MAIN ST. Wins Grand Pinnacle Award

MAIN ST. FORT WORTH ARTS FESTIVAL WINS INTERNATIONAL 2011 GRAND PINNACLE AWARD

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (October 5, 2011) — MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival brought home the Gold at the International Festivals & Events Association’s (IFEA) 56th Annual World Convention & Expo, held for the first time in the organization’s history in Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel.

MAIN ST. competed with the world’s top festivals and events to win the 2011 Grand Pinnacle Award, in addition to more than a dozen other awards, for its outstanding marketing campaign.

Sponsored by industry leader Haas and Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition draws entries from among the world’s top festivals and events. Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the 500 Festival, Indianapolis, IN; Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO; Portland Rose Festival, Portland OR and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, CA.

International contenders included such diverse event organizations as Canada Place, Canada, Ham Pyeong Butterfly Festival, South Korea, World Gourmet Summit, Singapore, Edmonton Heritage Festival, Canada; Ludwig Van Beethoven Easter Festival, Poland; Rotterdam Festivals, The Netherlands; Festival Lent, Slovenia and Sentosa Development Corporation, Singapore.

MAIN ST. has won the IFEA Grand Pinnacle Award (best in its class) for the third time in four years for its marketing and promotions. The Grand Pinnacle is considered the highest honor an event producer can receive from IFEA. This year, in addition to the Grand Pinnacle Award, MAIN ST. won six Gold, four Silver and four Bronze IFEA awards in various categories including advertising, merchandising and printed materials. The DFWI-produced Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights won one silver awards.

Each year, the event production team, consisting of the Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. staff and volunteers, Fort Worth-based Pinkerton Design, and Fort Worth-based ad/PR firm Concussion, pulls together many creative elements to make it the largest free, four-day visual arts and entertainment festival in the Southwest.

“The Grand Pinnacle award is a significant recognition of the hard work put into not only the event but into our core mission and belief, and it sends a strong message to a global community that we work hard to excel at what we do, and care for the product we put forward to our participants, attendees and our supporters,” said Dr. Marie Holliday, Chair of the Festivals and Events Committee at Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. “The Grand Pinnacle Award underscores the fact that we are a quality event, and are perceived as such among our peers.”

“We would like to congratulate all of our Pinnacle winners for their outstanding entries into this year’s competition,” said IFEA President and CEO, Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE. “The IFEA/Haas and Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition recognizes the outstanding accomplishments by festivals and events around the world. Striving for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations in every budget level and every corner of the globe, this competition has not only raised the standards and quality of the festivals and events industry to new levels, but also shows how event producers can use innovation and creativity to achieve a higher level of success. Congratulations to Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. on winning this outstanding award.”

ABOUT MAIN ST. FORT WORTH ARTS FESTIVAL

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival will celebrate its 27th year on April 19-22, 2012, and is presented by Coors Light. Official Sponsors are CHASE, Sundance Square, Green Mountain Energy Company, University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant Regional Water District, and XTO Energy. Media Sponsors include CBS 11/TXA 21 and D Magazine, as well as radio stations Mix 102.9, 106.1 KISS FM, 95.9 FM The Ranch, and 92.1 KTFW-FM. Supporting Sponsors include Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) and Frost Bank. For more information, please visit www.MainStreetArtsFest.org.

ABOUT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY PARADE OF LIGHTS

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the Title Sponsor of the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights, which is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. and presented by CHASE. Sponsors include Sundance Square, Coors Distributing Company, XTO Energy and GM Financial. Media Sponsors include the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, CBS11/TXA21, 106.1 Kiss FM, Lone Star 92.5, 102.1 The Edge, 97.1 The Eagle, Mix 102.9, RANCH 95.9 and KTFW 92.1. The Sundance Square Christmas Tree is presented courtesy of Sundance Square, with carbon-neutral power provided by Green Mountain Energy. For more information, visit www.fortworthparadeoflights.org.

ABOUT DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH INITIATIVES, INC.

The festivals are produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District by provide a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public-purpose activities, such as community festivals, residential development and park management.

Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights presented by CHASE on November 25, 2011, which includes lighting ceremonies for the city’s Sundance Square Christmas tree. These events have an economic impact of more than $19 million annually and attract thousands of visitors to downtown Fort Worth each year. For more information, visit www.dfwi.org.

ABOUT IFEA

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) is The Premiere Association Supporting and Enabling Festival and Event Professionals Worldwide. In partnership with global affiliates under the umbrellas of IFEA Africa, IFEA Asia, IFEA Australia, IFEA Europe, IFEA Latin America, IFE Middle East and IFEA North America, the organization’s common vision is for, “A Glboally United Industry that Touches Lives in a Positive Way through Celebration.” The Association offers the most complete source of ideas resources, information, education and networking for festival and event professionals worldwide. For more information, go to ifea.com.

Awards Listing – 2011:

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival
(Budget $750,000 – $1.5M)

Grand Pinnacle Award

Gold Awards (6):
Best Miscellaneous Printed Materials (multiple page)
Best Outdoor Billboard
Best Event Invitation
Best Sponsor Solicitation Package
Best Sponsor Follow-up Package
Best Miscellaneous Clothing

Silver Awards (4):
Best TV Promotion (ad spot or PSA)
Best Organizational Website (dfwi.org)
Best Ad Series
Best Environmental Program

Bronze Awards (4):
Best Miscellaneous Media (iPhone app)
Best Promotional Poster
Best Commemorative Poster
Best Single Newspaper Display Ad

Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights
(Budget under $250,000)

Silver Award (1):
Best Full Length TV Program (local – TXA-21 produced live broadcast)
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