Tomorrow a group of the Fiesta family will be traveling to Portland, OR to attend the Portland Rose Festival, a citywide festival not quite as large as Fiesta San Antonio but similar in many ways. For me, it’s both a chance to enjoy the great city of Portland and to learn how they do sustainability and recycling. You see, the Portland Rose Festival is one the greenest festivals in the nation. So when the opportunity arose this year, I jumped at it and decided to travel with the Fiesta team to Portland. Not only will I be observing but I volunteered to help with the parade clean-up, knowing the best way to learn is to get your hands dirty, literally. However, I’m starting to discover that there’s much more to this festival than just being a green one. Portland seems to have a different outlook on life and fun, in a way that really kind of makes me want to bring some of it back to San Antonio. Read more…
It’s great to get up in the morning without having to worry about “all things Fiesta.” Yes, I probably obsess over the 11-day festival a little too much but that’s because I really do care about how Fiesta presents itself to San Antonio and the world. Each day was spent making sure the recycling plans were being executed, that we were keeping people informed via Facebook through status updates, and that any questions were being answered as promptly as we could. One FB inquiry was almost completely in Spanish (thank goodness for Spanish-English translation tools). The picture I posted pretty much sums up why I do what I do for Fiesta and invest the time and effort into the organization. Seeing Ebony and Eleazer recycling on their own after the Battle of Flowers Parade made all the work a worthwhile endeavor.
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Yes, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted to the blog but there’s good reason for the absence. I’ve been playing the Trash Man of Fiesta, heading up the Fiesta Verde effort in conjunction with Fiesta events and the city. It’s my second year in the position and we wanted to make a difference compared to our pilot year. The numbers are still coming in but it’s looking like we may hit our goal of doubling recycling tonnage collected from last year. That’s pretty impressive considering it’s only our second year at the game but we still have a long way to go. I’m probably going to tackle the effort again for Fiesta 2012 and hopefully we’ll double the number yet again. But Fiesta’s over and it’s time to get back to the business of blogging.
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I’m in Houston this weekend enjoying my annual MLB weekend. Unfortunately my friend couldn’t join me due to work issues. But I’m still going to make the most of it. The weekend started with a presentation to the Texas Festivals and Events Association (TFEA) Conference on Fiesta Verde. After that, we’re at the Inn at the Ballpark (great deal through Priceline) which puts me literally across the street from the park. I’ll have to say the highlight was presenting what we learned during Fiesta Verde to about 15 people in the session. Read more…
A couple of weekends ago during the Fiesta Commission’s Participating Member Organization (PMO) workshop Mayor Julian Castro addressed over 80 participants about a variety of topics including the need to help make Fiesta more environmentally friendly. Earlier, in an interview in the July issue of Texas Monthly (subscription required), Mayor Castro promoted the idea of a green Fiesta during the interview. “We’re going to pass a green events ordinance, as a couple of other cities have done, so that recycling is an integral part of large events like Fiesta,” said Castro. In that same meeting Lanny Sinkin of Solar San Antonio also provided some ideas for the Commisison about how to create a more sustainable environment. But how do you turn one of the largest festivals in the nation green? Read more…
In today’s Express-News Ben Olivo provided his opinion of the Fiesta Fiesta opening ceremonies. While it did provide some good insight on things that probably need tweaking for next year it seems to have missed the overall intent of the event or buried it among some scandalous aspects to prompt the blog read. I have to say that after reading Ben’s piece I am wondering if he attended the same event I did and saw the same people I saw walking around. Granted the VIP areas probably needed a little different approach but what I also saw last night were families enjoying the opening ceremonies much more than year’s past.
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We’re trying a new approach in spreading Fiesta fun and information this year through social media. This year you can become a member of the Fiesta Facebook page or follow Fiesta on Twitter (@FiestaSA). We’ll also be using the Twitter hash tag (#fiesta). Through these two channels Anne Cannon, PR director for the Commission, and I will be posting the latest information we have during the ten day festival. So far the results have been incredible. Last night I was walking around the Opening Ceremonies tweeting up the latest information such as when the 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus took the stage. More on them in a second. The bottom line is that for an event as social as Fiesta social media IS the right way to promote it. Read more…
Today starts the beginning of the annual festival called Fiesta San Antonio. This year the opening ceremonies is being held on the eve of the ten days to help mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission. A big celebration is planned in Alamo Plaza starting at 5:30 p.m. and ending with fireworks around 10 p.m. Starting Friday over 100 events will occur throughout the city celebrating the diverse culture that makes up San Antonio. During those events San Antonians and visitors to the city will indulge in eating, drinking, partying and about everything else in between. But Fiesta means so much more than the parties. Read more…
Today Fiesta Centralized Ticket Sales starts selling tickets to various Fiesta events at 10 a.m. Normally this would be just another opening event for Fiesta. What has always made this opening different is that this location and the box office will be the only places you can purchase Cornyation tickets until 11 a.m. when you buy them over the Internet. So people will line up at both locations well ahead of the opening to secure those prized seats to the Thursday late performance. At the Fiesta Commission offices the first people got in line at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning and have been there since. But hey, it Fiesta! Read more…
Tomorrow a group of the Fiesta family will be traveling to Portland, OR to attend the Portland Rose Festival, a citywide festival not quite as large as Fiesta San Antonio but similar in many ways. For me, it’s both a chance to enjoy the great city of Portland and to learn how they do sustainability and recycling. You see, the Portland Rose Festival is one the greenest festivals in the nation. So when the opportunity arose this year, I jumped at it and decided to travel with the Fiesta team to Portland. Not only will I be observing but I volunteered to help with the parade clean-up, knowing the best way to learn is to get your hands dirty, literally. However, I’m starting to discover that there’s much more to this festival than just being a green one. Portland seems to have a different outlook on life and fun, in a way that really kind of makes me want to bring some of it back to San Antonio. Read more…
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