Online event management company Eventbrite.com has named Keycon’s Eichler Remodeling Faire 2009 among five finalists in its MyEventRocked contest. Eventbrite solicited submissions of events that, ah, rocked, and is now showcasing the finalists on the Eventbrite blog.
Terrella Media’s David Kalman designed the Faire concept for Bay Area remodeling contractor Keycon, Inc., and marketed it with a campaign of print, email, direct mail, and online promotions. For event management Kalman selected social media upstart Eventbrite, which provided the event landing page, registration system, and built-in email marketing for sending invitations and event reminders.
Kalman notes that the Eichler Remodeling Faire wouldn’t be possible without the ability of the Eichler Network (the publisher of CA-Modern Magazine and EichlerNetwork.com) to target the 7,000 Bay Area Eichler households. The Eichler Network continues to prove the value of niche media.
Eventbrite users will have an opportunity to vote for the ultimate MyEventRocked winner. Stay tuned for updates.
Keycon’s Eichler Remodeling Faire 2010 drew more than 600 adults and 40 kids for a fun and informative event at the Mountain View Community Center, May 15, 2010. And once again, the caterer kept the food and drinks coming as attendance surged beyond expectations.
Produced by remodeling contractor Keycon, Inc., the Faire helps Eichler owners “realize their remodeling dreams” in a party-themed venue. This year, Eichler homeowners met with 16 Eichler expert companies and shared some BBQ while the children played in the Faire’s Kid’s Construction and Design Center stocked with Legos, Play Doh, and other creative toys.
As with last year’s event, Eichler Remodeling Faire 2010 was powered by Keycon owner Ron Key’s vision and relationships with Keycon’s expert partners and subcontractors. In support of the event, once again the Eichler Network provided the marketing platform and Eventbrite.com provided online event management.
New Web & digital categories, online access and more
The 2010 Maggie Awards program has been streamlined and improved to make entering and judging easier than ever.
Entries into most Maggie categories can be uploaded onto the Maggie Web site. (No more tearsheets or mounted artwork.) Participants will have online access to Maggie registration and entry forms in a secure environment. Easy-to-follow instructions, FAQs, category selection, upload requirements, judging criteria and secure payment are available. Publications must carry a 2009 cover date and be published when submission is made.
The Maggie Awards cover 130 categories, including 27 new Web and digital edition categories. Deadline for Entries is January 19, 2010. To enter, see http://www.wpa-online.org for the “Maggie Call for Entries” and registration.
As a special incentive to enter, WPA is offering one free entry to all publishing companies who either renew their WPA membership or join as a new WPA member before Dec., 2009. You must enter more than one category to qualify, and the cost of your first entry will be deducted from your membership rate. The WPA will announce the Maggie winners at the 59th Annual Maggie Awards Banquet, May 7, 2010, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Los Angeles Airport.
About the Maggies: The Annual Maggie awards ceremony and black-tie dinner is the most prestigious publishing event in the West. Over 600 publishing professionals gather to honor excellence in print and electronic publishing in over 100 editorial, design and promotional and event categories. A trademark of the Maggie ceremony is the high-tech, visually creative multimedia show featuring entries from the current year.
We can debate which audience contains the more rabid members: knitters or 3D gamers. I happen to fall into the latter group, so I twitched with anticipation upon receipt of AMD’s gaming “newsletter.” I enclose newsletter in quotation marks because upon opening it I discovered not engaging content, but gratuitous sales copy:
“Behold, the revolutionary new ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series of GPUs.”
There’s nothing wrong with sales copy, except when it tries to masquerade as something it’s not. The key deficiency here is lack of customer focus, from which all the subsequent and incidental insults arise. In this newsletter, we see sales copy with a couple of links to AMD Community, which in turn links to the “AMD at Play” blog, which itself turns out to be MORE SALES COPY disguised as a blog.
To fix this email newsletter, I would turn the content inside-out. The front page should profile customers and their use of the products, perhaps covering industry events such as gaming face-offs, conferences, and other game industry events. Technical content could include performance hacks, and even gaming technology fundamentals, e.g., how will gaming performance improve over time and what are the likely technologies driving innovation?
By earning the customers’ attention, AMD could then intersperse product messages and strengthen its brand attraction.
Here’s a heads up for publishers, editors, and art directors in the western half of the U.S.: Don’t miss the 2010 Maggies. The Western Publishing Association (WPA) will post the Call for Entries here on Nov. 1, online entry registration will begin Nov. 15, and entries will be due Jan. 19, 2010. Note that WPA will not send a Call for Entries via postal mail.
If you’ve entered Maggie’s in the past, you’ll appreciate a revamped entry process. With no more tearsheets or mounted artwork required, you may now complete most entries online via PDFs and URLs (depending on the category).
The new online submission process also makes it easier for judges (and the WPA seeks qualified judges across all categories). With more online categories, many judges will be able to participate without having to travel to L.A. for the traditional two-day judging confab. Categories that require a complete magazine will still be judged in hard copy at a day-long judging event.
With the Call for Entries, the WPA is offering a free Maggie entry to all publishing companies who renew their WPA memberships or join as new WPA members before Dec. 31, 2009. (You must enter more than one category to qualify. The cost of your first entry will be deducted from your membership rate.)
About the Maggies: The Maggie Awards recognize excellence in print and online publishing. Every year, more than 600 publishing professionals gather to recognize excellence in more than 100 editorial, design, promotional, and event categories. For more information, see the official Maggie Award page.
View scenes from last year’s Maggie Awards ceremony:
Publishing impresario Carl Landau threw a party in Minneapolis. It was called the Niche Digital Conference, where I joined Minnick Web Services (MWS) as an exhibitor of our ePublishing solutions (eBooks and Digital Editions). The MWS T-Rex was a highlight of the exhibit row. (“Are you a print dinosaur?”)
In my opinion, the event highlight was Dan McCarthy’s (NCI) lunchtime keynote on his social media/sharing strategy. Visit Dan’s blog for his insights. I want to thank Dan, and I also want to recognize Mike Bannan, who schooled me in video, and Joe Pulizzi who did likewise re social media.
And I can’t forget the digital edition death-match. Panelist Chris Minnick rocked the house:
Join northern California media professionals in a roundtable discussion on the changing definition of “publishing.” Learn how publishers are changing their product mixes and business models to adapt to the challenges of a digital world. This event is perfect for media professionals, including publishers and editors. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!
The scene at the previous San Francisco WPA Roundtable
When
Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 9 a.m. – noon
Where
Think Services, 600 Harrison St., 6th Floor, San Francisco, Calif.
How Much
In Advance: WPA members $15; Non-members $25 At Door: WPA members $25; Non members $35
Facilitators
Dave Kalman, President, Terrella Media, Inc.
Kathi Simonsen, President, Simonsen Sales and Marketing
Dave Kalman and Kathi Simonsen at the previous SF WPA Roundtable
Attend This Event for FREE!
Join WPA prior to or at this event and WPA will deduct the cost of this registration from your membership rate!
New from the Western Publishing Association (WPA), here’s a webinar on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices and tips that will build your community, traffic, and readership. In this one-hour live event, you’ll learn how to build better navigation and organize your content for maximum search engine visibility.
In my work with the Eichler Network, I’ve learned to appreciate mid-century modern architecture, not so much for its execution, but for its intent. In looking forward, modern architects questioned the status quo in both form and function. The result may have been spine-bending chairs, but comfort was a small price to pay for space age optimism and confidence in a brighter future.
One icon of that era was the “X-100,” a steel-framed Eichler home nestled in the highlands of San Mateo, California, just four miles from where I’m sitting as I write this. (Read more about it on the Eichler Network) and enjoy this Universal Newsreel from October 24, 1956:
Just received the monthly e-newsletter from financial services company Vanguard. I receive this every month, and every month the subject line is the same: It’s the title of the e-newsletter, “In the Vanguard.” Unfortunately, the title tells me little about why I’d want to read further. If you want me to open a newsletter, give me a reason. Pique my interest with a hot topic. Inside this particular newsletter (which I opened only for the purpose of writing this post), I found a link to an article on the Fed’s response to the financial crisis. Now that could be interesting. New subject line: In the Vanguard: The Fed Strikes Back! Anything that’s timely and relevant would be better than the status quo.
Online event management company Eventbrite.com has named Keycon’s Eichler Remodeling Faire 2009 among five finalists in its MyEventRocked contest. Eventbrite solicited submissions of events that, ah, rocked, and is now showcasing the finalists on the Eventbrite blog. 
