
the popular 'Pet Photo Night' with Santa returns. There will be 98
Pet Photo Night events this year. Allergy sufferers shouldn't fret,
however, as Pet Photo nights are hosted after the mall's normal
operating hours and the set gets an extensive cleaning following
the event to remove any potential allergen risks.
"Our on-mall Santa experiences have evolved into a great mix of
honoring timeless holiday traditions and bringing the best in
innovation to our customers," said Mikael
Thygesen, Simon's Chief Marketing Officer. "Our robust 2017
program is sure to please everyone."
The Simon Santa Photo Experience is again sponsored by GYMBOREE
GROUP. The GYMBOREE GROUP is a specialty retailer operating stores
selling high-quality apparel and accessories for children under the
Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8 brands.
The 2017 Simon Santa Photo Experience is also sponsored by
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment which is celebrating the
highly-anticipated release of "Despicable Me 3," available on
Digital and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™,
DVD and On Demand. Come visit the Simon Santa Photo Experience and
receive a fun-filled Despicable Me 3 activity sheet and watch
highlights from the movie.
Guests to every Simon Photo Experience will have another
opportunity to share Santa's heart by making a donation via The
Cherry Hill Programs to Save the Children. For nearly 100
years, this non-profit has given underserved children in the
U.S. a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from
harm. Since this program began five years ago, Cherry Hill Programs
has collected over $1,000,000 largely
due to the generosity of Simon shoppers.
About Simon
Simon is a global leader in the ownership
of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use
destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group,
NYSE:SPG). Our properties across North
America, Europe and
Asia provide community gathering
places for millions of people every day and generate billions in
annual sales. For more information, visit simon.com.
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/santa-at-simon-malls-blends-traditional-and-digital-300567964.html
SOURCE Simon