Marcie Taylor

Tag: events

  • Can’t Miss Summer Events in Orange County

    Can’t Miss Summer Events in Orange County

    When you are fortunate enough to live in a beach town with an endless summer, actually going to the beach is not the high point of the season. At least not for me. Since we can go to the beach any time of the year, even daily, there are other things we most look forward to during the summer months. Summer in Orange County means longer days, fun in the sun and special annual events that make living here extra special. I personally look forward to the following every year: the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, Hotel Irvine’s Backyard Movie Nights, the OC Fair and the VANS U.S. Open of Surfing.

    In this blog post, I want to give you the scoop on the first two events I mentioned.

    FESTIVAL OF ARTS

    The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts runs from July 5 to September 1. This year is the festival’s 86th anniversary. The juried fine arts show showcases original art original artworks from 140 of Orange County’s finest artists and offers interactive art workshops, demos, special events, live music, wine and chocolate pairings, guided art tours, and more. The highlight of the annual festival is the Pageant of the Masters, a world-famous theatrical celebration of art recreated in tableaux vivants –“living pictures”– it never fails to awe audiences nightly with spectacular stage illusions choreographed to original, live orchestra performance and engaging narration. I caught this year’s show and it was amazing but that’s a blog post for another day!

    By the way, the Pageant tickets are different from the Festival tickets. See ticket information below and visit foapom.com Festival of Arts is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

    Festival of Arts Fine Art Show

    July 5 – September 1, 2018

    Open weekdays: 12noon – 11:30pm

    Open weekends: 10am – 11:30pm

    Early closing August 25 at 1:30pm

    Pageant of the Masters Dates and Times:

    July 7 – September 1, 2018

    Performances Nightly at 8:30pm

    TICKETS:

    Festival of Arts Fine Art Show:

    Purchase tickets online at www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org
    General Admission: Weekdays $10, Weekends $15

    Students & Seniors: Weekdays $7, Weekends $11

    Children 6 – 12: Daily $5

    Free Admission for Children 5 and under, Military, and Laguna Beach Residents.

    Pageant of the Masters Ticket Information:

    Purchase tickets at http://www.pageanttickets.com/

    Tickets start at $15 per person

    Pageant of the Masters ticket grants access to the Fine Arts Show

    BACKYARD MOVIE NIGHTS

    There’s only one movie left in the Backyard Series at Hotel Irvine, but if you want a chill and fun way to end the summer of 2018, I recommend you grab your lawn chairs and blankets, grab a friend or the whole family and get ready to visit “Wakanda!” I caught the first movie in this year’s series. “The Greatest Showman,” and let me tell you it was a blast to be outside under the stars, dining on Hotel Irvine’s delicious grub among friends, all while watching Hugh Jackman and company sing and dance across the screen.

    On August 31, one can enjoy an alfresco evening viewing of “Black Panther” and the Chef’s Backyard BBQ, which includes delicious burgers, sandwiches, salads and of course, movie snacks like popcorn, cookies, and candy! A pre-film DJ will be there, and all night happy hour at Red Bar and Lounge is offered to moviegoers. There’s also a special Movie Night Retreat package available for guests who want to extend their fun and pampering by staying overnight at Hotel Irvine

    Those who want to step it up a notch can opt-in for the VIP experience for two, which includes:

    Two tickets to the movie of choice
    Reserved front-row seating
    Unlimited access to chef’s backyard BBQ
    A bottle of rosé or prosecco
    Complimentary valet parking

    Schedule:

    Friday, August 31st – Black Panther

    General admission is $10 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m. with movies starting at dusk. Open seating. Guests bring blankets, low chairs, pillows or cushions. VIP experience is $55 for two guests. Ten VIP packages available per movie night. Advanced purchase recommended and based on availability. A wristband is needed for all night happy hour after the movie in Red Bar and Lounge. Blankets will be available for purchase. For a complete schedule, tickets, menus, and FAQ, visithotelirvine.com/happenings/movienights.

    Hotel Irvine

    17900 Jamboree Rd.

    Irvine, CA 92614

    888-230- 4452

    www.hotelirvine.com

  • Stop Diabetes : Tour de Cure OC

    November is Diabetes Awareness Month. The American Diabetes Association envisions a life free of this dreaded disease. The goal of this month is to raise awareness and come together as a community to Stop Diabetes, a disease that affects nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States alone. According to ada.org: “Another 79 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion.”

    My own grandmother had diabetes so I am very familiar with the disease. When the opportunity to be part of the marketing and communications committee of the Orange County ADA came along, I was happy to help.

    http://instagram.com/p/e-bJimk5ZA/

    On November 2nd, 2013, The American Diabetes Association (ADA) held the Tour De Cure, which challenged riders to be part of the Stop Diabetes® movement by participating in the nationwide cycling event. In Orange County, CA, hundreds of participants took part in the Tour De Cure and raised funds to change the future of diabetes and help stop the disease. The Orange County Tour de Cure had routes designed for occasional to experienced
    cyclists. Participants chose from two road routes, a metric century or 25-mile; and two mountain bike routes, one 10-mile and one 20-mile. Additionally, there was a 6-mile family friendly route that went through O’Neil Park in Trabuco Canyon.

    LIKE the American Diabetes Association – Orange County on Facebook to see how you can help Stop Diabetes.

    Here are some photos from the day’s events collected in my Storify.

  • Hashtag Best Practices for Events

    Hashtag Best Practices for Events

    You don’t have to be a social media guru, ninja, or expert to use a hashtag. But if you’ve read that first line and are still scratching your head, perhaps a simple definition is in order.

    • A hashtag is simply a label for content. It is used mostly on Twitter but you can also use them on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.
    • Hashtags are useful for searching a topic.

    Perhaps our friends Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake can explain it better.

    In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been part of big events in Orange County that required the use of a hashtag.

    For the Knott’s Scary Farm event, for example, I was an attendee and thus, used a hashtag to relate my experiences at the event with my online audience. Later, the organizers and public relations people behind Scary Farm were able to use their event hashtag to not only generate online buzz for the event, but also to later collect and analyze data.

    My friend Alison Stripling of Cornerstone Creative Online Marketing for Entrepreneurs says that for her, using an event hashtag in her social media posts has been beneficial.
    “Using the hashtag at an event helps me get found in social as well as connect with influencers. Most keynote speakers that I tweet and follow at a conference will follow me back.”

    For event organizers, it is imperative that you create an event hashtag.
    Recently, I helped out with the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, CA. We used the hashtag #surfcitysurfdog. Not only were media and the blogosphere engaged with us using the hashtag, even regular people who were at the event or wanting to be used the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    My friend Public Relations expert, Kristen Hinman of Groff-Hinman, Inc. says:
    “Before an event, plan what your hashtag will be ahead of time. Keep it short and unique to your event and use the same one across all media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.). Let attendees know what it will be ahead of time to get the buzz going early.”

    In a nutshell, here are my social media hashtag tips:

    • Create a HASHTAG specifically for the event.
    • Start building buzz online even before the event by using the hashtag in social media promotions.
    • Share the hashtag with people associated with the event including vendors, sponsors and guests so they can engage in online conversations about the event.
    • Finally, during the event, having a hashtag will help organize conversations surrounding the event – it can help hype it up, entice people to join in, or simply record information.