Miami Heat Family Festival

Monday, March 03, 2014- 

                    Linking Promotions is excited to have been a part of the Miami HEAT Family Festival themed “Lights * Camera* HEAT” last Sunday afternoon. Marking its 17^th anniversary this year, the HEAT Family Festival is a themed annual fundraiser that brought HEAT players, coaches, celebrities and families together for a full day of fun. Families participated in a variety of interactive games and activities while also being able to enjoy delicious meals from over 40 of South Florida’s finest restaurants and chefs. The afternoon was also livened up with music by Nick Aquilino, appearances by DJ Irie, the beautiful HEAT dancers, Burnie the mascot, in- arena P.A announcer, Michael B., the Golden Oldies and the HEAT Banana Man. Pet lovers were even given the chance to adopt a furry new family member ready with vaccines and microchip provided by the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department.

                   The Family Festival is the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund’s largest fundraiser. The annual celebration benefits Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels, SafeSpace, the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug- Free Community and Home Strong. All of which aid women and children and make for a better community overall. The festival was held in Parcel B by the bay behind the AAA and ticket packages went on sale for $1000 and provided admission for five people. We are proud to say that we participated in the efforts to raise a total of $581,817.00 on Sunday! Our KIA promotional specialists helped sign guests up for a $1000 raffle to guess the approximate number of basketballs stuffed inside the KIA Sorento. 

What better way to raise money for a good cause?  

Source Check: WWW.NBA.COM/ Heat

The Do's and Don'ts of Demo Tables

The purpose of an in-store demo is to attract guests of the store to the brand you are representing. Even with the limited items provided, there are still ways to make the simplest demo better. All you need is an eye for detail and some creativity. 

The best way to present a product is to do just that: make your demonstration table presentable. Simple ways to dress up your table include:

1.     Make sure you use a tablecloth. A quick way to appear unprofessional is by allowing guests to see the boxes stacked up underneath the table – make sure those stay covered!

2.     When setting up the product table, use some care and come up with a pattern. Organize the display products so it looks neat and clean.

3.     Look around you! What can be used? Is there a small plant somewhere? Ask the venue management before using any products, but most managers will be appreciative of your interest.

It is also just as easy to make a table look unattractive and, worst yet, unprofessional. Make sure to never have on the table:

1.     Your cell phone, or other personal items, such as a purse.

2.     Trash – always keep a bag or box handy, and away from the eyes of the guests.

3.     Logistic sheets, time sheets, or other event material from your agency.

4.     Set up boxes – these should always be under the table, and as mentioned, covered by the tablecloth.

Be sure to visit the Linking Promotions website at www.linkingpromotions.com. 

KIA Motors Heads to NBA Championship with the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat has been crowned the National Basketball Association (NBA) Champions, and Miami celebrated Monday with a parade through Downtown. Linking Promotions staff has been representing KIA – whose Optima brand is the official sponsor of the NBA – with automotive marketing throughout the season in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Our promotional specialists have been responsible for speaking with the crowd, conducting quality interactions, and representing KIA in a professional and enthusiastic manner.

The AmericanAirlines Arena is an ideal concert venue, as well as an award show venue and host of many wrestling events. The Heat brings in a rather large crowd, filling an average of 19,935 seats for each home game. They had a grand total of 657,855 fans in attendance for the entire season.

The Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder this year after five games. The last time they won the championships was in 2006 verse the Dallas Mavericks.


Linking Promotions would like to thank all of the KIA dealerships in the South Florida area: Braman Kia, Coral Springs Kia, Esserman International Kia, Gunther Kia, Hollywood Kia, Kendall Kia, Phil Smith Kia, and Miami Lakes Kia. Please visit the Linking Promotions website for more about our company: www.linkingpromotions.com

Cupcake Vodka and FlipFlop Rum, Demonstrated at Yelp! Party on South Beach

Yelp's Jet Set Fete at The National Hotel took place this past Thursday, April 5, and featured drinkables and edibles from a large variety of vendors. The event was free, but party-goers were encouraged to donate $10 for the Humane Society of Greater Miami's Young Professional Group, PetNet, and all proceeds went towards homeless animals.  Linking Promotions staffed five promotional models and one bartender for Cupcake Vodka, Cupcake Wines, Flipflop Rum and Flipflop Wines at the poolside bar. Guests were entertained by DJ Cockpit, JC on the Electric Violin, and live performances by Shameless Burlesque.  Students from the Art Institute of Design presented a fashion show of hand-crafted and personal designs based around the 1940's and 1950's style, which coincided with the theme of the event.

Cupcake Vodka comes in many unique flavors, including Vanilla and Ginger Snap, as well as the six-times distilled flavorless vodka. Guests were given cards displaying recipes to make with these flavors, along with a barcode that, when scanned by your phone, can provide the consumer with more recipes. One quick and easy recipe included the Root beer Float, which is the Cupcake Vanilla with Root Beer. Similarly, Flipflop Rum is available in either Silver or Spiced. It is recommended that the Spiced Rum be combined with 1 to 3 parts orange juice to taste. The wines for both of these brands includes a wide selection of whites, reds and bubbly to fit with any consumers desires.


Be sure to visit the Linking Promotions website at www.linkingpromotions.com. 

Miami HEAT and Kia's Family Friendly Activation

The Miami HEAT Family Festival took place March 11, 2012, and raised over $455,000 for the community. The NBA players roamed the event with their wives and children, and interacted with guests. Kia was in attendance with a contest the crowds could not resist: a chance to win $1,000 towards the Family Festival Silent Auction for whoever can correctly guess the number of basketballs inside of two ice sculptures. The sculptures were part of the Ice Luge Photo Op display where families and guests could pose with their favorite HEAT players. Along with this contest, Kia donated $1,000 to the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund.

Three promotional specialists from Linking Promotions handled the activation, encouraging guests to enter the contest and informing them about the Kia Optima that was on display. HEAT/Kia rally towels were given out as well. At the conclusion of the contest, our specialists distributed the contest’s basketballs on a first come, first serve basis. The activation focused around lead collection, and an interactive contest with great giveaways, such as this one, is always a good technique to bump up your lead generation!

Be sure to visit the Linking Promotions website at www.linkingpromotions.com.