Saffire Blog

Welcome West End Fair!

The West End Fair of Gilbert, PA joined the Saffire Team last week and we couldn’t be more excited! We met a few of their team members in January at the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs where we thoroughly enjoyed the cold weather they shared with us. More importantly, learning about this historic event (almost 100 years old) has been fun; 6 directors from 6 different townships, fairgrounds displaying stately oaks and majestic hemlocks, and their original mission statement that they still stand true to today. This fair has grown from 25 cents a carload and 4,000 attendees their first year, to an event that now the entire community comes to celebrate, and we can’t wait to help them continue expanding that growth!

Here’s a look at where we left our car because it was way too cold and snowy for these Texas girls to move it, whoops!

Welcome Rooftop Rodeo!

Rooftop Rodeo of Estes Park, Colorado was the final newcomer of last week to join in on the Saffire fun! This rodeo is supported by the Estes Park Western Heritage, Inc., whose purpose is to preserve and promote the history of the Estes Valley. They kick off their summer rodeo season with an annual parade full of floats and chuck wagons as well as an Antique Show where patrons help raise money for the Western Heritage Youth Scholarship Fund and Rodeo Royalty Program. We look forward to helping them utilize the online marketing world to preserve and celebrate a heritage unlike most!

Welcome North Texas State Fair & Rodeo!

We’ve had lots of opportunities to meet and visit with the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo at various Texas and international conventions, so when they signed on with Saffire last week, it just felt “right,” like finding that missing piece to an almost finished puzzle. Celebrating their 85th year, in Denton, Texas and committed to … Continue reading “Welcome North Texas State Fair & Rodeo!”

We’ve had lots of opportunities to meet and visit with the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo at various Texas and international conventions, so when they signed on with Saffire last week, it just felt “right,” like finding that missing piece to an almost finished puzzle. Celebrating their 85th year, in Denton, Texas and committed to its mission of supporting Youth, Agriculture, and Community, we’re proud to add them to our growing list of Texas events!

Welcome Grant County Fair!

Join us in welcoming the Grant County Fair of Moses Lake, Washington. We met this fair at the Washington State Fairs Association Convention back in November and they had been keeping their eye on us ever since. They stayed in touch with our mutual friends at the Northwest Washington Fair and waited to see what we could produce for them as they have a similar need to promote their venue and fairgrounds online. They were blown away by what they saw and decided they needed to be a part of the Saffire movement too! We can’t wait to make this fair stand out and continue to grow.

Welcome Ag Learning Center!

Knowing a good thing when they see it, our friends at Four States Fair recommended us to their friends just down the road. The Ag Learning Center in Texarkana, AR provides dairy and nutritional educational programs as well as providing agricultural awareness to all who pass through the Four States area. Brought to you by The Four States Fair, in partnership with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association (SUDIA), the Ag Learning Center is open year round for groups of children of all ages to participate in interactive, hands-on activities, displays, and exhibits.

Welcome Montgomery County Fair!

They say it’s never too early to start planning for next year’s event which is why we couldn’t have been happier to hear from the Montgomery County Fair when we did. With their big event just around the corner we’ll have the unique opportunity to actually attend this year’s fair prior to starting work … Continue reading “Welcome Montgomery County Fair!”

They say it’s never too early to start planning for next year’s event which is why we couldn’t have been happier to hear from the Montgomery County Fair when we did. With their big event just around the corner we’ll have the unique opportunity to actually attend this year’s fair prior to starting work on their design. Offering carnival rides, livestock shows, rodeo, a tasty barbecue cook-off and big name concerts including Aaron Watson and Micky & the Motorcars, we’re so excited to see you at this fair.

5 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Event

Chances are that you’re already using social media as part of your marketing toolkit. Here you’ll find 5 ways to increase odds on having a spectacular event. 1) Create buzz with a contest Any type of free giveaways get people excited and scrambling to get in on the action. Contests are a great way to … Continue reading “5 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Event”

Chances are that you’re already using social media as part of your marketing toolkit. Here you’ll find 5 ways to increase odds on having a spectacular event.

1) Create buzz with a contest

Any type of free giveaways get people excited and scrambling to get in on the action. Contests are a great way to generate interest in your event and get people talking about it.

Recently Rodeo Houston targeted the younger audience with a contest promoting their Demi Lovato concert.

Participants only needed to say where Demi was born (and spell it correctly). The winner got two chute tickets to Demi Lovato’s concert at Rodeo Houston, plus the chance to meet Demi Lovato backstage. Also, Carnival tickets, a steak dinner for two before the Rodeo, two season passes to the grounds and a parking pass. Now that’s a serious prize package!

As Leroy Shafer, chief operating officer of Rodeo Houston, said, “these entertainers introduce rodeo to a new generation that will stay with us for generations to come.”

Create a hashtag to easily track your entries on twitter and use a similar phrase on Facebook. Keep the requirements super-simple to encourage participation.

2) Create a video that people will share

A video is the next best thing to experiencing your event in person. Great visuals and sound will not only get people excited to attend, but also will get them motivated to share their excitement.

Make a video (and remember, it doesn’t have to be slick – just take it with your phone!), and leverage it everywhere you can. Post it on YouTube, Facebook and on your own site.

We aren’t sure if this was truly done by a fan or someone at the Los Angeles County Fair, but it’s unique, clever and catchy , proving that even slightly annoying things catch on with repetition.

Some Things I Saw At The 2012 Los Angeles County Fair

3) Interview Performers or Guests for Special Content

One of the main reasons people attend your event is to see your performers – rodeo cowboys & cowgirls, famous singers or even the chef at a crowd favorite fair food cart. Getting more exposure is one of the primary reasons that they are performing at your event.

So take advantage of this by doing a short interview with your performers, and this will be valuable event content. Here’s an example:

Trevor Brazile talking about the prestige of the Pendleton Round-Up

Again, leverage the content everywhere – YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and your own site.

4) Create a “Great Tips” post for your blog

Help your guests organize their day by creating a post with tips about your event. Highlight the “Don’t Miss It” attractions. Suggest ways to avoid the crowds for the most popular attractions. Let them know helpful information about any event changes; for instance, you have now moved several kiddie rides over near the petting barn rather than everything being in the midway. (If you have a Saffire site, your guests can use all of this information to customize their own event schedule right on your site.)

Encourage your visitors to contribute their own tips. Make sure it’s easy for them to share this great content on Facebook and Twitter.

5) Create a tweet for your attendees

If people are excited about attending, why not make it easy for them to tell their friends by just clicking a button. You can create a custom Twitter button with your specific message already set up in the Tweet text. Here is the link to Twitter’s Button resource. Once you’ve built it, you embed the HTML code that Twitter provides.

These are just 5 Ways to promote your event with Social Media. Be creative and try out your own ideas. One of the great things about social media is that you never can predict what will catch everyone’s attention and go viral. Just keep the content flowing.

Creative Director Masters the Mechanical Bulldog

Saffire’s Creative Director, Jeremy Emerson, mastered the art of mechanical bulldog riding at this year’s SXSW Interactive Conference. The mechanical bulldog was a featured event at the BBC America tent and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Check out the video here!

Welcome Four States Fair & Rodeo!

During our end of February roadtrip, we got to see one of the coolest workspaces at the offices of the Four States Fair & Rodeo in Texarkana, AR. Literally sitting at a desk working on the computer while able to look down at any event going on in the arena! Very happy to add Four … Continue reading “Welcome Four States Fair & Rodeo!”

During our end of February roadtrip, we got to see one of the coolest workspaces at the offices of the Four States Fair & Rodeo in Texarkana, AR. Literally sitting at a desk working on the computer while able to look down at any event going on in the arena!

Very happy to add Four States Fair & Rodeo to the Saffire family and excited to have our first partner in Arkansas. We now have partners in 20 states.

Welcome State Fair of Louisiana!

We had the pleasure of visiting with State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport at the end of February to close the deal and to add them to the Saffire family. Founded in 1906, the State Fair of Louisiana is celebrating its 107th year. Since the site will be representing the state of Louisiana, you … Continue reading “Welcome State Fair of Louisiana!”

We had the pleasure of visiting with State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport at the end of February to close the deal and to add them to the Saffire family.

Founded in 1906, the State Fair of Louisiana is celebrating its 107th year. Since the site will be representing the state of Louisiana, you can expect it to be lively, colorful and have a splash of Tabasco to spice it up.