Reno Lantern Fest 2016

Last October I missed the inaugural Reno Lantern Fest. I read about the event after it was already sold out. I was disappointed because I knew I missed out on something extraordinary.

Saturday I was able to finally attend my first Lantern Fest. I talked my parents and my friend Val into attending with me. They weren’t quite sure what they were in for, but I knew it would be an amazing experience.

Mom & Dad at Reno Lantern Fest

The Lantern Fest is a celebration held out at the Fernley Raceway, about thirty minutes from Reno, NV. Thousands of people attended the event. They wrote their dreams and wishes on paper lanterns and then released them as a symbol of hope.

The floating lanterns are a beautiful tradition. It is a meaningful experience to release a lantern and the experience leaves you with a positive attitude and feeling optimistic.

Additional event information can be found at www.thelanternfest.com.

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Rib Cook-Off 2016 Entertainment Lineup Announced

Yesterday, it was my pleasure to visit local radio stations with my coworkers and announce the main stage entertainment lineup for the 28^th annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off. Usually we aren’t able to announce the entertainment lineup until late July, so I was very excited to announce the entertainment on the last day of May. Feeling like a bit of an overachiever right now!

This year’s main stage lineup features artists from many different genres. We booked different types of acts so there is something for everyone. All shows are free and there is a fun festival vibe to be enjoyed while eating as many ribs as your heart desires.

Wednesday, August 31 – The Rocket Man Show – Elton John Tribute

I am so excited about this show! We’ve had several tribute acts at the Nugget over the last year and they are some of the most talented musicians I’ve seen. I suspect Rus Anderson’s performance will blow me away! He performs as a young Elton John in a fun tribute show with lots of energy and costumes that Elton John would be proud to wear. Wait… he was proud to wear them! He once owned these gorgeous costumes. This is going to be a high energy, fun-filled show to kick-off the event!

Thursday, September 1 – The Garage Boys

We are pleased to feature the Garage Boys at the Rib Cook-Off this year. They are a band out of Las Vegas and they have a big following in northern Nevada. They are high energy and they know how to rock. The Garage Boys will sing some of their original songs and also perform those covers that everyone loves. From the 80s to today, Classic Rock to Country, they have it covered. The crowd is going to go crazy when The Garage Boy take the stage!

Friday, September 2 – Vertical Horizon

I love the ‘90s! Who doesn’t? That is why we booked Vertical Horizon for Friday night. Vertical Horizon has released three albums. Their big hit was “Everything You Want,” which sold over two million copies. The song was the most played single of 2000. This pop rock band is incredibly talented! Vertical Horizon has several radio hits that are sure to take you back to the ‘90s Friday night at the Rib Cook-Off.

Saturday, September 3 – Jessie James Decker

About 8 years ago my dear friend Valerie introduced me to Jessie James music. Val was obsessed with the Blue Jeans song. It is a catchy tune and it gets stuck in my head every time I hear it. Since then Jessie James has gone on to release several hits. She recently married Eric Decker, the famous NFL wide receiver that plays for the New York Jets. She also stars in a popular E! reality TV show documenting her life with Eric. I really admire Jessie James! She is a savvy business woman with her own clothing and accessory line, reality show, and hit internet channel with online beauty tutorials. She believes in empowering women through her businesses. I admire her for her dedication. She has also traveled to the Middle East to visit troops stationed overseas. She has kept true to her vision and her dreams even when the record companies were trying to mold her into something else. She is a very funny, sassy, flirty, and somewhat unfiltered personality on her TV show. The crowd will fall in love with her during her first song.

Sunday, September 4 – Eddie Money

He has two tickets to paradise and by that I mean the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off. We are excited to feature the legendary music of Eddie Money. From the late ‘70s until today he has had a huge career and puts on one hell of a show. I predict the VIP Rib Village will sell out Sunday night once the word gets out that Eddie Money is the performer that night.

Monday, September 5 – The Original Wailers

This is the last day of the festival. The concert is in the early afternoon. Burners returning from Burning Man stop by to get their fill of ribs on the way home. We wanted to book an act that would be peppy, bring a happy festival vibe, and draw people from every age group as well as attract the Burning Man crowd as they head home. We found our perfect match in The Original Wailers. Their music is internationally known. The band, with Bob Marley on the microphone, sold over a billion dollars worldwide with their unique beats, memorable and touching lyrics, and amazing guitar sounds. I saw the band a few years back in Lake Tahoe and they put on a great show. I will never forget the experience of seeing them live on stage. They were fantastic! The show will be packed as we enjoy our last concert at Rib Cook-Off 2016.

The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off will be held August 31 – September 5, 2016 in Sparks, Nevada. The six-day BBQ festival is the largest BBQ festival in the country and features a fantastic entertainment lineup. The event features approximately 40 artists on two different stages. Today we announced the entertainment for the Main Stage. We will announce the entertainment lineup for the Floor & Decor West End stage in the next few weeks. We are just fine tuning the lineup right now.  Stay tuned!

For more information or to buy tables at the VIP Rib Village please visit www.nuggetribcookoff.com.

Reno Sculpture Fest 2016

Reno Sculpture Fest 2016

The 2^nd annual Reno Sculpture Fest was held on May 6 – 8 in downtown Reno, Nevada. The event featured 30 art installations including larger-than-life sculptures, art cars, sound stages for live performances, interactive activities, and after parties. I was really excited after the inaugural event last year. I feel like Sculpture Fest has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what it grows into over the next few years.

The top two factors that make this a great event:

• Larger-than-life sculptures – There is something so humbling about seeing an enormous piece of artwork. It gets your imagination working and inspires you. I am awestruck by the artists and their sculptures. The sculptures at this event do not disappoint!
• Location! Location! Location! – Having the event right under the Reno Arch is perfect! This makes it easy to get to the event because there are several nearby parking options. The location also enables event attendees to take fabulous pictures with the world-famous Reno arch in the background. Every picture is like a post card promoting Reno. Great photo ops for locals and tourists alike!

Tips if you go next year:

• Go early in the day. The early morning hours are best. We went in the late afternoon and the event was awkwardly crowded. We couldn’t read about the art on the small signs and it just felt like we were in the way when trying to look at the sculptures and take pictures. We also saw more than our fair share of burners, street performers and panhandlers that afternoon. My friends that went in the morning had a much better experience. They had time to enjoy the art and the event was much less crowded. They were also able to take some really great photos with the morning lighting.

• Bring your camera! My camera stopped working after our first twenty minutes at the event. It was operator error, but still a bummer. Thank goodness for cell phones! Don’t just bring a camera, bring a backup camera.

I look forward to seeing what Reno Sculpture Fest has in store for fans in 2017. I like Burning Man, but I hope Sculpture Fest starts moving away from a Burning Man theme and there is more focus on sculptures of all sizes. The sculptures make this event truly unique, hopefully more artists are drawn to the event next year and it continues to grow.

This is a great opportunity for artists to show their work and to rally for art sculptures and culture. Potential art donors and sponsors should be drawn to this event. There is a great opportunity to build an artisan marketplace for sculptures and specialty artwork. I could see this eventually becoming a major event for people looking to purchase artwork.

 

Did you go to Sculpture Fest? Comment below about your favorite piece of artwork. Got pictures? Please share them!   

 

Brews & Boos Beer Fest – Brewery List

Craft beer is incredibly popular right now, and so are tribute bands. So we decided in honor of Halloween this year we would put them together and give Reno an unforgettable experience at Nugget Brews & Boos Beer Fest.

The event will be held on Friday, October 30^th in the Nugget Ballroom. The rock show starts at 8:00 p.m. when Snake Oil Sinners band takes the stage. The band will perform everyone’s favorite big hair rock, melodic rock, metal and classic rock songs. This is no regular band, and you won’t want to miss a minute of their show when they perform hits from Def Leppard, Queen, Ozzy, Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, Journey and more.

There are 45 breweries participating in Brews & Boos Beer Fest as of right now. The number is subject to change up until the day of the event. There are different varieties of brew and a lot of brewers submitted fall and winter ales in hopes of winning the People’s Choice award. This time of year the Ciders are also a big fan favorite.  Check out the event promo video and the list below to see if your favorite brewery will be featured at this year’s inaugural Brews & Boos Beer Fest.

Kudos to Nugget Special Event Coordinator Adam Varahachaikol for creating the promo video.

• 21 Amendment
• Alaskan Brewing Co.
• American River Brewing Company
• Anchor Brewing
• Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
• Boulder Beer
• Brewer’s Cabinet
• Brooklyn Brewing Co.
• Carlsberg Breweries
• Common Cider Company
• Coronado Brewing Company
• Corona and Modelo (Constellation Brand Beer)
• Deschutes Brewery
• Drake’s Brewing Company
• Grand Teton Brewing Company
• Great Basin Brewery
• Guinness
• Hangar24 Craft Brewery
• High Sierra Brewing
• Kronenbourg Brewery
• Lagunitas Brewing Company
• Lake Tahoe Brewing Co
• Leinenkugel Brewing Company
• Lost Coast Brewery
• Mammoth Brewing Company
• Left Hand Brewing – Milk Stout Nitro
• Ninkasi Brewing
• North American Breweries
• Paulaner / Hacker Pschorr
• Pizza Port Brewing Company
• Rekorderlig Cider
• Rogue Ales
• Rubicon Brewing Co.
• Ruby Mountain Brewing Company
• Sam Adams
• Schilling Cider
• Sierra Nevada
• Stoneyhead Brewing
• Tieton Cider Works · American Craft Cider
• Track 7 Brewing Co.
• Two Bald Guys Beverage Company
• Under the Rose Brewing Co.
• Vermont Hard Cider Co.
• Warsteiner
• Wasatch Brewery

Purchase your tickets today at NuggetCasinoResort.com and get fired up for a new Halloween experience at Brews & Boos Beer Fest!

Things to know if you go…

Nugget Brews & Boos Beer Festival
Friday, October 30, 2015
Nugget Ballroom
VIP: $65 (allows guests to enter the event an hour early to have more time networking with brewers)
General Admission: $50
Doors Open: 7pm for VIP, 8pm for General Admission
Book a room by calling reservations at 775-356-3300
Buy tickets at NuggetCasinoResort.com

Star Spangled Sparks Event Recap

Following a long tradition, this year the Nugget Casino Resort hosted the 16th Annual Star Spangled Sparks 4th of July fireworks show. This event was a tradition started under the Ascuaga family ownership of the Nugget Casino. The Nugget began hosting the fireworks show after several other shows in the area were canceled due to a lack of funding. Local legend is that John Ascuaga stood up after other fireworks shows were canceled and declared someone needed to provide fireworks, so he volunteered to put on the fireworks show to save the community’s Fourth of July celebration.

The fireworks were a success this year, we shot them at 9:49pm which was only a 4 minute delay. I’d call that show on-time. Not too shabby for a show with 5,000 pounds of fireworks. About 50,000 people filled Victorian Square to enjoy the FREE fireworks show. We had a good crowd this year. The police report for the annual event is usually about three pages long, this year it was only one page. Everyone enjoyed the show and the cooler weather helped keep everyone calm and relaxed.

Lisa Jansen & Lauren Garber talking about Star Spangled Sparks with Bill Frankmore on Fox 11 Morning Show

The weather was a little rough on us leading up to the event this year. Our pyro team had to work around the daily thunder storms. Turns out it is a little dangerous to put together explosives on the roof of a casino in thunder storms. The rain is also an issue. The techs couldn’t put the explosives together if they got wet. So the crew worked around the weather and then at the last minute we had additional pyro team members show up to help finish the last part of setup. It was a challenge but it all turned out well in the end. The event attendees enjoyed the show and were delighted with some of the new types of fireworks.

We are already making plans and discussing next year’s Star Spangled Sparks event. The event has become extremely expensive. It costs approximately $150,000 to host this event. We’ve been lucky to have sponsors help cover some of the expenses over the years, but in the end the Nugget has spent about $100,000 each year to make sure Reno/Sparks has a great fireworks show on the 4th of July. The Nugget plans to continue hosting Star Spangled Sparks, but is looking for more community support in the form of local business sponsorships.

Drone Video:

Director of PR Lauren Garber & Director of Special Events Lisa Jansen AKA Team #NuggLife

Next year the event will look quite different. There are two new housing developments going into Victorian Square that will change the look and feel of Star Spangled Sparks. The Nugget has worked with the City of Sparks on these developments and made a land-swap to guarantee there is still room for special events over the summer.

The community doesn’t acknowledge or appreciate it yet, but at some point they will wake up and realize the new owners of the Nugget are committed to supporting a vibrant downtown area and keeping special events alive in the old rail city. The new owners continue to donate to local causes and support the community, they may not have a public image like the Ascuagas with their involvement of these causes, but they are there in the background supporting area programs, special events, and charitable organizations. Both Star Spangled Sparks and the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off will continue to grow and be events locals can be proud of that make our community a great place to live.

If your company would like to become a sponsor of Star Spangled Sparks please contact me at Lisa.Jansen@NuggetResort.com

Top 7 Events to Attend at Reno Craft Beer Week

Image Credit: VisitRenoTahoe.com via Reno Craft Beer Week

Event season is officially here! It starts today with the kick-off to Reno Craft Beer Week. This event is a region-wide ode to craft beer. There are many types of beer events for beer devotees and those that want to become beer aficionados. The beer week events highlight the Reno-Tahoe beer culture.

The Reno craft beer scene is thriving! The craft brewing community is constantly growing and the culture is one of collaboration and support for brewers as they evolve their craft. Reno Craft Beer Week is April 18 – April 25 and there are many events to attend each day including beer dinners, tastings, beer education events, tap takeovers, bus tours, and dance parties.

Reno Craft Beer Week is a great week-long event to attend if you are an out of town visitor looking for a unique Reno experience. This event is a beer lover tourist’s dream! This time of year the Reno hotel room rates are affordable, the weather is nice, and the beer is flowing. It is a great time to drive over the hill from California for a little getaway and to attend Reno Craft Beer Week.

Since there are so many events at Reno Craft Beer Week here are my recommendations for the top 7 events to attend…

Saturday, April 18, 2015
Social Science: The Art of Beer
Tickets: $20
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Discovery Museum
490 S. Center Street, Reno, NV

This event is for the smart beer drinker that wants to understand the science behind brew. At the event they will teach attendees how beer is made and examine different varieties of brew. Rumor has it there are also a few games at this event as part of the science demos. This is a great opportunity for beer fans to #NerdOut

Sunday, April 19, 2015
Strange Brew Festival
Tickets: $50
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Brewer’s Cabinet
475 S. Arlington Ave, Reno, NV

What should you expect at a Strange Brew Festival? Only the most uniquely crafted brews around. This is a completely unique festival for beer geeks. The beers are insane and will tantalize your taste buds. A few of the brews include Cotton Candy Lager, Joshua Tree Ale, Mango Habanero Sasion Beer, Cask of Seaweed & Black Tea Saison, Coffee Stout, Thai Chili Reese’s Peanut Butter Stout, Chipotle Lime Pineapple Ale, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Saison, and Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout to name a few of the exotic offerings. There is live music and proceeds benefit the Reno Build Project, which provides start-up funds for new local businesses.

Monday, April 20, 2015
Our Bar High Sierra Tap Takeover
Tickets: FREE
5:30 p.m.
Our Bar
211 W 1st Street, Reno, NV

Our Bar is one of my favorite bars in Reno! For some strange reason I can’t help but have fun there. They have darts, nice employees, and a fantastic location. For Reno Craft Beer Week they are letting High Sierra Brewing Co. take over their taps and serve rare beers. This should be the perfect way to spend happy hour on Monday!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Craft Beer Cocktail Competition
Tickets: FREE
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV

The theme of this competition is Outlaw Beer Cocktail. Contestants sent in recipes and the best 8 were selected to compete. Each drink must contain at least .75 oz of Great Basin Outlaw Milk Stout and then they are allowed up to six total ingredients. This event is open to professional bartenders and amateurs so it should be interesting to see what they come up with and who wins this competition.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Sour Fest 2015 at Chapel Tavern
Tickets: FREE
2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Chapel Tavern
1099 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV

Image Credit: RenoCraftBeerWeek.com

You know when your gut tells you an event is going to be great? I have that feeling about this event. I love Chapel Tavern, and the campaign for this event always puts a smile on my face. For Sour Fest 2015 they will tap 14 types of sour beer from 4 different local brewers. Get there early because they will be pouring until they run out, when it is over it is over. No re-taps. Game over.

Thursday, April 23, 2015
Roving Dinner & Beer Pairing / Reno Provisions & The Brewer’s Cabinet
Tickets: $50
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Reno Provisions
100 N. Sierra St., Reno, NV

If you are available Thursday night repeat after me “Shut-up and take my money” because that is the kind of event this Roving Dinner is, get tickets if you can! You can’t miss this culinary experience. The dinner pairs custom brews, live music, and a silent auction. The custom beer was crafted in partnership between The Brewer’s Cabinet and local restaurants. Proceeds benefit Reno Build Project. Click here for video about the partnership between the brewers and the chefs.

Friday, April 24, 2015
Cerveza Chilebeso Bottle Release Party & Sparks Rotary End Polio Now Fundraiser
Tickets: FREE
5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Taps & Tanks (Great Basin Brewing Co)
1155 S. Rock Blvd, Suite 490, Reno, NV

Nothing screams local community more than Rotary and local craft brews. This is the first time they will be releasing Cerveza Chilebeso in bottles. You can pick up bottles to go at this event or stay for the party. There will be live mariachi music and this is a fundraiser for Sparks Rotary as part of the Rotary International Global Polio Eradication Initiative. For each pint purchased, $1 will go toward the cause. There will also be a silent auction and raffle. Make sure to come thirsty and be ready to support local brew and the local Rotary Club.

Saturday, April 25, 2015
Backwash
Tickets: $45 in advance, $50 at the door
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Freight House District at the Aces Ballpark
250 Evans Ave, Reno, NV

This event is a competition for home brewers. The event was created by local home brewers and beer enthusiasts as a fundraiser for Project Great Outdoors. Backwash is a celebration of home brew with more than 75 contestants coming from all over the west competing for Yelper’s Choice and Brewer’s Choice awards. The winner will have their beer brewed and featured on tap at Silver Peak. Project Great Outdoors is a non-profit organization that serves under-privileged youth in our community by guiding them through self-discovery adventures in the great outdoors.

 
Reno Craft Beer Week is a new event and it has amazing growth potential! For additional information and a full list of all Reno Craft Beer Week events click here. Please try to attend a few of these events and support your local brewers. If you attend any of these events, don’t forget to post pictures on social media and use the official event hashtag #renocraftbeerweek.

Brew HaHa 2015 Interview Mashup

This is our 2015 Brew HaHa Interview Mashup video. The clips essentially tell the story of Brew HaHa in less than 14 minutes. Special thanks to the local media that let us come on their shows, talk about Brew HaHa, give out free tickets, and share our beer! We couldn’t make this event a success without you!

Warning: The video doesn’t have the best sound or video quality. It was shot and edited on an iPad. You can watch the full interview videos on the Event Videos & Interviews Page of Mad About Events Blog.
Special thanks to… Stacey Spain, Sierra Arts Foundation; Breanna Reinhardt, Nugget Casino Resort; Wilson, Pigeon Head Brewery; Charlie Johnson, Brewer’s Cabinet; Jim Brant, New West Distributing; Mark and Two Bald Guys; Fran, Common Cider; Matt Weaver, Morrey Distribting; KTHX 100.1; Wild 102.9; KBUL 98.;1 KOH 780; KNEV 95.5; KOZZ Max Volume; The Bandit 92.9; The Wolf 94.5; KNEWS Radio; KTVN 2; KRXI Fox 11 KOLO 8 Good Morning Reno; The Daily Sparks Tribune; Reno News & Review; and Reno Gazette Journal

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Image Credit

Two Bald Guys – Right Place, Right Time

West Coast India Pale Ale and Rye Pale Ale

Sometimes you get lucky and your brand gets a spotlight opportunity because of being in the right place, at the right time. That is exactly what happened to brewers Two Bald Guys this week when I appeared on Channel 8’s morning show and was able to promote their beer being launched at Brew HaHa.

We promoted Brew HaHa on the radio and local television news stations last week and focused on new local products being launched at the event. It is always a good idea to highlight local businesses. Two Bald Guys are new local brewers that we wanted to promote as part of the event.

We took Two Bald Guys and Sierra Arts Foundation Executive Director, Stacey Spain, to Wilks Broadcasting stations 100.1 KTHX, 92.1 The Wolf, and 100.9 The Bandit to announce the launch of their new craft beer and promote Brew HaHa. After the interviews were over they gave me a case of their India Pale Ale and a case of Rye Pale Ale so I could take pictures for social media. Giving me two cases of their brand new product was extremely generous.

I had a last minute interview scheduled for the next morning at 5:30am with KOLO 8 Good Morning Reno. I was a little scared to say yes to the interview because that meant I might have a 21 hour work day since it was the same day as the event. I never want to waste an opportunity though, so I jumped at the chance. I wanted to bring beer with me to the interview as a visual aid. I was in luck! The two cases of Two Bald Guys brew was still in my car. I took the brew with me to the interview and gave them a nice shout out on air for launching their product at Brew HaHa. I found out later that day that their investors were watching and they were thrilled to see the interview. Marketing Score! This all happened because they gave me the cases.

There were so many great marketing and PR lessons from our Two Bald Guys promotion but the top are…

1. Make it easy for others to promote your product. They taught me about their beer and then were generous enough to give me two cases, which put their product in the right place, at the right time.

2. Think about what the viewers and listeners want when you are trying to promote your event. Knowing your audience is incredibly important!

3. Always say yes to the 5:30am interview. After the interview my cell phone started ringing off the hook. It is amazing how many people saw the interview. The investors saw the interview, and so did my coworkers, business associates, and friends. It was totally worth the early wake up call, and all the makeup to cover the bags under my eyes.

Click here for more information about Two Bald Guys
“Beers as smooth as, well…our heads.” – The Two Bald Guys

Brew HaHa – The best beer event in Reno!

Looking for something fun to do Friday night?

The 20th Annual Brew HaHa is the place to be on Friday, February 13th. As the Director of Special Events at Nugget Casino Resort, I am lucky enough to be on the planning committee for Brew HaHa. My main responsibilities for this event are inviting brewers and distributors to participate, set-up / logistics, and public relations. I will share some behind the scenes stories and photos after the event, so stay tuned to Mad About Events Blog!

Proceeds from Brew HaHa benefit one of my favorite charities, Sierra Arts Foundation. The funds raised benefit the foundation and help them provide support for area artists and community programs. Last year the event raised approximately $44,000 to support local art programs such as the Elder Care Concert Series and Arts in Education.

So what is Brew HaHa? It is an all-you-can-responsibly-enjoy beer tasting event. For the price of admission you can try beers from all over the country and enjoy a great concert. This year the event will feature roughly 120 different types of beer. The bands Jelly Bread and Mojo Green will be providing live music to keep the party going through the evening. We are excited to feature these bands because of their local roots, and because they know how to bring the funk. Good luck staying off the dance floor when these bands play!

Brew HaHa is an opportunity to try a wide variety of beers , including the newest microbrews and ciders. This event is well-known on the west coast, and often taken for granted by locals in the Reno-Sparks area because they don’t realize the significance of the event to the brewers and distributors. As Renoites, we are lucky to have this event in our town. Many brewers use Brew HaHa as an opportunity to test out new products and launch new brands. They donate all the brew for the event – 100%. At the event brewers build relationships and interact directly with their customers. The event is great for brand recognition and marketing. It is also a bit of an industry networking event for the brewers and distributors. This year New Moon will be launching a new brew. Long time brewers from Two Bald Guys Brewing will also be launching their brew at the event, as well as a few others. You can try it before you can buy it!

VIP ticket holders get in an hour early to talk to the brewers and see a special brewer presentation. This is a must-attend event if you’re a home brewer looking to take the next step, or a consumer looking to try new brews. If you are a beer lover or aspiring beer lover, don’t miss Brew HaHa Friday night at Nugget Casino Resort!

What you need to know to go:
• Location: Nugget Casino Resort, located at 1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, NV
• Tickets can be purchased at www.janugget.com
• VIP – Doors open at 7:00 p.m. ($65 ticket)
• General Admission – Doors open at 8:00 p.m. ($50 ticket)
• Ticket prices go up $10 at the door the day of the event.
• Tickets include a commemorative beer pint tumbler
• There will be a raffle featuring beer swag including a poker table, beer branded hoodies, and backyard fire pit to name a few prizes.
• Proceeds benefit charity – so come have a beer for a good cause!

Welcome! I’m Lisa Jansen and I’m Mad About Events and Marketing!

I’m a Nevada girl at heart. I’ve got passion, a sense of humor, and enough grit to make the most challenging situations enjoyable and rewarding. Some have even dared to call me “disarmingly charming”, and I’m pretty sure they meant it as a compliment. I drove my parents crazy when I was growing up because I was obsessed with events and party planning. They even bought me a shirt that said “Social Director” because the title fit. Let’s face it: I’ve always been mad about events and marketing.

In college I started taking marketing and business classes. I found the perfect combination to go with my obsession for event planning. There is something so special about marketing. It isn’t just sales, it is helping people meet their needs. I’m one of the fortunate ones that have been able to turn my passion for a hobby into a career. It took a lot of hard work and volunteering, but I was able to turn my hobby into a paying gig.

I plan on using this blog as a tool to share my expertise and to help other event planners on their path. During my career so far, I have produced events varying from small non-profit silent auctions to world class food oriented events that approximately 500,000 people attend over a six day period. My goal is to add more value to your life by helping you improve your business and quality of life through event planning, marketing, customer service, networking, sponsorship relations, and exploring what makes event producers and marketers tick. I will share things I’ve learned through trial and error along the way. I hope reading about both my successes and my mistakes will help others succeed and also avoid some of the landmines in this industry. I will also share my thoughts on the industry, new trends, and some other event producers’ stories as well. These stories will hopefully inspire and amuse you at the same time.

In a way, event planning is an addiction. It is a practice that is both psychologically and physically habit forming and to stop may cause severe trauma. Everyone has a story and most event producers I’ve met share this addiction and are mad about events. Every event is like a roller coaster: you get butterflies, experience big ups and downs, and in the end you are happy with how you lived through it to tell the story and you can’t wait to go on the wild ride again.

Welcome to Mad About Events! Please become an active participant because the more views shared here the more it will help other event planners and newbies to the fascinating field of marketing and producing events. My email address is LisaJansenNV@gmail.com if you’d like to email me. Please leave comments on the blog, tell me what keeps you up at night as an event producer, share other blogs that are of interest, recommend other posts, and share your own story. What is more compelling and inspiring than reading about someone else’s path to success? I encourage and appreciate your feedback.