| EVENT REPORT 11.25.08 12:19 PM |
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Motorola Supplier Conference Uses Local Fare to Feed International Crowd
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 | Motorola's Innovation Center
Photo: Northlight Studios/Michael Moenning Photography |
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FROM CHICAGO
"There's a thin line you have to toe when planning corporate events," says Michael Mach, the senior program manager of global event marketing for Motorola Inc., who planned a conference for 350 suppliers from 14 countries last Tuesday and Wednesday. "You want to make your event nice and professional, but you don't need the gold lamé napkins. You have to be a good custodian of the budget you have." So at last week's event, Mach aimed to strike a balance between creating a "nice" event and portraying a responsible image of the company by taking advantage of Motorola's in-house facilities and serving locally sourced meals.
Mach describes the conference as "an opportunity for suppliers to meet C-level [Motorola] executives, ask questions, and discuss best-business practices amongst themselves." Wednesday's activities started up with a 6:30 a.m. breakfast at the Westin Northwest Chicago—a hotel chosen for its proximity to O'Hare airport—and spanned the entire day with presentations, lunch, breakout sessions, an award ceremony, a Q&A, and a cocktail reception. But before guests headed to the hotel, Mach wanted to give them an opportunity to tour Motorola's Innovation Center, which is located within the company's Schaumburg headquarters and which hosted a welcome reception and dinner on Tuesday night.
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Motorola, Going Green |
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| NEWS 07.29.08 8:00 AM |
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With Plenty of Sponsors, Lollapalooza Set to Take Over Chicago This Weekend
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FROM CHICAGO
The current incarnation of Lollapalooza, the brainchild of Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, along with Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents and the William Morris Agency, will once again set up shop in Chicago's Grant Park this Friday through Sunday. The fourth-annual Chicago-only festival encompasses 120 acts (including Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Kanye West) performing on eight sponsored stages, as well as various environments, lounges, and activities scattered throughout the park.
Lollapalooza 2008 incorporates several new elements this year, including Perry's, named for Farrell, an open-air electronica stage featuring live DJ sets each day at 2 p.m., and Lederhosen's Biergarten, a beer hall situated near Buckingham Fountain. Both Green Street (a destination space educating festival-goers about Lolla's eco-friendly initiatives) and Kidzapalooza (featuring a stage, "School of Rock" Jam Tent, a recording studio, and special performances) are returning this year.
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RELATED TOPICS
AT&T, Bud Light, PlayStation, MySpace, Citi, BMI, Blackstone Winery, F.Y.E., Vitaminwater, NowWhat.com, Small Paul, Sweet Leaf Tea, Whole Foods, Lifeway Kefir, Southern Comfort, Metromix.com, Belvedere Vodka, Hard Rock Hotel, Motorola, Bacardi, 42 Below, Cazadores Tequila |
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| EVENT REPORT 11.12.07 6:22 PM |
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Motorola Party Draws Decor From Kelly Clarkson Video
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 | Motorola's all-white anniversary party.
Photo: WireImage.com |
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For the folks at Motorola, keeping their ninth annual Hollywood anniversary party fresh means maintaining certain long-standing traditions, including tapping into a new headlining musical performer and venue every year. For the latest celebration, which took over a soundstage at the Lot on Thursday, the communication company’s director of entertainment marketing, David Pinsky, booked pop singer Kelly Clarkson, feeling that the American Idol winner would rival the caliber of past performers, who have included Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Salt-N-Pepa (who reunited especially for the event in 2005).
“I try to find artists who I think will have a great vibe for the party and appeal to a wide demographic,” Pinsky said. “Whether people want to admit that they like [Clarkson] and that they like her music, I think you’ll find a room full of people singing along to her.” Indeed, many guests—including actors, writers, producers, directors, and publicists, as well as executives from customer carriers such as Verizon and AT&T—sang and jumped to the beat of such Clarkson hits as “Since You’ve Been Gone” during her 12-song set.
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Motorola, Kelly Clarkson |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 10.03.06 12:00 AM |
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Roundtable: How Sponsors Choose Events
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FROM NEW YORK
Tom Crawford is director of partner marketing for a business unit of Motorola and was formerly thecompany’s director of corporate sponsorships/sports marketing, where he oversaw corporate sponsorship strategy and management of global programs. “All sponsorship proposals must be submitted to Motorola via our Web site, www.sponsorwise.com/motorola. I realize properties don’t necessarily like these filtering sites, but it is very important to use because the questions we ask are specific and relevant to our business. In general terms, Motorola would only consider sponsorships if they are broad in size and scope, if they demonstrate our product leadership or expertise in association with the property, and if the property represents the values and attributes of our brand. We are a large company with customers virtually in every market. We use programs of perceived value to our customers that can have impact or be replicated in many markets. Therefore, we rarely execute sponsorships that are too narrow—local fairs, festivals, or one-time, local market events.”
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RELATED TOPICS
Selling Sponsorships, Motorola, Sprint, Courvoisier, Kodak, UPS |
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