If you listened to our latest podcast, you heard "Shines For All to See," a song celebrating our state's sesquicentennial, and commissioned by Julie Larson and the Roseville Visitors Association. (If you haven't heard our latest podcast, click here to download it.) The song has gotten more exposure then anyone ever expected. The latest highlight was an interview with Julie in Destination Marketing Monthly, a newsletter sent by Destination Marketing Association International to CVBs around the world. Congrats to Julie and everyone else who had a part in this endeavor - you make Minnesota proud!
Here's an excerpt from the interview in DMAI's newsletter:
Q: How did the idea of the song develop?
A: When we originally approached the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission with the idea, we thought the song would give the RVA another avenue to promote our jazz festival. The commission loved the idea and helped promote our event, which soon became billed as the 'Kick Off' event for the Minnesota Sesquicentennial, a year-long state celebration. The song was written by Dean Sorenson, director of jazz studies at the University of Minnesota, and a nationally recognized composer. The commission put our information on their web site, calendar of events and promoted us in print and media.
Q. Why was commissioning the song important to the Visitor Association and how did Roseville benefit?
A. The song fit nicely with the First Annual Roseville Winter Jazz Blast. It was another way for the RVA to entice bands to participate in the festival. We ended up with a waiting list of performers. It was also another avenue of advertising the evening concert and was a huge media hook in our PR campaign. We landed radio and TV spots based on the idea of the song alone. The RVA is listed as the commissioning agent on the song and anyone interested in hearing it, or ordering musical scores, is directed to our web site.
Q. How did this help the Visitors Association raise visibility with its stakeholders?
A. The Mayor, City Council and our Roseville (Minnesota) State Representatives love us big time! It has gotten them and the state a lot of positive attention. We have been on TV, cable, radio and in the newspaper. We have been asked to play the song at local industry meetings, such as SGMP, MPI, and MSAE; and it was featured at the Explore Minnesota Tourism Banquet. We are submitting the song and the Roseville Winter Jazz Blast for a number of industry and national awards which will raise our profile even higher on a local level. My board of directors has supported the idea since its inception, but even they are taken aback by where the song has gone and how many people are asking to use it.
--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor
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