Browsing Tag

concerts

Behind the Brand: Mirage Resort and Casino

It’s one thing to “Like” a brand on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

It’s quite another to learn about who writes those updates.

 

To debut the Behind the Brand series, Danielle Deremo shares advice about social media marketing.

Danielle Deremo

Name: Danielle Deremo (@SuperDaniYell)

Position: Social Media Specialist

Employer: Mirage Resort and Casino (MGM Resorts), Las Vegas, Nevada

Education: Hospitality Administration, Northern Illinois University

Professional role model:

It would have to be Kristalina Steininger, (@kristalinas) she took me under her wing when I was an intern at MGM Grand and she was Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage Marketing. She introduced me to social media from a brand’s perspective and taught me the rules of the road when it comes to representing a business in the Web 2.0 arena. Since I’ve moved on from my internship and began working at The Mirage, she has been a close friend and mentor of mine.

Favourite Blog:

As a big foodie, I really appreciate My Drunk Kitchen and The Kitchn. I get all my entertainment from MDK and all my recipes from reading The Kitchn!

Favourite mobile app:

Besides the regulars of foursquare, Facebook & Seesmic for my Twitter accounts, I am a big fan of Reddit Is Fun, SoundHound, and Path. And although it’s not an App, I’m becoming severely addicted to Pinterest.

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January 23, 2012 by

Concert Review: Freedom or Death & Shout Out Out Out Out

Stepping inside Call The Office can feel like taking a gigantic step outside the Western bubble, but it’s one worth taking, especially when you walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for Canadian talent.

The disco ball hanging from the ceiling near the stage was hardly indicative of the alternative and electronic sounds heard Tuesday night from Toronto’s Freedom or Death and Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out.

When Freedom or Death’s lead singer Sway took to the microphone, he teased the crowd that it was a sound check, during which he wanted to gauge reactions from everyone in the “party town.” Before long though, people left their barstools to hear the as-of-yet unsigned band perform tracks from their album, Ego. Within their 40-minute set, their engaging stage presence quickly transformed young patrons into fans who yearned for an encore, some of whom found a spot near the stage to dance with friends.

While the headliners set up their gear, Sway chatted outside with some audience members who compared his guitar skills to Prince and overall style to Mars Volta. Suddenly Freedom or Death had acquired fan girls, who barely looked of legal age, anxiously wanting to dance with the singer during Shout Out Out Out Out’s performance.

As soon as Shout Out Out Out Out took to the stage, they attracted more people to the dance floor, including Sway. Their music sounds similar to recordings by Hot Chip, a band with whom they could definitely produce a great collaboration. The Edmonton rockers shared little commentary, except to introduce some new tunes, including a track called “Total Loss.”

The lack of lyrics in their songs drew focus to the band members’ onstage nuances and attire, particularly the keyboardist’s patent leather red brogue shoes.

Regardless of how you access music, be sure to add these Canadians to your playlists—your friends will be glad you did.

Originally published in The Gazette.

October 28, 2011 by

Samsung Presents The Midway State and The Arkells

On Thursday night, Samsung leveraged the ever-increasing popularity of pop-up stores to host their second pop-up concert in Toronto’s downtown core. Last August, Metric played for a crowd of about ten thousand outside of Union Station and it seems that Samsung is making these concerts annual events, this time expanding nationwide to include dates in Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal too. The bands delivered stellar crowd-pleasing performances, so I’m glad I went to see The Midway State once again and to hear the Juno award winning Arkells play live.

 

 

 

Through an effective marketing campaign that included a #samsungsecret Twitter hashtag, press releases and a full page colour print ad in the Metro, Samsung invited Torontonians to see The Midway State and The Arkells, no tickets required. The concert was held in a parking lot at Blue Jays Way and Wellington Street West. The twentysomethings living in condos across the street, some of whom made Bristol board signs, were delighted to have a great view from their balconies.

Reaching out to local influencers, such as Casie Stewart and Lauren O’Neil, who are active on Twitter, ensured that the event remained at the forefront of their followers’ post-work plans. Twitter further played a role in generating brand awareness because retweeting Samsung Mobile Canada granted people like myself, curious as to what they would giveaway, a snazzy Samsung swag bag. Well, let’s not embellish their water bottles and pen too much, but all the items were branded in blue colours and Samsung logos. The only item that directly relates to their Android phones and tablet that the event was meant to promote, is a screen cleaner, which is certainly a useful freebie. Everyone at the event was friendly however and the distribution of free water bottles on a humid evening was certainly appreciated.

Perhaps the product demonstrators should have received better training, given that the Samsung representative I spoke to lacked knowledge about the Galaxy tablet’s camera functionality. After watching videographers capture the performances using the tablets, I was interested to see how they worked, but was unimpressed by his brief explanation.

Overall, the pop-up event organized by Communique was a hit and it put the event planning agency on this marketing intern’s radar. I’m eager to see what other exciting events pop up unexpectedly in the city this summer.

August 6, 2011 by

Concert Review: Lionel Richie

If the stadium had a roof, then everyone would have been dancing on the ceiling Tuesday night at the Rexall Centre. Soft rock and R&B legend Lionel Richie’s performance marked the third concert in the BlackCreek Summer Music Festival’s inaugural season.

The former Commodore had the crowd on their feet and singing along from the moment he took the stage at about 10 pm. Lionel’s arrival on stage was delayed due to rain, but the opening set by Michael McDonald was unaffected by the weather. By the time Lionel started, most of the audience was already wearing BlackCreek ponchos and eager to hear him open with “All Around the World”.

Radio stations tend to exaggerate when they claim to play all your favourite hits, but Richie really delivered, by performing many of his chart-topping hits from the 80’s to present, such as “Ballerina Girl” and “Running with the Night”. Recognizing that the crowd ranged from university students to retirees, he ensured that his set list included a balance of ballads, dance numbers and remixes.

Unlike concerts at other amphitheatres that are filled with preteens constantly snapping photos, there was relatively little fan photography. When Richie and his band members joined together for a photo op at the front of the stage during “Brick House”, this was of little significance to the crowd who preferred to continue dancing. There was even a couple off to the corner of the stage who swing danced to Richie’s music and made the most of being at an outdoor concert in a spacious stadium.

Richie shared that he expected a quiet and mellow group to sit back and listen to love songs, but loved how the crowd was “going in another direction.” Some of his comments admittedly sounded scripted, but fans didn’t seem to care as they danced in the aisles and near the entrances alongside event staff – it was like a timeless dance party Tuesday night.

Richie opined that he hasn’t seen audiences dance like that “since ’84,” a time before I was even born! Speaking of flashbacks, Richie seemed to get a kick out of looking at dated promotional photos of himself that fans standing at the edge of the stage motioned for him to sign (a few of which he did). “What was I thinking?” he joked, assessing his fashion choices and past hairdo, insisting that it was a photo of his father. As for his current tour wardrobe, Richie accessorized his all-black outfit with a chunky gold necklace and watch.

Lionel Richie’s show was the liveliest in the BlackCreek Festival to date. In some ways, I find it hard to believe he’s the father of a reality TV star known for her foolish behavior on The Simple Life because there’s such a contrast – this Richie seems to really know what he’s doing. You could’ve had an obstructed view sitting behind the stage and still enjoyed listening to Richie singing and playing the piano, while accompanied by his outstanding band.

June 30, 2011 by