#MadeInTheATL

Last night I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to volunteer the 2013 AiMA Awards show at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta. For those of you who don't know, AiMA is the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association. To say it was a great event would be a huge understatement. I have never had that much fun as a volunteer! It really set my sights on a career in the social/interactive marketing industry, and made me appreciate what these talented groups are doing for the city of Atlanta.

For example--a Nebo representative and fellow UGA graduate named Darien LaBeach introduced me to the Choose ATL campaign that was just recently introduced. The campaign illustrates why we love Atlanta and the reasons to live here, work here, and start-up here. Atlanta has been given a not-so-great reputation for some reason or another, and Nebo is out to fix this and re brand the city as one of America's greats. So remember to use the hashtag #ChooseATL next time you post a picture to Instagram doing something around Atlanta! YOUR picture will become a part of Atlanta's story seen around the world!

Here's a picture of me at the event's photo booth, holding up a Choose ATL sign (please excuse the picture quality).

Back to the event. My day began around 1:00 PM with gift bag distribution and banner hanging. Then we began loading in food from local Atlanta restaurants (P'Cheen, Bone Lick BBQ, and Highland Bakery). My personal favorite of the three was Highland Bakery, but Bone Lick BBQ was awesome too. They brought a whole hog! Here's a picture of me holding its head up.

Another great thing about the event was how they showcased local talent. The DJ, live performer, food, desserts, and even the music during the awards show were ALL from Georgia! I thought this was a fantastic and creative idea. This is what the lobby area looked like while I was running food. (There was also an upstairs VIP area with a balcony overlooking the stage, but I neglected to take a picture of it.)

So, after loading in food and serving Hors d'oeuvres for about two hours (all while they were filling themselves with specialty cocktails from the local mixologists), the show began. AiMA President Steven Roe opened the ceremony, and from there introduced various speakers and gave away various annual awards. It was a lot of fun to watch. Here's my view of the stage.

Following the show came dessert. Highland Bakery provided peanut butter french toast and there were cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and so forth. Last, but certainly not least, they cut the cake. This picture should say it all. I don't think there was a single person there who did not take a picture of this enormous Georgia-themed creation!

All in all, it was a great night and I look forward to more events with AiMA; either as a volunteer or possibly a member!

America's Favorites

This past week I found a couple intriguing articles to share with you guys. They're about America's Favorite BEER, and America's Favorite CITIES! These two topics are very relevant to my interests, and actually could end up meaning a lot to me (I'm in the market to relocate, so the cities list made quite an impression on me).

The beer list from the Business Insider website was published just a few days ago. Blowfish conducted a poll and worked with third-party research firm AMP to get this information. It surveys each of the United States' "favorite" beers. The beers that dominated include: Yuengling, Bud Light, Blue Moon, and Sam Adams, with Blue Moon being the favorite here in Georgia. Sounds about right to me! I could go for a nice Belgian ale with an orange slice right about now... There are a couple other tables/charts created from the study, so be sure to check out the article in the link embedded above.

The favorite cities list I found through the Condé Nast Traveler website, and drew the rankings from the Reader's Choice Awards. I'll highlight Savannah (GA), New Orleans (LA), New York City, and Charleston (SC) as my favorites, but you'll have to check out the website embedded above for the full list. Obviously (and unfortunately) I have not been to half of these cities yet, but would love to one day explore them -- and possibly live in them. This list stuck with me and brought a feeling of excitement looking towards the future. I have long considered leaving Atlanta, and lists like these are eye-opening to the fact that there are thousands of places better than my hometown. So, here's to starting an online job hunt... Wish me luck!

Free Spirits - The Silna Deal

Last night I watched one of ESPN's captivating 30 for 30 episodes; this one being about the St. Louis Spirit and its' owners Ozzie and Daniel Silna. They had created the Spirit ABA basketball organization with aspirations of one day cashing out through the inevitable NBA merger. However, when things did not go as planned, and the NBA did not accept the Spirit into the league (in part because of the irrational behavior of Marvin Barnes), Ozzie and Daniel had their own plans. They asked to be given a small fraction of the NBA's television revenue in perpetuity. At that time no one could imagine how much money would be in television, and how quickly the industry would grow. For some, this was even a bit of a joke. To this day, the Silna's have made over $250 million through the deal. Talk about innovative thinking. This outside of the box proposal has been cited as one of the best business moves ever. Watching this episode really got me thinking - what will be the next industry to explode like this? What new technology is capable of delivering an insane ROI? To be one step ahead of the pack, it is important to consider the bigger picture in ways like these.

Here are 2012 New York Times and Forbes articles for more detailed information. (Including how the deal is becoming even sweeter for the Silna's, as they seek to tap into the international broadcast revenue.)