| 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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RELATED TOPICS
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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| NEWS 06.24.08 10:15 AM |
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Smithsonian Folklife Festival Opens Tomorrow With Bhutan, NASA, and Texas
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 | The Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall
Photo: Jeffrey Tinsley |
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Each summer for the last 42 years, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has turned the National Mall into a massive outdoor cultural celebration reaching over seven city blocks. This year, the event, organized with the help of more than 500 Smithsonian staffers and 300 volunteers, is celebrating the isolated mountain Kingdom of Bhutan, the 50th anniversary of NASA, and the music and cuisine of Texas.
Kicking off tomorrow, the festival runs through June 29 and from July 2-6, offering everything from an evening concert of the Texas Songsters to Bhutanese momos (or pork-and cheese-filled dumplings) to screenings of classic space films (think 2001: A Space Odyssey) at the nearby National Museum of Natural History.
Co-sponsored by the National Park Service, with support from Motorola, Sprint, WAMU-FM, Whole Foods Market, and Washingtonpost.com, the festival is expected to attract more than one million visitors throughout its 10-day run. —Adele Chapin
RELATED TOPICS
Smithsonian Folklife Festival, N.A.S.A., Motorola, Sprint, WAMU-FM, Whole Foods, Washingtonpost.com |
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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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