Design & Promote is honored to be a contributor to the Naperville Exchange Club’s 27th annual Naperville Ribfest in a quest to end child abuse and domestic violence.
Did you know that the real reason Naperville Ribfest happens each year is to help end child abuse and domestic violence? Well, we didn’t either until we were asked to be on the committee of volunteers this for this year’s Ribfest. We gladly accepted the challenge of helping make Ribfest a success this year and all Design & Promote members were fully invested in helping this wonderful cause.
It all started 27 years ago, when Bruce Erickson from the Exchange club put on the first Naperville Ribfest in 1988. The event was a success, so the Exchange club continued it ever since. However, Ribfest has grown tremendously. In its first year, there were 200 volunteers and 10 charity agencies. Today, the event is comprised of over 4,000 volunteers and 52 charity agencies. Proceeds have grown from $17,000 in 1988 to what will come out to well over $500,000 in 2014.
This year, we are proud to be part of the Naperville Ribfest marketing team led by marketing director Don Emery. But, we are not alone in working for the cause: our team is comprised of several volunteers, receiving valuable contributions from Paul Feith from Paul Gregory Media, Hunter Byington from Closer Consulting, Adam Parks from First Command Financial Services, Zakary Kates from Simple Edge Marketing, an Devonie McLarty from WSI Complete Net Solutions.
Our team at Design & Promote had the honor of helping over the past several months with over 200 hours of volunteer labor in a multitude of marketing strategies, including:
• Social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube)
• Facebook graphics, posts, and advertising
• Newsletter design and management
• Photo op calendar
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Creation of graphics
• Press Releases
• Surveys (online and at the event)
• Training other volunteers
• Customer Relations
• Mom’s network focus group
“It’s all about the kids,” reads the Ribfest motto. When Design & Promote CEO Bruce Jones first opened the Naperville Ribfest web page and saw the slogan, he thought to himself, “Are they crazy? It’s not about children, it’s all about the music and ribs!” But, he soon learned that the Naperville Ribfest really is all about the kids- that is, the kids being saved from abuse and domestic violence. We at Design & Promote rolled up our sleeves for such a great cause as our way to show we care about the Naperville community and its kids. Please attend and enjoy the event with your families as a way to contribute yourselves, while enjoying food, fun, and music. We look forward to seeing everyone at Naperville Ribfest, July 3- 6 at Knock Park in downtown Naperville.