Saffire Blog

IAFE was a Blast!

It was great to seeing everyone at the IAFE Annual Convention & Trade Show! As always, the Saffire Team had such a wonderful time hanging out with everyone and truly appreciate the kind words from many of you on our presentations. We also loved making new friends at the booth and at our Blue Christmas … Continue reading “IAFE was a Blast!”

As promised, below are the slides to our presentations, tech workbench sessions and the product showcase!

Presentations

IAFE 2015: 20 Ways to Ruin a Fair Website from Saffire

IAFE 2015 Flow Session: Technology Can Be Fun from Saffire

IAFE 2015 Maximizing Advance Revenue Through Online Sales from Saffire

Tech Workbench Sessions

IAFE 2015: Online Resources to Improve your Marketing and your Life from Saffire

IAFE 2015: Mobile Strategies for Success from Saffire

IAFE 2015: Earning the Digital Sponsorship Dollar from Saffire

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Saffire is Headed to Vegas for IAFE 2015!

It’s time for the Annual IAFE Convention, and we can’t wait to get the party started! This is one of our favorite conventions every year because we get to see so many members of our Saffire family. We have so much planned this year and we’d love to see you at one of our sessions, … Continue reading “Saffire is Headed to Vegas for IAFE 2015!”

If you just want to stop by and say hi, our tradeshow booth is #1124. The famous Wheel O’ Crap is back and the Saffire Team wants YOU to walk away with some Saffire Swag!

Make plans to attend our product showcase presentation on Tuesday, December 1st at 12:00 pm, to learn more about Saffire. The Saffire Team will unveil exciting new product offerings and updates. You won’t want to miss this!

We also will be hosting a few presentations and sharing our technical knowledge at the Saffire-Sponsored IAFE Tech Workbench! Be sure to join us at one of our sessions below:

Presentation Showtimes

Mon. Nov. 30 at 9:30pm
Maximizing Advance Revenue Through Online Sales

Mon. Nov. 30 at 11:00am
20 Ways to Ruin a Perfectly Good Fair Website

Wed. Dec. 2 at 3:30pm
Technology Can Be Fun

Tech Workbench Sessions

Sun. Nov. 29 at 1:00pm
Online Resources To Improve Your Marketing & Your Life

Mon. Nov. 30 at 9:30am
Mobile Strategies for Success

Tues. Dec. 1 at 11:15am
Earning the Digital Sponsorship Dollar – And Keeping It

On Tuesday night, we’re having a suite party in the Paris Hotel from 6 – 8pm! We’ve sent out some invites, but if you didn’t see yours and want to attend, just shoot us an email to RSVP at info@saffire.com. We’ll keep your name on our list and email you the room number as soon as we have it! This year, we’re having a Blue Christmas party, so wear your best blues!

Come to our Happy Hour!

Finally, if you’d like to arrange a 1-on-1 meeting with us, we still have a few slots open on our calendar. Email Cassie to see if the time you want is available! We have all our meetings in the Circle Bar at Paris, so it’s fun & not scary!Can’t wait to see all of you in Las Vegas!

TTIA 2015 – Unity Dinner and Matket Place

This week, the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA) hosted the annual Unity Dinner, a night where tourism professionals and their supporters unite to express the impact the travel industry has on individual communities and the U.S. as a whole. The event continues to become more and more popular, averaging around 1,000 in attendance this year! This year’s featured speaker was the one and only, Tilman Fertitta, sole owner, chairman and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, Inc. Fertitta is a native of Texas and has made a remarkable impact on the tourism industry through his 500 properties (including the San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center, Galveston’s Pleasure Pier, the Kemah Boardwalk and ALL of the Landry’s Restaurants).

This dinner has grown to become a 3 day event, starting with a speed-dating style tradeshow and concluding with a day-long event known as “Converge on the Capitol” where travel and tourism professionals come together to address tourism-related issues to local Senators and Representatives at the Texas State Capitol.

As ALWAYS, we loved seeing and bonding with many of our Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) friends over the three days and we look forward to our next tourism adventure!

SFEA 2015 in Chattanooga

Every year at Saffire, we are privileged to travel to new and exciting conferences and meet more amazing people than the year before. This year, Cassie and Elaine had the pleasure of going to the Southeast Festival and Events Association in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There, we were almost snowed in, met scores of fun people from … Continue reading “SFEA 2015 in Chattanooga”

Since it was unusually cold outside, everyone at the conference stayed inside most of the time! One exception was to go to the Tennessee Aquarium in downtown Chattanooga, which had been closed off and privately catered for the conference attendees. It was such a good time, especially thanks to the face painting artist and delicious food.

At the end of the conference, we had some time before their flight and were personally shown around by Dave Jones, the East Tennessee Regional Manager from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Needless to say, we had an expert to show us all the beautiful attractions in Chattanooga and we went to a fabulous local burger joint called Urban Stack. A huge thank you to Dave for helping us kill the time before their flight and for representing Tennessee so well! His enthusiasm was a pleasure to experience!

We want to thank everyone at the conference for being so welcoming and warm! Who doesn’t love Southern charm and hospitality?! We also can’t wait to get back to SFEA in 2016 in Charleston, SC….hopefully without the snow and ice! (Maybe next year we’ll get to ride on the Segway again??)

IAFE 2014 – We had a glowing good time!

Well friends, we made it through another year hanging out in Sin City for IAFE! Saffire Blue invaded the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino with our banners, Wheel o’ Crap promo items and 3 new team members! We welcomed Travis Milum, Elaine Day, and Taylor Warner to their first trip to Vegas and first … Continue reading “IAFE 2014 – We had a glowing good time!”

Well friends, we made it through another year hanging out in Sin City for IAFE! Saffire Blue invaded the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino with our banners, Wheel o’ Crap promo items and 3 new team members! We welcomed Travis Milum, Elaine Day, and Taylor Warner to their first trip to Vegas and first IAFE! We also unveiled our awesome new uniforms for the guys (bowtie mandatory, of course!).

We kept the Saffire Happy Hour tradition alive this year, but added a slight twist: black lights! We had an amazing time hanging out with our friends at our Glowing Neon Happy Hour. We of course had our famous Saffire Queso, Bourbon Meatballs, and Cup o’ Cheer drinks! We loved seeing everyone in neon, white, and wearing glowing swag!

IAFE 2014 was once again a wonderful conference and we are so excited that we were able to bring on many more clients! We are eager to work with these new clients on revamping their online presence and becoming Saffire friends!

See everyone down the trail!

2014 NALS&RMA Convention

Cassie and Kendra attended the entirety of the NALS&RMA Convention in Waco last week, and the rest of the Austin crew got to join in on the fun Wednesday in order to throw an awesome suite party! The group got to go on quite a few awesome tours, including the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, … Continue reading “2014 NALS&RMA Convention”

If you know us at all, you know we had some goofy games planned for the bus ride on the way to the tours!

One of the most hilarious events of the convention was the 2014 NALS&RMA Rodeo Finals. The event consisted of things like team goat-roping, goat-tying, golf cart racing, stick-bronc riding, and you guessed it–mechanical bull riding. Everyone got really into it (with a little help from beer and margaritas) and made it one of the goofiest, most fun group events. It was Rachel, our new Marketing Manager’s first convention in the industry. Naturally we had to break her in by throwing her on the mechanical bull!

Once everything was said and done, Cassie’s team ended up taking first place while Jessie’s team got “DAL.”

One of the greatest parts of the whole convention was being able to entertain everyone at the suite party! We made our classic Saffire Queso as well as rosemary pecans, sopapilla cheesecake, a chocolate pudding dessert, and a new drink that we named Let’Er Buck Punch. We also had a fun walk-around game planned which required people to wear the name of a famous person on their back. Other people would try and get you to guess the name on your back, and if they were successful, they got to keep that name. The person with the most names at the end of the game won, and people actually got really into it!

You might also notice the Saffire boot mugs in that picture. They were a gift that we gave to everyone who came to the party, of course we had to give people something to hold their Let’Er Buck Punch in! Whether we were there for the whole week or just for Wednesday, the 2014 NALS&RMA Convention was a blast! It’s such a great group of people who are so dedicated to their organizations, it just reminded us why we love this industry so much!

2014 FFF Convention

This 2014 FFF Convention recap is coming to you from Jessie Rump, Account Manager for Saffire! Cassie and I attended the FFF Convention in Naples, Florida and what a week it was! We checked into our room at the gorgeous Waldorf Astoria and were greeted by an equally gorgeous view: We started the convention off right … Continue reading “2014 FFF Convention”

We started the convention off right with a perfect spot on the trade show floor right by the entrance, and it was awesome to see everybody as soon as they came in! Of course we like being easy to spot, but it’s kind of hard to miss us when we’re calling out things like “come spin the Wheel O’ Crap!” For those of you who were disappointed that we took off the “hug” and “high five” as prizes, at least we replaced it with the AWESOME Saffire Swag that Brandi ordered (hello, gigantic highlighters!).

Just in case you were wondering, the Saffire Tattoo Frenzy continued in Florida! Within twenty minutes of the trade show being opened on the first day, we had two people get a Saffire tattoo on the back of their heads. If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is!

Of course we had fun chatting with everyone who came to our booth, but Cassie and I also had multiple presentations to give during the breakout sessions. We don’t just throw killer parties–we also love to educate! I have to say that one of the coolest parts of the convention was being able to go to dinner, hangout at the pool and beach, and just enjoy everything the Waldorf Astoria has to offer with all of the FFF people. It’s a little too easy to have an awesome time with conditions like that!

We are so thankful to be given the opportunity to entertain, educate, and learn at the FFF Convention and already can’t wait for next year! This was my very first time going, so I want to give a huge shoutout to all of the Saffire Friends and Family that made my first FFF such an awesome experience! We couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with!

Saffire Returns to Florida for FFEA

Jessica and Cassie traveled back to Florida for the Florida Festivals & Events Association Convention in Bonita Springs. They had such a great time meeting this festive crowd of Floridians! The mornings kicked off bright and early with Ask the Expert Sessions where Cassie discussed Email Marketing and Measuring Google Analytics. Then the gals continued late into the nights providing costumes, homemade Christmas cookies, Grincharitas, queso and other snacks and goodies for the Grinch’s Christmas-in-July themed hospitality suite parties. Jessica tried her best to win the tacky Christmas sweater contest while Cassie came in full Grinch gear.

Proudly bringing a little bit of Texas to Florida, they gave a bottle of Republic Tequila and some newly-designed Saffire t-shirts to raffle winner, Nancy Stewart-Franczak from Festival Management Group in Delray Beach. It was an amazing trip and we’re thrilled to have met so many new faces! Cassie continued the tour of Florida last week meeting with several events we met at the Florida Federation of Fairs Convention in May. Needless to say, we can’t get enough of the Sunshine State!

Check out more photos here>

What happens in Vegas…

Thanks to IAFE for yet another wonderful and fun filled time meeting so many new people and catching up with old friends. Walking into the Paris Hotel with our matching shoes, shirts and jackets, they knew we had arrived…the Turquoise Team was back in action for the 2012 IAFE Convention & Trade Show! Those long … Continue reading “What happens in Vegas…”

See the NO Guy buttons above? Those were the biggest hit at this year’s convention. It was clear how many people were sick and tired of their “Web Guy.” If you didn’t get one, DON’T WORRY! We will be at the Texas Events Summit, hosted by TAFE & TFEA in January. Stop by our booth to pick one up and show your support for no more unreliable web guys!

Another exciting moment at IAFE was seeing CLAY WALKER perform. We couldn’t keep our feet on the ground, with our boots tapping to the beat! There’s nothing better than a country performer to get you hyped up for all the events later in the week!

Did we have a TV giveaway again this year?” you ask. YES! We gave away another 46″ TV and our winner was Aaron Owen from Ozark Empire Fair! CONGRATULATIONS AARON

Our booth was also a great way to meet some wonderful people and organizations. We had a Fairs Everywhere booth next to ours allowing fairs, festivals and rodeos a chance to sign up. We provided demonstrations of our fabulous software to give viewers an interactive chance to see up close and personal how Saffire works. Booths are always a great way to get your name out there; and one thing we do best is have fun with it!

We also gave a presentation about the Saffire software which is also another great way to meet people, show how the software works and answer any questions people had. If you missed the presentation on Increasing Bucks & Butts: Growing Revenue & Attendance with Saffire, have no fear, enjoy the slides here!

While the hours drug on, the night was still young as we prepared for our Hollywood themed Happy Hour. Recognize the names on the stars…one of them might just be yours. Playing dress up isn’t just for kids anymore; adults, you can still have fun too! We had plenty of fun items for people to wear and decorate themselves.. For more fun pics and the recipe for the Paparazzi Punch, check out our next entry!

Our team members say it best:

“Absolutely loved meeting all our new clients from 2012! Happy hour and breakfast were GREAT opportunities to put faces to names, and learn more about individual events we support. Socializing with existing clients and prospective clients is such a huge part of what makes IAFE so successful for Saffire. Our presentation in one of the showcase rooms was so packed, the Fire Marshal had to stop letting people in! Our information is highly regarded by everyone in the industry, and it was great to be able to share our 12+ years of web development experience with the attendees.

Having the gang from San Antonio bid and win the dinner out with Saffire was such a great time. We visited TAO restaurant in the Venetian for a phenomenal meal and experience, and they subsequently introduced us to a drink at the Cosmopolitan that was more of a science experiment than a beverage. It was surreal and fun!

We also had lots of great introductions to new fairs from our existing clients that made us grateful to be a part of this industry.”

– Jeremy

“This year’s IAFE Conference was another glowing success! My favorite experience was actually getting the chance to meet some of our newer clients in person. This not only helped put a face with a name but allowed us to visit and get to know each other better than we had before. We also had the opportunity to meet and get to know so many new faces that I look forward to working with in the future. As always, it’s the people who make up the fair industry who impress me the most with their genuine personalities and their fun-loving attitudes!”

– Jessica

Catch us at the IAFE Convention & Tradeshow in Las Vegas!

We are super excited for this year’s IAFE Convention and Tradeshow in Las Vegas in less than a week! Here’s a guide of all the opportunities to have fun with the Saffire Team while you’re there! Bid on one of our fun packages at the Wine & Dine event on Sunday to win dinner with … Continue reading “Catch us at the IAFE Convention & Tradeshow in Las Vegas!”

We are super excited for this year’s IAFE Convention and Tradeshow in Las Vegas in less than a week!

Here’s a guide of all the opportunities to have fun with the Saffire Team while you’re there!

Bid on one of our fun packages at the Wine & Dine event on Sunday to win dinner with our team or personal breakfast delivery in Vegas.
Visit the Saffire tradeshow booth (#1122) to see the latest Saffire features, grab some swag and enter to win a flatscreen TV!
Check out the Fairs Everywhere booth (#1120) to add your event details to our FREE fair promotion website, created in partnership with IAFE.
Join us in the Product Showcase Demo Room on Tuesday, November 27, from 3:00-4:00pm, where we will present Increasing Bucks & Butts: Growing Revenue & Attendance with Saffire!
And after a long day of sessions, swing by our Paris Hotel suite to grab a cold one and be a star at our Hollywood Happy Hour, Tuesday, November 27, from 5:30-7:00pm, where you can enjoy some snacks and our very own Paparazzi Punch! Stop by our booth for the suite #.

This is going to be one tradeshow you won’t want to miss!