aaf

Find Your Creative Muse

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So you’re thinking about attending some of the events at the AAF National Conference this week? I can tell you its a great idea because I had my first AAF/Ad 2 conference experience in April and it was awesome.

Jennifer Gammichia, Susan Watts, Lindsey Levy, and myself all made the not-so-far journey over to Tampa for the 4th District AAF Conference: Find Your Creative Muse. I was a bit nervous and wasn’t sure what to expect, what to wear, what to bring and all the other things girls worry about before an event. I was pleasantly surprised by the fun, casual nature of the conference. Everyone was so friendly and willing to exchange ideas. The speakers were excellent as well.

To kick off the conference, Friday’s luncheon speaker was Sally Hogshead and many of us had already taken her personality assessment online to find out our Fascination Score. Currently, I am reading her book and would recommend to anyone looking to make themselves more fascinating.

Now to the stuff you really want to know… what happened Friday night when all of the crazy ad geeks took over Ybor City in Tampa…


Too much booze plus bad singing equals an awesome night of kareoke….


Even our new friends from the US Virgin Islands got in on the act…


Of course, Tiffany couldn’t be out sung and had to represent for her old stomping grounds with some “Chinese Chicken” style kareoke!

Saturday morning was a bit rough, but all of the excellent workshops and speakers made it completely worth getting up for. Murray Izzenwaser from Bitztegra did an eye-opening workshop on social media as a tactic to drive revenue for your client’s business. Our lunch speaker was full of comic relief and insightful ways to reach consumers through non-traditional means. Cal McAllister, from Wexley School for Girls kept the whole room laughing throughout the meal.

Finally, it was time for the district ADDY Awards and we had to clean ourselves up. As you can see we clean up pretty nice.


However, our behavior through dinner wasn’t so nice as we began to find our creative muse through some creative boozing…

And our dinner table decor only improved throughout the evening…

All in all, it was a great experience. I cannot wait for the AAF National Conference this week where I am sure there will be much to learn and much to drink…

If this sounds like its up your alley than please come out with us and the other conference attendees this Friday for A Starry Night Out !

-Amy Mierzwinski

Rally in Tally – Government Relations Represents

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Rally in Tally is the most important Government Relations event each year, attended by the 4th District’s AAF and Ad 2 board members. On behalf of Ad 2 Orlando, Jeni Gammichia, Nichole Griffin and Heather Keroes attended as delegates. Over a period of two days, April 6-7, 2010, our team met with a total of 11 Florida House and Senate representatives from the Central Florida area.

Nichole loves to drive. Especially for four hours at a time.

During our meetings with the Senators and Representatives, we were able to thank them for recognizing the valuable role of advertising in stimulating our economy, and for not burdening our industry with new taxes or excessive regulations.

Happy to be at the Rally in Tally reception. And happy to be first in line at the buffet.

Other important topics we covered included two new bills that would further benefit our industry. This included the Film & Entertainment Industry Tax Incentives Bill (Senate Bill 1430 and House Bill 697) and the New Laws for New Media Bill (Senate Bill 1672 and House Bill 867). As the name implies, the Film & Entertainment Industry Tax Incentives Bill is designed to encourage film, video and entertainment production within our state. The New Laws for New Media Bill helps bring political campaign advertising into the 21st century by introducing social media regulations.

Overall, each Senator and House Representative we met were very supportive of advertising and understanding of its role in our economy. They were also pleased to learn of our involvement in the community through our Public Service endeavors—this year with the Center for Great Apes campaign. We invited them to attend the gala, which is being held April 24.

The AAF and Ad 2 Orlando delegates, getting chummy with House Representative Mike Horner.

Jack Herbert, our 4th District lobbyist, was also in attendance, and we had the opportunity to invite him to address our members at a future program—an invitation he accepted.

We are proud to say that this was a highly successful Rally in Tally and we look forward to further strengthening our relationships with our local legislators.

2009-2010 New Year Kick Off Event

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Ad 2 Orlando and the American Advertising Federation-Orlando (AAF-O) started the new organizational year off right with its New Year Kick Off Event at Brix in downtown Orlando. The event was a lively opportunity for both AAF-O and Ad 2 members to come out and meet the organization’s new board of directors, network with their fellow members and enjoy an evening of entertainment, drinks and fun.

Jen Gammichia and Yeosh Bendayan enthusiastically greeted all members as they arrived for the first social event of the year. New members to register for Ad 2 or AAF-O enjoyed membership discounts and a free T-shirt. Also, Brix kindly donated everyone’s first drink for free along with some yummy appetizers.

Everyone also had the chance to sign up for committees within both organizations — but don’t worry — you can still sign-up. Just email president@ad2orlando.org to request info about committees for Ad 2 Orlando and jon@aaf-orlando.org to learn about joining committees for AAF-O. Committee members will get the opportunity for hands-on involvement on upcoming activities, charities, events and aspirations for the upcoming year.

The evening was documented by Craig Brooks of Orlando Guest List, and he didn’t miss a moment as he snapped pictures while guests socialized, mixed and mingled. Photos are currently posted on Ad 2 Orlando’s Facebook page. Check it out and see for yourself the fun and excitement that was had by all who attended! All in all, the New Year Kick Off Event was a huge success! We were glad to see everyone who came out to support Ad 2 and AAF-O. Stay tuned for information on the next Ad 2 Orlando event!

– Amanda Corrao, Administrative Assistant, Saab Training USA

Our great turnout!