Saffire Blog

IAFE 2011: The Turquoise Explosion

As we’ve mentioned, this was our first year to attend the IAFE Convention and Trade Show, so we wanted to make sure and let the fair industry know we had arrived. We would like to take a brief moment to thank the folks at IAFE and our other friends around the fair industry for answering … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: The Turquoise Explosion”

As we’ve mentioned, this was our first year to attend the IAFE Convention and Trade Show, so we wanted to make sure and let the fair industry know we had arrived.

We would like to take a brief moment to thank the folks at IAFE and our other friends around the fair industry for answering our countless questions as we planned our trip. Because trust me, we had a lot of questions!

So 1000 business cards, 600 koozies, 80 square feet, 24 UPS deliveries, 7 hoodies, 5 suitcases and 1 cotton candy machine later….we were ready!

It didn’t take much time walking down aisle 11 at the trade show to spot booth #1122. We were hard to miss with our turquoise hoodies, shoes, koozies, sign and tablecloth. At least we hope you saw us!

If you stopped by our booth, you probably caught a glimpse of the “Are you a Saffire client?” video. This video gives you a quick, easy overview of all that Saffire can do to help give your event the online presence it deserves. If you didn’t get a change to see it, you can watch the video again on our website.

Our team wasn’t really sure what to expect this year, but we were thrilled with the traffic at our booth. We were able to make some wonderful new connections and look forward to working with these folks in the future.

Telling people about Saffire is one thing, but when they get to see it in action is when the light bulb really comes on. Software can seem a little intangible, so we wanted to show our visitors how user-friendly and intuitive Saffire is for even people that hate computers.

We’re excited about the splash we made at the trade show this year, and are already talking about next year, and we want some feedback from you! Did you like the turquoise? Or would you like us to surprise you with an all new color ext year?

– Rebekah

IAFE 2011: Cotton Candy Cocktails

From a beautiful suite in the Paris Hotel & Casino overlooking the Eiffel Tower and water fountain show in front of the Bellagio, we raised glasses with almost 50 new friends from across the country to celebrate Saffire’s first year at the IAFE Convention and Tradeshow, and to how much we look forward to helping … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: Cotton Candy Cocktails”

From a beautiful suite in the Paris Hotel & Casino overlooking the Eiffel Tower and water fountain show in front of the Bellagio, we raised glasses with almost 50 new friends from across the country to celebrate Saffire’s first year at the IAFE Convention and Tradeshow, and to how much we look forward to helping members of the industry!

Folks were greeted with a fair-inspired Cotton Candy Cocktail (featuring real freshly-spun cotton candy on top of a delicious drink) ice cold beer, snacks and some great conversation.

From California to Virginia, Wisconsin to Texas, the whole country was represented. We learned a lot about the bushel weight of farmed soy beans in Nebraska, the geographic politics of the state of Virginia and how to keep a fair alive in Chowchilla, California!

With such a great turnout, we’re sure we’ll be hosting another cocktail party next year, to meet even more new friends. So be sure to keep your eyes open starting next fall for your invitation!

– Jeremy

IAFE 2011: And the winner is…

Anyone who knows me knows I love an awards ceremony (the Grammies being my favorite, followed by the Oscars when they don’t drag on too much). So I was really looking forward to the awards ceremony at IAFE. I was particularly excited, because I had gone to Springfield in October to judge the marketing awards … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: And the winner is…”

Anyone who knows me knows I love an awards ceremony (the Grammies being my favorite, followed by the Oscars when they don’t drag on too much). So I was really looking forward to the awards ceremony at IAFE.

I was particularly excited, because I had gone to Springfield in October to judge the marketing awards (but luckily had subsequently forgotten most of the winners, so it was like new again!). The branding for fairs is so fun, and I love the challenge of conveying the magic of the fair across all the different mediums.

One category, however, that I didn’t judge was websites. And so I was 100% surprised and honored when our websites won two awards!

Rodeo Austin took first place in their division for their website, and this was a particular honor since it was their second year in a row to win. I think this is a first, and we’re so grateful to be their partner!

Also, in a total surprise, Brazos Valley Fair & Expo took third place in their division. Not bad for an event that hasn’t even happened yet!

We appreciate the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining an event site, so we would like to congratulate all of the first place winners in the five divisions.

Division 5: Erie County Fair, NY
Division 4: Indiana State Fair
Division 3: Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo (Rodeo Austin)
Division 2: Clay County Agricultural Fair, FL
Division 1: Canyon County Fair, ID

Of course, it feels good to win, and we look forward to working with our clients to create even more award-winning websites next year!

-Kendra

IAFE 2011: Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Since thousands of miles separate the Austin and Portland Saffire Offices, any chance our team has to spend time together is sure to be filled with excitement and fun. With such a busy convention schedule, most of our free time was spent having yummy meals and playing various casinos. While we didn’t hit the BIG … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: Eat, Drink and Be Merry!”

Since thousands of miles separate the Austin and Portland Saffire Offices, any chance our team has to spend time together is sure to be filled with excitement and fun.

With such a busy convention schedule, most of our free time was spent having yummy meals and playing various casinos.

While we didn’t hit the BIG jackpot we were all hoping for, we settled for a few mediocre slot machine wins on Top Dollar and Lucky Larry’s Lobster Mania.

If you know much about this team, you know we ~~might be~~ are foodies. We had the opportunity to eat at some new finds and old favorites while we were in Las Vegas.

We made two stops at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel, which was right across from the Paris Hotel where we were staying. This trendy, new hotel was home to Holsteins and D.O.C.G. At Holsteins, we enjoyed the Gold Standard, which was voted the best burger in Las Vegas, and various “Bam-Boozled Shakes.” As for D.O.C.G., well we’re just glad we didn’t set more than the menu on fire. Oops!

After about 24 hours away from Texas, the Austin office was in serious need of some Mexican food. So we headed over to Planet Hollywood to have some burritos and fajitas at Yolo’s.

Since Wednesday night was our last evening together in Vegas, we had a team dinner at a Saffire favorite: Tao. A few specialty cocktails and lots of toasts later, we had a delicious meal and enough laughs to last until we’re together again.

Our team really is a family, and it was great to spend time together in Sin City. Viva Las Vegas!

– Rebekah

IAFE 2011: I Love This Bar… and Our Clients!

With so many of our clients attending the IAFE Conference in Las Vegas, the Saffire team decided to seize the opportunity and bring them all together for a group dinner on Monday evening at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. Of course we had a little thank you gift for our clients! We … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: I Love This Bar… and Our Clients!”

With so many of our clients attending the IAFE Conference in Las Vegas, the Saffire team decided to seize the opportunity and bring them all together for a group dinner on Monday evening at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill.

Of course we had a little thank you gift for our clients!

We had such a fun time visiting and catching up with the teams from Brazos Valley Fair & Expo, Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo, Western Fairs Association, and our newest client who signed on earlier that very day, but that’s a surprise.

Rebekah and Cassie with Liz and Carrie from WFA.

For many of us, it was our first time to meet each other in person and really put a face with a name. It was also a great opportunity for our clients to get to know each other and share their own stories and experiences.

Some of the highlights of the meal included the fried mac and cheese balls, fried jalapeno poppers, chicken fried steak and fried Twinkies for dessert. Are you noticing the trend?

Fried Twinkies = Yummy

We also enjoyed some live music and some very entertaining people watching. Thank you to all who joined us for such a memorable evening! It was a joy to see and visit with you all!

– Jessica

IAFE 2011: Next Steps in Online Marketing

Our first IAFE is over, and I have to say I’m so glad that this is the only time it will ever be our first. We met so many great people, and it will be nice to see more familiar faces in years to come. The thing that caused me the most worry was our … Continue reading “IAFE 2011: Next Steps in Online Marketing”

Our first IAFE is over, and I have to say I’m so glad that this is the only time it will ever be our first. We met so many great people, and it will be nice to see more familiar faces in years to come.

The thing that caused me the most worry was our Product Showcase on increasing revenue through online marketing. I wasn’t worried about our message – I think anyone who has met me can see that I’m passionate about our offering… and telling people about it!

But it was like having a party and hoping anyone would show up. So when they did and when the room was filled to capacity, I was filled with gratitude and validation that we really do have a product people are interested in.

The other source of anxiety was how people would react to my message. I knew there were only two reactions I might get – nodding or nodding off (although in Vegas, I guess nodding off could be forgiven). Thankfully there were so many smiles and nods in the room. It was wonderful to connect with this audience of which we want so much to be a part.

If you missed the talk and want to see the slides, they are at http://www.saffireevents.com/2011IAFEPresentation. We also taped it in its entirety, and we’re happy to share that if anyone is interested. Just email info@saffireevents.com.

–Kendra

Giving Thanks

Our team would like to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving! Just a friendly reminder that our offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday to spend time with our loved ones. We have a lot to be grateful for this year, and we hope you’ll take a moment tomorrow to count your blessings. So … Continue reading “Giving Thanks”

Our team would like to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a friendly reminder that our offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday to spend time with our loved ones.

We have a lot to be grateful for this year, and we hope you’ll take a moment tomorrow to count your blessings.

So here’s to Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with family, friends, food and football.

Saffire Sofware Updates

As our current clients can probably tell you, one of the great things about being with Saffire is that there is never a dull moment! Saffire was pretty powerful in its beginning, but the longer we’re in this industry, the more we learn about the features that events need to build their online presence. Luckily, … Continue reading “Saffire Sofware Updates”

As our current clients can probably tell you, one of the great things about being with Saffire is that there is never a dull moment!

Saffire was pretty powerful in its beginning, but the longer we’re in this industry, the more we learn about the features that events need to build their online presence. Luckily, our programmers are talented and they can keep up with our vision!

Every new Saffire site we launch has increased functionality, and of course, we’ve been updating our current client sites along the way too so they’re never old or outdated.

Today, we are excited to announce the launch of a new version of the Saffire Software! We wanted to take this opportunity to catch you up on the latest and greatest features available to you.

With Saffire you can now add unlimited pages to any section of your site with unique Dynamic Page Creation functionality. These pages can have links, photos, PDFs and much more! You completely control your site’s navigation and what information goes where on each page.

Additionally, you can add completely customizable forms with unlimited fields to any of these pages, making it easier to collect and track any information from your customers.

Finally, we’ve added yet another opportunity for you to build your email list. After one of your customers shares a photo, they now have the option to sign up to receive your newsletters. As you probably already know, email marketing is our top recommendation. It’s inexpensive, its effective and now it’s easier than ever with Saffire!
We’d love to chat with you about these features and the other exciting tools Saffire has to offer. Give us a call at 512-430-1123 or sign up for a demo.

Become a Saffire client and share our excitement in marketing your event online.

Las Vegas Bound

It is a busy week around the Saffire offices. We’re getting ready to go in several different directions to spend time with loved ones for Thanksgiving, but will be meeting back up on Sunday to head to the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas! We’ve been planning this trip for months, and its hard to believe … Continue reading “Las Vegas Bound”

We’ve been planning this trip for months, and its hard to believe it’s finally here.

Being in Las Vegas for a convention can be very busy, but we don’t want to miss the chance to see you. Here are a few places you can be sure to find us in Vegas:

Stop by trade show booth #1122. If you play your cards right, you could walk away the winner!
Kendra will be leading a Round Table Discussion about “Online Marketing Best Practices,” Monday, November 29 at 8:45 a.m. Bring a cup of coffee and be a part of the conversation.
Join us in the Product Showcase Room on Tuesday, November 29 at 3:00 p.m. where we’ll be telling you what’s new in marketing your event online.
Last but certainly not least, we are hosting a special happy hour for our friends and colleagues. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more information about our cotton candy cocktails. Yum!

Our team is looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas. We’ll be easy to spot in our matching blue hoodies, so please stop us to say hello.

Since this is our first trip to the IAFE convention, please feel free to give us any inside scoop on what to expect!

Saffire 101: Control Your Website’s Navigation

At Saffire, we want to help the fair industry feel empowered by giving them complete control of their event’s website content. Because you know your event best, it is inefficient and frustrating to wait on an outside resource to make changes. Things happen far too quickly in event marketing to rely on someone else to … Continue reading “Saffire 101: Control Your Website’s Navigation”

Today, we’ll begin a series showing you some ways Saffire makes it easy to market your event online by having the power to change your website in a flash!

One important thing you can do to entice people to come to your event is to organize your event into main categories (e.g. fair, competitive events, rodeo), so that people can immediately find something of interest. The trick is for it to not be too complicated and overwhelming, because that causes people to leave your website.

In this video, we’ll show you how Saffire displays your event categories, as well as how easy it is to rename them and change their order on your website. Enjoy, and let us know any other features you’d like for us to highlight!

This is just one reason to be a Saffire client.