Events Win Marketing Awards from International Festivals and Events Association
02 Oct 2006
by: Renee Mitcham
FORT WORTH, Texas (October 2, 2006) – The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Sundance Square Parade of Lights, events produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., recently teamed up in an industry marketing competition to win 11 prestigious Pinnacle Awards. The International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) announced the winners of its Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Sept. 18-22 at the 51st annual Convention and Expo in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
MAIN ST. was a gold-award winner in the judging for “Best Event Web Site,” “Best Single Newspaper Display Ad,” “Best Ad Series,” “Best Sponsor Follow-Up Report,” and “Best Press/Media Kit.” In the silver category, MAIN ST. was awarded “Best Miscellaneous Printed Materials (multiple-page, annual report),” “Best Pin or Button (by event),” “Best Hat,” “Best Miscellaneous Clothing,” and “Best Single Display Ad.” The Fort Worth Parade of Lights earned an award in the silver category for “Street Banner.”
“This was a tremendous showing for MAIN ST. and the Parade of Lights, which earned the right to being mentioned in the same breath with other 2006 winners like The Kentucky Derby Festival, The Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Fiesta San Antonio,” said Carlos de la Torre, chair of Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s festivals and events committee. “We salute the members of our festivals and events committee, and especially the volunteers on our hard-working event management team, for staging two events of the quality we saw captured in the award-winning marketing materials.”
“These awards from the IFEA confirm that MAIN ST. and the Parade of Lights are securing a place among the best loved and attended public gatherings not only in this country, but throughout the world,” said John C. “Jay” Downie, producer of the events for DFWI. “This has been due in no small part to the momentum created by the marketing materials.” He added that special thanks go as well to Enilon, Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations and Pressman Printing, three dedicated sponsors and service providers whose work was among the winning entries.
Each year the IFEA recognizes outstanding examples of quality and creativity in the promotional programs and materials produced by its member festivals and events around the world. Some 1,380 entries were received from among the world’s top festivals and events.
Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, The IFEA is a nonprofit membership organization with members spanning 40 countries and five continents, and offers ideas, resources, information, education and networking for festival and event professionals worldwide.
About Sundance Square Parade of Lights
The 2006 Sundance Square Parade of Lights, presented by AT&T and Chase, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 24, in downtown Fort Worth. Featuring more than 100 highly illuminated entries, it will be the centerpiece of a downtown celebration of warmth and family tradition. This year’s parade has an official 6 p.m. sharp step-off in front of the RadioShack headquarters on Belknap Street. From there it will proceed east to Commerce Street, then south to 6th Street, west on 6th Street to Houston, and then north to Weatherford Street. The merrymaking will peak around 7:30 p.m. when Santa Claus and his elves make their annual appearance on Main Street between Third and Fourth streets for the lighting of the Fort Worth Christmas tree in Sundance Square. For more information, visit the event’s Web site at www.fortworthparadeoflights.org.
About MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival
Fort Worth 's most honored event celebrates its 22nd year on April 19-22, 2007. MAIN ST., presented by Coors Light and AT&T and produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc., hosts thousands of people annually during the four-day visual arts, entertainment and cultural event. It showcases a nationally recognized fine art and fine craft juried art fair, live concerts, performance artists and street performers on the streets of downtown Fort Worth, stretching nine blocks on Main Street from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center. For more information about MAIN ST., visit the festival’s Web site at www.mainstreetartsfest.org.
About Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc.
Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc., is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist in making downtown Fort Worth a vibrant, healthy and attractive place in which to work, live and visit. As a nonprofit, Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc., relies on the contributions of its many corporate sponsors and individual supporters in order to maintain the quality of the special events it produces, including the Sundance Square Parade of Lights and MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival