Top 5 Resolutions to Market your Event Year Around in 2014

  Be bigger than yourself: Show people that you care about more than just your own event. Community outreach, supporting good causes, and promoting other events in the area are a great way to get involved and keep your event’s name relevant to the community year-round. Not to mention, this gives you something interesting to … Continue reading “Top 5 Resolutions to Market your Event Year Around in 2014”

PostIts

 

  1. Be bigger than yourself: Show people that you care about more than just your own event. Community outreach, supporting good causes, and promoting other events in the area are a great way to get involved and keep your event’s name relevant to the community year-round. Not to mention, this gives you something interesting to add to your emails and social media posts!
  2. Be active on social media: Don’t just be active, be engaging, because the best way to get your content to go viral is to make it highly interactive. For example, creative Facebook contests are a fun way to encourage followers to interact with your posts.
  3. Use teasers to your advantage: Don’t announce all of your event’s entertainment at once. The performers you’ve booked are one of the most exciting aspects of your event, so keep your audience hooked by releasing entertainment announcements once or twice a week. This will encourage event-goers to frequently check their emails and visit your social media sites because they’re always left wanting to know more.
  4. Keep your email marketing alive: With all the social media talk, it’s easy to forget that email marketing isn’t dead. The truth is, it’s inexpensive and can give you some of the fastest results and highest revenue (even above social media). Strategically plan when you send your emails and who you send them to, you may be surprised by the results!
  5. Have promotional giveaways: Everyone loves feeling like they got a good deal, and that’s no different when it comes to your event’s tickets. Have a one-day sale, or give away tickets at some of your outreach efforts. Kids will always need to bring an adult, so you can almost guarantee that if you give away a kid’s ticket for free, it will be matched by one or two paying adults.

 

 

 

2013 Year in Review

In a similar fashion to Barbara Walters’ most interesting people of 2013, we’ve decided to compile Saffire’s Extraordinary Events of 2013. We’re all a part of a fast-moving industry, and at the end of the year it seems like we can take a moment to reflect on key happenings in our field. A few of … Continue reading “2013 Year in Review”

2013-InReview

In a similar fashion to Barbara Walters’ most interesting people of 2013, we’ve decided to compile Saffire’s Extraordinary Events of 2013. We’re all a part of a fast-moving industry, and at the end of the year it seems like we can take a moment to reflect on key happenings in our field. A few of our most memorable headlines include:

George Strait Announces Farewell Tour

George Strait officially said in 2013 that he will hang up his boots after this current tour. The die-hard faithful have flocked to ticket outlets, with tickets being sold and resold at record numbers at venues across the country.

Calgary Stampede Traditions Continue, “Come Hell or High Water”

The Calgary Stampede, faced with crippling floodwaters just 14 days before their opening, were able to not only put together an event that Calgarians won’t soon forget, but also raise over $2 million for flood victims through T-Shirts and donations. You can view a short video documentary of the 2013 Calgary Stampede here.

An Iconic Marathon Struck by a Devastating Finish

For many event organizers, safety plans took on a new meaning after a nation watched stunned while police searched for a brother who set bombs to explode on the finish line at the Boston Marathon. 3 people were killed, and hundreds others wounded in an event that won’t soon be forgotten by America.

Big Tex Makes a Triumphant Return

After the beloved icon of the State Fair of Texas tragically caught on fire in 2012, he was back in all his glory for the 2013 fair. Thousands of donors from the community and beyond contributed to the rebuilding effort. Now Big Tex stands just as tall, and even more stylish than ever in larger than life Wranglers and Luccheses.

100th Client Joins Saffire

With the addition of Extraco Events Center, Saffire reached a big milestone. We’ve come a long way since our first event client in 2009, and reaching the 100th client only gets us more excited to be a part of the industry. It may not be world news, but it was an extraordinary event for the Saffire team.

 

The year 2013 was nothing short of eventful. With so many trials and triumphs, it’s awesome to be a part of an industry that celebrates each other’s victories and lends a helping hand during each other’s hardships. With a year like this, it’s hard to imagine what 2014 will have in store!

Welcome Downtown Rock Springs

As the promotional and development arm for the City of Rock Springs, Wyoming, the Urban Renewal Agency was established to reinvigorate and support the downtown area of Rock Springs in 2006. Promoting shopping, tourism, dining, and events, Downtown Rock Springs also supports the preservation and renovation of many historic buildings and helps to recruit businesses … Continue reading “Welcome Downtown Rock Springs”

logo-RockSprings

As the promotional and development arm for the City of Rock Springs, Wyoming, the Urban Renewal Agency was established to reinvigorate and support the downtown area of Rock Springs in 2006. Promoting shopping, tourism, dining, and events, Downtown Rock Springs also supports the preservation and renovation of many historic buildings and helps to recruit businesses to relocate to the downtown area through their efforts and membership in the national Main Street Movement. We are thrilled to join the marketing efforts for promoting the City of Rock Spring’s Downtown development by giving them an online destination to match their unique culture and further promote the funding and marketing of their area online!

Welcome Extraco Events Center

This week we were overjoyed to welcome the Extraco Events Center as our 100th member of the Saffire Family! We’ve been friends with the folks at this venue in Waco, Texas for quite some time as they are the hosts of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo, one of our first clients. As we … Continue reading “Welcome Extraco Events Center”

extraco

This week we were overjoyed to welcome the Extraco Events Center as our 100th member of the Saffire Family! We’ve been friends with the folks at this venue in Waco, Texas for quite some time as they are the hosts of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo, one of our first clients. As we continue to expand into the world of venues and event centers, we are excited to do so with our friends as we help them market the vast amount of events they have at their event center. You can catch all kinds of performances at Extraco Events Center, including the RAM Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo in January and a fantastic Margarita & Salsa Festival in August. We look forward to furthering our relationship with this awesome establishment.

Welcome El Paso County Fair

  We would like to welcome the El Paso County Fair of Calhan, Colorado to the Saffire Family! (They are located right outside of Colorado Springs for those of you who may not be as familiar with Colorado geography.) We’ve seen the team from El Paso County at a few conventions in the last year, … Continue reading “Welcome El Paso County Fair”

square el paso county

 

We would like to welcome the El Paso County Fair of Calhan, Colorado to the Saffire Family! (They are located right outside of Colorado Springs for those of you who may not be as familiar with Colorado geography.) We’ve seen the team from El Paso County at a few conventions in the last year, including Colorado Association of Fairs & Shows and International Association of Fairs & Events. Meeting with the nice people here on multiple occasions helped them to make the decision to work with Saffire for their online marketing efforts. We couldn’t be more thrilled! We are looking forward to celebrating the future success of this fair and helping them continue to grow as an outstanding county fair of Colorado.

Welcome Central Washington Fair Association!

Saffire is proud to announce a new partnership with The Central Washington Fair Association based out of Yakima, Washington. This group produces several big events a year including their largest, the Central Washington State Fair, which occurs every September. We met these folks at the Washington State Fairs Association convention a few years back and … Continue reading “Welcome Central Washington Fair Association!”

http://www.yakima.org/img/basket/StateFairPark.jpg

Saffire is proud to announce a new partnership with The Central Washington Fair Association based out of Yakima, Washington. This group produces several big events a year including their largest, the Central Washington State Fair, which occurs every September. We met these folks at the Washington State Fairs Association convention a few years back and started the conversation about moving this well-oiled marketing machine’s online efforts to Saffire. We are excited to help them combine their fair, fair park, and event center websites to give their customers the best online experience possible!

Saffire heads to Las Vegas for the IAFE Convention

That’s right; it’s that time of year again! We’ve all worked or slept off the Thanksgiving turkey by now (hopefully), and we’re packing our bags to go to one of the largest trade shows the events industry has to offer. First and foremost, we love the opportunity to meet with folks from the fair world … Continue reading “Saffire heads to Las Vegas for the IAFE Convention”

That’s right; it’s that time of year again! We’ve all worked or slept off the Thanksgiving turkey by now (hopefully), and we’re packing our bags to go to one of the largest trade shows the events industry has to offer. First and foremost, we love the opportunity to meet with folks from the fair world to find out a little bit more about their events, celebrate their successes, hear about their obstacles, offer our online marketing advice, hang out with them after trade show hours, oh AND visit Sin City!

This year we’re thrilled to be presenting on multiple occasions throughout the convention. (You can see our interactive schedule on our website here.) We’d love for you to come sit in and listen!

Tuesday, Dec. 10

  • 11:15 – 12:30 PM – Dream Big on Small Budgets – Technology, Aaron Pederson, Technical Director
  • 11:15 – 12:30 PM – It’s an All Year Af-Fair, Kendra Wright, President
  • 3:00 – 4:00 PM – Product Showcase – Increase Bucks & Butts for Your Event with Saffire, Kendra Wright, President

Wednesday, Dec. 11

  • 8:00 – 9:00 AM  – Secret Sauce of Advance Revenue for your Fair, Kendra Wright, President
  • 2:00 – 3:00 PM – Product Showcase – Increase Bucks & Butts for Your Event with Saffire, Kendra Wright, President

Another time you could see us while attending IAFE is at the trade show! The hours are Monday, Dec. 9, 2:30 – 6:30 PM; Tuesday, Dec. 10, 12:30 – 5:30 PM and Wednesday, Dec. 11, 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM. While you may gather valuable information about vendors, entertainers, products and more, we know the most important piece of the trade show puzzle is stopping by the Saffire booth (#1122) and spinning the Wheel O’ Crap! You’ll make our day if you stop and chat with us and we’ll hopefully make yours as you could win a Saffire:

  • FREE High Five
  • Sweet Tattoo
  • Amazing Felt Tip Pen
  • “No Guy” Button
  • Boot Koozie
  • Tumbler
  • “Making Nerdy Cool” T-shirt

The next thing you’ll definitely want to add to your agenda is the Saffire Tacky Christmas Happy Hour! This will be our third year to host one of our infamous parties in our Paris Hotel suite on Tuesday, Dec. 10 5:30 – 7:00 PM ( room number to be announced during trade show & via email). Stop by booth #1122 and get an invite card which will include a special SaffireScan code. When you arrive at our party, present the invite to have your code scanned to see what “neat” holiday costume item you’ve won! While you’re there, be sure to try a Cup o’ Good Cheer Cocktail, some Rosemary Pecans, Merry Meatballs, home-made sugar cookies, and of course our World Famous Saffire Queso!

As you can see, we have quite a bit of fun preparing for this grand adventure to Las Vegas, especially when packing crock pots is one of the first things on our list. You may find this to be one of the most interesting things in our suitcase, but we couldn’t host one of our parties without a handy crock pot or two (or maybe three). The look on the TSA agents’ faces as they sift through koozies and crock pots is enough to make it all worth it.

We can’t wait to see you all at the convention. We’re sure it will be a blast. Safe travels!