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Malls Increase Event Lineups To Lure Back Shoppers

With the recession causing Americans to cut back on their shopping trips and the days of "hanging out at the mall" in a long decline, the nation's biggest shopping centers are pumping up their event menus this year, adding music festivals, wine tastings, art fairs, high school fundraisers, and kids' cooking seminars, to name a few, as they try to work their way back into Americans' daily lives.

One mall event planner estimates the number of events at shopping centers has increased 20% this year. Charity and community affairs are particularly in vogue as they allow malls with limited marketing budgets to provide the event space while the sponsoring organization pays the bill.

A music and sports festival, sponsored by teen retailer Journeys and others, drew 22,000 people in Chicago, 18,000 in Baltimore and 15,000 in Las Vegas.

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