NEWS: Zestfest Update
New Irving Center
The Zestfest show was sold a couple of weeks ago, and now a big change has followed. The show has moved it from Mid-September to the end of January and to a brand new venue. I received an email with the following message attached:
Pictured above: The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, a brand-new, architecturally stunning facility in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth.
The Dallas-Ft Worth area is now the fourth largest metro area in the US, and the Irving Convention Center is right in the heart of it. Adjacent to DFW International Airport and at the crossroads of key regional highways. Significant consumer interest in the building and events held there, and with easy access to it for residents throughout Dallas-Fort Worth.
Dear Prospective ZestFest 2011 Exhibitor,
We are thrilled about the possibility of seeing you in Irving, Texas January 28-30, 2011 for ZestFest 2011! The event will be held in the brand-new Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, an architecturally stunning facility in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. The Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Irving Convention Center have a tremendous number of special promotions planned for ZestFest 2011, with the key focus on driving consumer attendance to
the show. Plans include:
A ZestFest Getaway Weekend sweepstakes used for a variety of promotions. The package will include round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation, and tickets to all ZestFest 2011 events and other area attractions.
Digital postcards/eblasts promoting ZestFest to our database of 40,000+ leisure market contacts that have opted-in to receive DFW vacation/getaway information and offers.
A direct mail campaign promoting ZestFest and the getaway weekend sweepstakes to a targeted list in key regional feeder markets.
Social media promotions focused upon attendance-building messages, including those in Facebook and Twitter, where we have several thousand fans and followers. We’ll also include extensive media outreach and search engine optimization initiatives in our tactics.
The creation of special ZestFest packages and rates from Irving hotels for a “ZestFest Hot Deals” section of our site, to be used in email campaigns, social media work, media releases, and more. And the list goes on!
You’ll soon find all sorts of information about the 2011 event at www.ZestFest2011.com (the site is currently under construction). For information about our city and center, visit us at www.IrvingTexas.com & www.IrvingConventionCenter.com. Pam Betz and Greg Bagarozy have been managing the show for more than five years and are still leading the plans for the event, and you can be sure ZestFest 2011 will be the best one yet.
For more information on booth reservations for Zestfest 2011 or entries into the Fiery Food Challenge, contact Judy Magouirk at 817-306-4386 or ju**********@at*.net. If you are in the DFW area and would like to see the construction of the Irving Convention Center, we host a hard hat tour the fourth Friday of each month and would love to include you.
Contact Cheryl Calhoun at 972-252-7476 or
cc******@ir********************.com for more information.
Our team is making certain this is the hottest ticket in town, and we’re excited about seeing you!
Maura Gast Thom Connors
Executive Director Senior Regional General Manager
Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Sounds pretty cool….
Zestfest… I think me and my brother are still the only people to get cut off from the beer stand at Zestfest – LOL.
THIS IS NOT A VIDEO
Im glad there still having it!
looks like the date change may allow me to make this one AND Houston
Yeah, I never could have made mid-September, but the end of January could work!!
Well, thanks for clearing that up for us.
Yeah, I was in the same boat. ZF in Sept looked pretty “iffy” for me, but now there’s a better chance I’ll be going now that it’s in January.
I am very scared to make plans in the middle of winter where flights can be delayed or cancelled. Then the trip is over. If per chance DFW gets snow, then the area will be crippled because it can’t handle it. I think the venue looks great, the fresh start seems like a good idea, I am just not sold on winter months. Especially with what happened last year here in VA.
Hey,
This one is in my neck of the woods.
Well, I have already booked my hotel in Irving, TX for January 28-30 at the Comfort Suites which is located between the airport and the venue – the hotel is 3 miles from the new convention center. I figured I’d jump on this because of the Superbowl activity that will be down there – not a bad rate at all – $85 for Friday and $75 for Saturday w/ AAA discount…..
And after all that, it just might not even snow. I prefer to think positive.
I do hope you are right John. You have more bad weather in Jersey than I do in VA. Fingers are crossed.
Then I saw John’s note about the Holiday Inn Express, so I booked there too! LOL….
I was going to book the Holiday Inn Express but from what I can see it is non-smoking and I am a reformed non-smoker so I am looking elsewhere
I propose they offer a free bloggers booth!
Working on it. 😀
I have been having a Sept vacation for several years centered around the zestfest. Can’t do January at all. Looks like I’m in the minority though. I sure will miss it.
Dave, welcome to ILIS. On the left side bar there is the “Spicy Events” which will take you to that page. It will list all the shows you can go to. You can try the Houston Hot Sauce Show the following week on September 18-19.
OMG I have been waiting all year for Sept to come and it’s moved venues and it’s in Jan!! Uggg
Yer a little late on this1:)
Dagnabit, I was looking forward to doing my annual
Zestfest xmas shopping. Guess I better start finding
a creative way to wrap up IOUs.
Hope my momma doesnt look under the tree skirt when
she comes lookin to have *words* with me about waiting
till February for her hot sauce fix.
[pout]
Nice multi page ad with loads of info about Zest Fest in the latest issue of Chile Pepper magazine. Just picked it up this afternoon.
Welcome to ILIS Silicone. Sorry about the disappointment about Zestfest, but if you travel to Houston next weekend you can attend their hot sauce show which is the next best thing. We have all the shows listed in our “Spicy Events” page which you can find on the left column area. This also includes the 2011 Zestfest show.
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35 days and counting…..