Blog

Thanks for Joining Us at JazzFest!

We had a phenomenal crowd at Lansing JazzFest this past weekend – thanks to all who volunteered to make the event possible and all who came out to enjoy. We're continually impressed at the talent displayed by festival performers and our fellow volunteers.

Join Us at JazzFest Happy Hour!

There's a great party about to start right outside our door! Lansing JazzFest performances on the MessageMakers stage start at 4:30 this afternoon and go just past midnight tonight (starting again Saturday, 1 pm to midnight).

Come out between 4 pm and 6 pm today and celebrate happy hour with us—beverage tent admission is free, and you can relax with a great performance by Jeff Shoup Quartet featuring Tamara Mayers.

Big Foot Films Wins the 48 Hour Film Project: Detroit!

We at MessageMakers are so proud of Big Foot Films (partly composed of MessageMakers employees) for its performance at the 2011 48 Hour Film Project: Detroit. We found out last night that their film, "Maybe Tomorrow," won Best Dark Comedy, Best Director (Tim Whalen), the Audience Choice Award for Screening Group A, and won first place overall of the 61 short film entries.

13 Tips on Constructing Great Event Websites

Lately, my work life is full of adjustments to event websites, so I thought I'd talk a little about what makes a good event website.

Share inspiration and set expectations. The Web isn't so different from any other communication—if people are inspired to attend and have a decent understanding of what to expect, you've done a good job.

Videos for Michigan State University

It's been our pleasure to work with various departments and divisions of Michigan State University to create great video work. We've not yet shared those here, so enjoy a few samples.

Here is "Wharton Center Beyond the Stage," winner of a 2010 Communicator Award of Distinction:

We've also recently produced "The Bioeconomy" (2010 Bronze Telly), a James Madison College video series (2009 Hermes Creative Platinum Award), and Academic Computing & Network Services' "50 Years of Computing" (2008 Bronze Telly, 2007 Ava Platinum Award).

Thanks, MSU, for being such a great partner.

Tips and Tricks to Help You Double Your Festival Fundraising, Sponsorships and Volunteers

Our president, Terry Terry, will be presenting a workshop entitled "Tips and Tricks to Help You Double Your Festival Fundraising, Sponsorships and Volunteers" at the Michigan Festivals & Events Association's 19th annual convention on Friday, Nov. 4 at 1:45 pm at Kalamazoo Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, MI.

Nothing keeps festivals going and growing so much as the contributions of sponsors and volunteers.

Launching “Only Fair Is Fair”

Today and tomorrow, Michigan's Department of Civil Rights is rolling out a public service campaign entitled "Only Fair Is Fair," produced by MessageMakers.

The idea for a public service campaign from MDCR came shortly after Director Daniel H. Krichbaum joined the department in March 2010. “This team does important work,” Director Krichbaum said.

What Does a Trainer Need to Know or Do?

What does it take to be a good trainer? What is the rubric of things to know and be able to do?

Great question.

We routinely develop train-the-trainers programs to prepare individuals to facilitate on a variety of topics, and while every program and every individual's needs are a little different, here is an overview of items to consider.

Searching for Festival Volunteers

MessageMakers is proud to support local festivals like Lansing JazzFest, Old Town BluesFest, and the new Michigan Mosaic Music Festival.

Have you experienced these local gems? Want to keep them free for the whole region? Interested in serving your community while listening to great live music? Sign up online to volunteer!

Our friends at Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art (MICA, the festivals' producer) will gladly get you scheduled.