Dance & Bounce Away the Back to School Blues in Old Town Temecula Friday

Parents may be smiling as children head back to school, but before the hustle of school gets too serious, head to Old Town Temecula to dance away the blues with three blues bands performing Friday, August 12. Clearly, the most popular band to hit Old Town's Hot Summer Nights throughout the 12 year history is Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz. They return to Baily's Courtyard for a 7-10 p.m. concert. Be prepared to dance. I remember when Aunt Kizzy'z first  played under a tent on the Third Street. It was dark, as all we had People spilled into the street to see them, until Temecula's witching hour hit," stated Melody Brunsting, organizer of Hot Summer Nights. "In the early years, people packed up and went home at 8:30 p.m. Not now," she added. We staggered the band playing times this year to accommodate requests from Old Town Patrons. Many of the bands last year were being asked to play past their 9 p.m. stop time with numerous encores. Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz (AKB)  was one of those bands. AKB was named as one of "Top 20 Signings of 2008" by Music Connection Magazine. They perform over 200 dates a year, locally, nationally and internationally. They were also recently signed by RBC Records (an affiliate of Interscope Records) for a record distribution deal. Another popular band, that also played the Old Town Temecula Theater in March is the Bill Magee Blues Band playing at Sweet Lumpy's from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Bill Magee's storied past saw him get his start in 1963 by sitting in with The King Curtis Band at the Paradise Club in Harlem.  Magee became friends with one of the guitarists - Jimmy James and they formed the band Jimmy James and the Flames.  In 1967 James went to Europe and the next time the U.S. heard, James had reclaimed his birth name ... Jimi Hendrix. Magee went on to play with The Kansas City Playboys, performed with James Brown, B.B, King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Water, Jimmy Reed, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley. Hoodoo Blues blends blues, swing, funk and rock with a sound that has entertained at the Oceanside Blues Fest, Kings Fish House, Rosie O'Grady's, the Belly Up and House of Blues. They play in front of the Smoke Shop on Front Street from 6-9 p.m. Guitarist Andrew Bell will play on the patio at Villa di Calabro from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There are also prizes and games with Mike Dellinger of Q103 as he hosts Hot Summer Nights and crazy balloon creations from Dynamite Dave. A Blue Castle party jump will be in Old Town Temecula from 6- to 9 p.m. for kids to bounce the back to school blues away. A jazz version of the BASH band will play at Palomar Inn. I would tell you their name but they shouted it out at me 4 weeks ago when they were setting up and I just don't remember what they said. It's something like Acoustical B ... tried to find them on their website, but there is nothing about their hybrid band. Just show  for them, they come with big sound and good musicianship.  Hot Summer Nights is sponsored by the City of Temecula. This is the 12th year for the event which features up to five bands each Friday as well as family activities in Old Town Temecula.

Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival Wins Again for Marketing

The TemeculaValley Balloon & Wine Festival team did it again! Four first place Celebration Awards for the 2010 event at the California/Nevada Festivals and Event Association (CalFest) Convention in San Diego February 10. The first place awards were for: "Best Event Photo," "Best Website," "Best New Idea," and "Best Marketing Campaign."

Celebration Awards are given each year to events for outstanding accomplishments in a variety of areas. Over 300 members belong to the organization including cities, chambers and fairs. The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival competes against events like the Miramar Air Show, Fairplex and the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

The Festival's Website www.tvbwf.com., was created by the Conveyor Group, out of El Centro, Ca. The Conveyor Group also creates the Festival's annual program and has won numerous Webby awards.

The Festival’s Marketing was created by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc., the public relations agency hired for the Festival. The marketing campaign included broadcast, print, internet and social media, in an integrated campaign that produced a 2-1/2 hour broadcast hosted weatherman Fritz Coleman on NBC/Los Angeles and San Diego NBC evening news. The Best New Ideas was the Festival's Social Media campaign also produced by Melody's Ad Works, Inc.

The team also brought back some hardware for IFEA - International awards for marketing in September.

• Gold Pinnacle (top honors) - Best New Promotion/Facebook & Twitter Campaign
• Silver Pinnacle - Best Media Kit
• Bronze –Best Media Relations Campaign

All three award-winning entries were produced by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc. of Wildomar, the Festival’s Public Relations firm. Melody’s Ad Works Inc. has been marketing and promoting the Festival for 14 years. The firm also produced the three 2009 IFEA Awards which included Gold Pinnacle Award (top honors) for Most Creative/Effective News Stunt, and Best Media/Press Kit. The Bronze award was for the best printed piece and was awarded for the Festival’s rack card. Both campaigns were conducted by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc. president Melody Brunsting.

All three award-winning entries were produced by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc. of Wildomar, the Festival’s Public Relations firm. Melody’s Ad Works Inc. has been marketing and promoting the Festival for 14 years. The firm also produced the three 2009 IFEA Awards which included Gold Pinnacle Award (top honors) for Most Creative/Effective News Stunt, and Best Media/Press Kit. The Bronze award was for the best printed piece and was awarded for the Festival’s rack card. Both campaigns were conducted by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc. president Melody Brunsting.

The best event photo was titled "Daddy's Little Helper," and a photo taken by Chip Morton.

The 2011 Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival returns to Lake Skinner June 3-5 2011. For more information visit www.tvbwf.com or call (951) 676-6713

Winterfest in Old Town Temecula with Ice Skating, Santa and New Year's Eve

Santa Claus is coming to town and he’s bringing a 50x70 foot Ice Skating Rink for the Temecula Valley with him, Friday, November 26.

It’s WinterFest in Old Town Temecula and it all starts at 10 a.m. Friday with the opening of the Ice Skating Rink at Town Square at Main and Mercedes Streets. A special opening ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. and includes Mayor Jeff Comerchero, Councilmember Maryann Edwards, Lake Elsinore Storm Thunder and ice skater Lindsay Davis. Davis won the bronze medal at the Junior Ladies 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The ice rink has grown to a 3500 square foot icy cool surface of fun and will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through January 2, 2011. Last year’s rink was 2400 square feet. Private sessions can be reserved for businesses, churches, sports groups, and non-profit organizations. These sessions must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Groups can also request specific music. For additional information on pricing, general skate sessions and special sessions please call: 951.694.6.ICE (951.694.6423) for session times see http://www.temeculacalifornia.com/

Santa Claus, the big man for the season, arrives at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26, aboard a horse drawn carriage. He will be accompanied by Dickens Carolers and a horse drawn trolley. Rides on the trolley are free throughout the evening.

Santa’s workshop is new this year and an Eagle Project for Tommy Byrnes who coordinated a team of volunteers to do the artistic work of faux painting, elves, snowmen and décor. Santa will be located at Town Square at the east end of Main every Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Boy Scout troops take souvenir pictures for a donation. Santa will also be in Old Town Friday, December 10 from 6 to 9 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday, December 20 and 21 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Pick up a pair of Santa’s Magic Glasses while supplies last at Santa’s Workshop and at participating Old Town Businesses. The colorful lenses enhance the holiday light experience. A dazzling fantasy of more than 30,000 twinkling lights and holiday décor illuminate Old Town Temecula from archway to archway during WinterFest. Santa’s Magic Glasses will also come in handy on December 3, when Santa’s Electric Light Parade comes to Old Town. The parade starts at 7 p.m.

Other weekend entertainment includes Dynamite Dave and the Fine Arts Network Dickens Carolers throughout the holidays, Pennypickle’s Winter Wonderland with snow at the Temecula Children’s Museum on December 10 and Community Music Day with local bands playing holiday tunes on December 11.

- New Year’s Eve on the Square is Old Town Temecula’s newest event destined to be a tradition. The event started last year and introduced Temecula’s Grape Drop Countdown – a 4 foot by 8 foot bunch of illuminated grapes. This year the grapes will descend from the new Civic Center at Main and Mercedes.

With three bands, dancing, ice skating, and East and West Coast countdowns to midnight, Old Town’s New Year’s Eve is designed for families to enjoy the tradition of welcoming the New Year together. Free activities for the kids include Dynamite Dave’s crazy balloons, face painting and a party jump. Kids activities are scheduled from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Ice Rink is also open for regular sessions until midnight

Old Town Temecula is the hub for cultural arts in the Temecula Valley, with the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc at the OTTCT, Pennypickle’s Workshop/Temecula Children’s Museum and the Temecula Valley Museum. For holiday shows at the theater visit www.temeculatheater.org. For more information and a complete schedule of Old Town Temecula events contact the City of Temecula, (951) 693-3952 or visit http://www.temeculacalifornia.com/

Additional information and websites

http://www.cityoftemecula.org/

http://www.temeculatheater.org/

http://www.temeculacalifornia.com/

http://www.temeculatheaterfoundation.org/

http://www.pennypickles.org/

http://www.temeculacvb.org/

http://www.auntkizzyzboyz.com/

www.puppetshows.com (Franklin Haynes Marionettes)

Clever Marketing, Fun Promotion

First, I apologize to all of my friends who were totally unaware that La Masters was dropping boxes of jewelry off at different locations in Temecula for the past 21 days. It was their "21 Gifts of Giving" thank you for 21 years of being in business.

I don't know what is in each box - but I do know that La Masters had under 100 fans on their Facebook page before the promotion and finished with super activity and ended with 275.

That isn't the best part. What happened was crazy. Box hunters stalked the store, watched Facebook for clues, called stores and businesses where they thought they would find the box, and shot video of themselves on their hunt. Videos were posted on facebook, photos of the hunt. A camaraderie as well as competitive kinship formed with the box hunters who became customers and excitement filled their Anniversary Party as many of the box hunters were also competing for a 42" flat screen television.

It wasn't my idea. It was Leah's, co-owner at La Masters. She handled the program herself, on Facebook and Twitter. Yes, there are companies that can do it for you but Leah, not afraid to try new marketing, figured she could do it herself and did.

It's why I've always enjoyed working for La Masters. They are always innovative, a step ahead of most marketing firms. They do spend money on research and development of their customer base. They do hire consultants to help them design campaigns. But they learn, absorb and adapt what they are taught to take things up a notch better.

About three years ago I had told one of my event clients that things were changing in the marketing world so rapidly that our normal way of selling tickets was changing. We needed to develop a web community of attendees. I call them fans and guests. Radio would produce ever diminishing returns as more and more cars were sold with MP3 and Satellite hookups. Cable television had gotten way too expensive for the small market share and print media was slowly failing into obsolescence.

Many would fear this dire prediction. Instead, it becomes a call to action. Think 2012. While some say the end of the Mayan Calendar is Doomsday. Others, call it the end of a cycle - and in fact say that the Mayans saw time and the world as cyclical not linear. Therefore, 2012 is a time of rebirth.

And so it is with marketing. New marketing, Marketing 2.0, 3.0 whatever you want to call it takes time. Make no mistake. Currently event marketing takes about twice as much effort as the good ol' days of sending out a press release to 100 pubs and following up with pitch phone calls to get printed. That's because newspapers and magazines have folded, merged, consolidated and laid off staff by the thousands.

And blogs, web marketing, social media has taken the lead. This is where writers losing jobs on newspapers should be moving. All marketing companies, all companies with marketing departments, are going to be looking for the company voice to be embedded on the net. Yet, the best part is it doesn't cost thousands for television production and millions to air. For local advertisers - that equates to hundreds for production and thousands to air on cable or local radio.

Don't forget College Marketing 101. You still need to know your customer, what he or she wants, and where to find that customer.

Some sobering facts for old media addicts: There are over 300 million active Facebook users, 50% of the active users log on to Facebook any given day. The fastest growing demographic for Facebook is 35 years old and older. Myspace 110 million users, and as of September 2009 Twitter now has 5,301,915 users
with 31% of the users ages 25-34.

Marketing 2.0 - Web marketing, requires a step up in your game plan. You can no longer get by by shouting your product or service, or event at your customers. You have to engage them, entertain them, bring them into the fold and they will be your ambassadors. It is the tricky part. Too many folks are jumping on the web band wagon with their advertisements. Some of my Twitter pages get a "tweet" ad every 10 minutes - abusing the entire thought process behind Twitter and I'm sure alienating anyone who follows them. On the other hand, I get some great tidbits from Tech marketing gurus like Brian Solis, Larry Weber and Deirdre Breakenridge.

The key with everything - is always moderation. Abuse what's free and eventually it's going to cost you in one way or another. With the transparency in Social Media that translates to loss of credibility.

With blogs, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Flckr, Youtube, Blogger,Linkdin, and Wordpress... (just a few of the venues) it's all free. Free Marketing, Free Public Relations. Not really. It takes time, ingenuity and an eagerness to learn. It also takes respect for the reader - who you want as a guest or customer. Respect is not shouting over and over again - "Look at my great new book!"
"Sell Us Your Gold!" "Sign Up Now for My Incredibly Free Seminar that will sell you on my incredibly Expensive Service." Respect is answering the question we all have on our mind when we open a blog or read a tweet. "What's in it for me?"

If you are in business and have followers, fans, and/or friends; give your fans a reason to keep following you. Take a Page from the La Masters Fan Page - Engage them, entertain them, teach them. And they will pass your tweets and comments on to their friends while you enjoy an ever-expanding customer base.