School’s Out and Promotional Products are IN!

by agarzar Posted on June 2, 2013

Hello readers! Thank you for sticking with me and waiting for me to deal with the mess that finals week brings as well as switching schedules and getting used to summer! I am back and ready to fill you in on what has been going on in my life recently. It is officially SUMMER for me and I have the privilege of interning for a business in my hometown, San Antonio, Texas. With this being said, I think now is the time to tell you that while my blog will continue to cover the effect of social media on Texas events, I am going to also be talking about promotional items and how they impact the effectiveness of events. If you have no idea what I am talking about, just stick around and check out the next few post.

P.S. As you may or may not have noticed I have gone back and added some additional stuff to my old blog post, so you should go and check that out if you have a chance! Plus, I think now is the appropriate time to add a quick plug for the business that I will be interning for this summer! If  you ever find yourself in need of promotional products or simply would like some more information, Ad Image will be more than happy to provide you with both. You can click on the link directly or visit the Facebook page, Twitter page, or visiting their WordPress site, all by clicking on the words directly from here.

Once again that you for reading!

 

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How To Use Social Media to Market Events

by agarzar Posted on April 17, 2013

So this post is going to be a bit different. This is a bit of a behind the scenes look at how I get my information for my blog post and a bit of the inspiration behind my whole blog in general. I truly believe that social media has had a huge effect on events, not only in Texas but all over. Social Media has made event marketing and promoting into a real art form and to do it properly takes knowledge and resources. So here is some advice from the real professionals!
P.S. This is my first go around at using Storify so cut me some slack! However, I am really excited about this new technology and I can believe how easy it was to use! For all of you who have not tried it out yet, I highly recommend it. I would love to hear your feedback, so feel free to send me some comments! Until next time, enjoy!

Social Media Via Curation

by
Wed, Apr 17 2013 16:01:11

Social Media Via Curation

My first attempt at Curation.

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Social Media Sweetens Poteet Strawberry Festival!

by agarzar Posted on April 13, 2013

 

It is Friday night in Texas and if you don’t have plans for this weekend yet, I have a sweet idea for you! Today through Sunday is the annual Poteet Strawberry Festival, located in Poteet Texas! Poteet is home to many strawberry growers, and has a surplus of berries around this time each year. The Poteet Strawberry Festival is so much more than just strawberries; they host a carnival, a rodeo, local vendors, and many entertainers as well. The Poteet Strawberry Festival is suitable for all ages, so bring the whole family!

The Poteet Strawberry Festival is one of the leading festivals in Texas and is an old veteran at attracting a crowd. Every year, thousands of people come from all over Texas to enjoy the festivities with their friends and family. The Poteet Strawberry Festival has kept up in the social media scene by using many different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to engage and interact with festival-goers. In particular, the Poteet Strawberry Festival has been extremely active on their Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting updates and informative links. The method for the using social media, for the Poteet Strawberry Festival seems to be to post and post often. It really seems to be working well for them, and they have thousands of “likes” on Facebook to prove it. Not only are they posting often, they are trying to engage social media users by asking questions, taking polls, hosting contest, and providing hastags for users to respond to them. The Poteet Strawberry Festival appears to be very focused on staying personal with their audience. I give the Poteet Strawberry Festival a grade A when it comes to using social media to get personal with their audience.

I will be attending the festival this year, and I am beyond excited! There are not many things that I like more than rodeos, carnivals, and strawberries! I will be live tweeting from Strawberry Festival! So be sure to follow me on twitter and come out to Poteet Texas, this weekend for a great time and delicious fresh strawberries!

Follow my live tweets here->

Are you a vendor? Do you know any vendors? 
Promotional items are a great way to get noticed, especially at large events! 
Here are some great ideas of promotional items that would be perfect for the Poteet Strawberry Festival!

Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

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Chilifest: Chili, Charity, and Social Media

by agarzar Posted on April 2, 2013

Coming up this weekend, is an event that I have been anxiously awaiting for a good while now, Chilifest! Where and when is Chilifest you ask? Chilifest will be held in the fabulous, Snook Texas, just outside College Station. The festivities kick off this Friday, April the 3rd and continue Saturday the 4th. So what is Chilifest all about may be your next question. Chillifest is a celebration of good chili and Texas country music, all for a good cause, to raise money for locat charities. As stated on the official Chilifest website the main purpose of Chilifest is to, “To offer assistance to thousands of ill, neglected, and less fortunate individuals; as well as to provide funding for the many organizations who put forth the effort to resolve the life threatening problems that endanger the lives of so many.” So you can feel good about scarfing down bowl after bowl of chili because it is all for a good cause!

Chilifest first became a notable event in the year 2000 and was able to donate over $75,000 to charities in the area. Every year after, Chilifest has continued to grow. Last year, in 2012, Chilifest was able to attract over 55,000 people and donate over $177,500 to area charities. This year, 2013, Chilifest plans to make this their biggest and best year ever! They have planned an impressive line up of country music artist to preform at this years even including, but not limited to: Corey Smith, Kevin Fowler, Mark Chesnutt, Aaron Watson, and Josh Turner. As Chilifest continues to expand so does their effort to reach people, primarily through the use of technology and social media.

Chilifest has been somewhat unique in their use of social media, only using Facebook to connect with potential festivalgoers. This strikes me as odd because the majority of people who attend Chilifest are college-aged persons; therefore I thought for sure Chilifest would be able to be found on virtually every social media platform. Regardless, this method seems to be working well for them. Along with the use of Facebook, Chilifest has taken a unique approach to staying connected with their target audience by making a free application that can be downloaded on both, Android and Apple phones. I just downloaded the application for Android phones and plan to use it to stay informed on this weekends activities. I feel like this application is a great way of using technology to their advantage and works out well for them as well as people attending Chilifest. Overall, I am impressed with the strategies Chilfest is using to appeal to people.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter this Friday and Saturday because I will be putting the Chilifest app to good use and will be Tweeting live from Chilifest this weekend!
If you are looking for something to do this weekend in Texas, come out to Snook and enjoy, great music, great entertainment, and most of all great CHILI, all for a good cause! If you happen to see me there, feel free to say hi!

Follow my live Tweets here:

Click on me to download the free Chilifest application!

Are you putting together a “team” for Chilifest? Are you going to be part of a “team”? Here is a great site that has everything you need to have the best gear for your team at Chilifest!

Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

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The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden: Spring is in the Air and on Social Media

by agarzar Posted on March 29, 2013

It is official spring is in the air. From the birds chirping to the Texas wild flowers blooming, spring is in full effect here in the great state of Texas. On sunny days many Texans feel the need to get outdoors and enjoy the weather, especially before the Texas sun turns into a blaze. Although Texas offers seemingly endless possibilities for outdoor adventures, one place in particular is a favorite among many. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. As found on their website, “The mission of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical garden is to build and maintain a public garden and arboretum which promotes the art, enjoyment, and knowledge of horticulture, while providing opportunities for education and research” and as many visitors to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden can tell you, the place does exactly that.

Over the years, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden has fascinated both old and young and everyone in between. However, with the rise of technology and more people staying home, how has Dallas Arboretum kept enticing thousands of people coming from all over to browse the grounds? The answer to this is a mix of creativity, tradition, art, and social media. As times have changed so has the approach of gathering spectators to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Naturally, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens have used the most common social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Foursquare to keep in touch with visitors and prospective visitors. These sites have proved very successful, and now have large following on each, however despite the success of these more common social media sites the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens has gone beyond those and started looking into other options.

An especially interesting approach that the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens took while using social media was to set up a Flicker and Pintrest account specifically for pictures taken at the Arboretum. Because, the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is a prime place for photography this was a brilliant idea and use of social media to their advantage. And because it takes virtually no money to run the Flicker and Pintrest accounts, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is getting tons of free publicity from visitors who wish to share their experience and pictures.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is much more than just flowers and plants, they host many concerts, festivals, weddings, and events throughout the year. Social media has effectively worked for The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and I suspect we will continue to see creative ways of using social media in the future from them!

If the day is sunny and you happen to be feeling outdoorsy, head to Dallas Texas and check out the many things the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden has to offer! If you cant seem to find the time to go to Dallas, still check out the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens on the Internet and social media sites!

 

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Celebrate Fiesta San Antonio, Through Social Media

by agarzar Posted on March 21, 2013

Food, family, flowers, and festive colors are just some of the few words that come to mind when you think of Fiesta! For San Antonio Texas, April 18th through the 28th is a time for the city to shine. Over those ten days many people, young and old, make their way to down town San Antonio to join in on all of the festivities. Fiesta is a celebration, rich in tradition, culture, and fun for the whole family.

Over the years, the Fiesta celebration has exponentially continued to grow. Now including over 100 different events through out the ten days and also throughout the downtown area. What started out, as a small celebration in San Antonio is now well known all over Texas and beyond. So how did this small function turn into the major party it is known as today? The answer is simple; social media.

Fiesta has traditionally been spread by word of mouth, however since the rise of  the Internet and Social Media, Fiesta can now be shared virtually far beyond San Antonio.Much like the every growing size of the crowds at Fiesta, Fiesta San Antonio is growing a large online fan base as well. The Fiesta San Antonio Facebook now boast 66,809 likes and their Twitter is extremely active with close to 8,000 followers. Fiesta San Antonio, seems to be attempting to engage the community through social media and interact with them on a more personal level, sticking to tradition and keeping the “small town feel” of San Antonio alive even with thousands of tourist coming to partake in Fiesta events.

It is now easy to track all of the Fiesta events through social media, and especially their blog, which is frequently updated on the latest news relating to Fiesta. Fiesta goers can now search each event and easily find times, locations, parking, and so much more. All of which saves Fiesta goer’s time and money. Overall social media has made Fiesta in San Antonio, truly an unforgettable experience!

So head on down to San Antonio Texas between April 18th and 28th, to enjoy the many events and activities that Fiesta has to offer! Stay for a day or all 10, and celebrate the rich culture of San Antonio!

Each year a local, San Antonio, artist is selected to create the Fiesta poster. This year artist, Stuart Seal’s “Bridging the Traditions and Cultures of Fiesta” poster was chosen.

A brief history of Fiesta…

Are you a vendor? Do you know any vendors? 
Promotional items are a great way to get noticed, especially at large events! 
Here are some great ideas of promotional items that would be perfect for San Antonio’s Fiesta!

Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

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Social Media, Spring Break Edition!

by agarzar Posted on March 11, 2013

This event is going to be a little different than my past ones, because I am not focusing on one specific festival or concert. This post is going to be about how social media has affected spring break.

This is it the time of year that many students anxiously await, SPRING BREAK! An exotic vacation, a road trip with friends, or simply just catching up on some sleep seems to trend most student’s itineraries for the week break from school. For folks in Texas and beyond, the Gulf of Mexico has been one of the most popular spring break destinations. South Padre Island, in particular, draws thousands of people each year. With so many people in one location it becomes a challenge to meet up with friends, to find people you may know, or even to stay together with the people you are there with. Social media plays a huge part in events such as spring break. After doing a bit of research and going off my personal experience, social media has become a huge part of spring break. Let me break it down here:

 Where’s the Party?

With sites such as Facebook, many people can be virtually “invited” to events online. When searching for things to go, specially in a place unfamiliar, it sometimes is a challenge to find out what is going on, where, and when, Facebook makes it easy to find all of this information in a few simple clicks.

Here is an example of how Coca Cola is using social media to invite Spring Breakers in South Padre Island to a beach party they are sponsoring:

Who’s Here?

With so many crowded into a town or city, sometimes keeping track of friends or meeting up becomes a problem. Back before social media, one may have to call each and every cell phone in hopes of finding a lost companion and then attempt to direct one another to a meeting place. Thankfully those days are over. Now if you need to find a friend quick you can log onto various social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter and get a precise location of where people are using new “location” features on social media sites. There is also various applications for cellular devises out that are especially made to make “meeting up” or “finding someone” easier than ever.

Sharing the Memories

Social media has especially made sharing memories easier and quicker than ever before. No need to wait until you get back to school to exchange pictures with friends and family, now it can be done within seconds of snapping the picture. Through social media sites, people can share and exchange their vacation with the people they wish.

 

These are just a few of the many ways social media has affected spring break. Feel free to share your own social media experiences over spring break and have a good one!

Are you a vendor? Do you know any vendors? 
Promotional items are a great way to get noticed, especially at large events! 
Here are some great ideas of promotional items that would be perfect for attracting Spring Breakers! Or if you are going on spring break with a large group of friends, the ideas are endless!


Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

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Zilker Park Kite Festival Takes Flight Through Social Media

by agarzar Posted on March 1, 2013

This week I was faced with a tough decision. I had so many options over what event to cover and I had originally planned to pick a city that I have not written about yet but I just could not pass up the opportunity to write about one of my favorite festivals of all time, the Zilker Park Kite Festival!

This year is the 85th annual Zilker Park Kite Festival, which will be taking place this Sunday, March 1st at Zilker Park in Austin Texas. Last year I found out about the festival via Facebook and decided I would go and check it out. BEST DECISION EVER! I jumped in my truck, stopped at the dollar store, picked up 2 kites for a buck, called up the boyfriend, and drove to Zilker Park, not knowing what to expect. When I arrived I looked up, there was a sea of kites; it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Young and old were, from all walks of life, standing side-by-side flying kites.

The first thing I thought was, how in the world did all these people find out about this? It did not take long for me to realize, how could you NOT find out about this. Facebook and Twitter seemed to be filled with “statuses” and “tweets” from people raving about Kite Fest. This year, I expect the same thing to happen. The Zilker Park Kite Festival seems to have a very successful social media, promotional approach going. Their Facebook, and Twitter pages are both very active and they seem to be focusing responding to people’s comments, questions, and encouraging people to stop by. In fact, I took a screen shot of a status they posted on their Facebook page asking people to be sure to “hashtag” #zilkerkitefest and use social media to “capture and share the magic” of Kite Fest. Way to go Zilker Park Kite Festival on using social media to your advantage! I know I will be hash tagging and posting pictures live from the festival!

This Sunday if you can not make it out to Zilker Park, check out what is trending on Twitter in Austin, Texas because I am sure The Zilker Park Kite Festival will be on the list! If you happen to be near Austin, Texas this Sunday stop by the nearest dollar store, pick up a kite or two and meet me at Zilker Park! Trust me you will not regret it!

Zilker Park Kite Fest Links:
 

Follow my Live tweets during this years Kite Fest: 

Here are a few pictures that I took from the Festival Last Year:

 

 

Are you a vendor? Do you know any vendors? 
Promotional items are a great way to get noticed, especially at large events! 
Here are some great ideas of promotional items that would be perfect for the Zilker Kite Festival!


Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

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Running Texas, Through Social Media

by agarzar Posted on February 25, 2013

Now that the weather is starting to get warmer and the blue skies are coming back to Texas, it is hard to resist wanting to spend every moment outside. For many Texans springtime means getting up, getting outside, and getting in shape. What better way to enjoy the nice weather and get active than going for a run? This Thursday the 28th of February, City Running Tours in Austin, Texas is hosting a “Texas 5k Beer Running Tour”. For those of legal drinking age, this tour gathers runners of all levels and provides the group with a “tour guide” who will lead the pack of runners on a guided running tour through Austin, making pits stops along the way to catch a sip or two of some of Austin’s finest local brews along the way. Talk about a creative spin on the classic “jog around the park”!

You might be thinking, Wow this is great, especially with spring break quickly approaching, but what does public relations have to do with throwing a few back while running through the streets of Austin? Well, actually public relations and the media is a huge factor in the rising popularity in these “Beer Runs” that are taking place not only in Texas, but in other states as well. In fact, City Running Tours, the company who created this brilliant idea has been featured on The Today Show, and is endorsed by:  Runner’s World, Women’s Running, Running In The USA, Clif Bar, Ignite Naturals, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, just to name a few.

City Running Tours have embraced social media, reaching new audiences through their Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, and Dailymile pages. Especially since they are focused on attracting young active individuals, what better way to gain their attention than, offering incentives, promotions, and new events through their social media outlets.

For runners in particular, the social media site Dailymile is basically like a “Facebook/Twitter” catered to the running community, where runners can interact, share pictures, videos, maps of trails, and share how many miles they ran that day. Overall, I think this is a great way to use social media to get people to get motivated about running and gather people who love running together.  City Running Tours, is doing an excellent job staying one pace ahead by using social media and social media is doing a wonderful job catering to runners. Get up and get moving this Thursday in Austin Texas, with the “Touring Texas 5k Beer Running Tour”!

 

Are you a runner? Do you know any people who sell running gear or have a business related to athletics? 
Promotional items are a great way to get noticed! 
Here are some great ideas of promotional items that would be perfect for runners!

Click on the image to be directly linked to where these, and other great promotional items can be bought.

 

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