 |
FESTIVALS Inc.
Jody May—President
13555 SE 36th St. Ste. 230
Bellevue, WA 98006
Phone: 425.283.5050
Fax: 425.283.5051
Email: info@biteofseattle.com
|
Our Staff:
Alan Silverman- Founder and CFO
Jody May- President
Brett Gorrell- Vice President/Sponsorship
Cindy Stohr- Director of Marketing and Advertising/Event Manager
Bjorn Estlund- Operations Director/Business Development
Anisa Ishida- Senior Event Manager
Josh Sacks- Operations Manager
Heather Schantz- Office Manager/Bookkeeper
Festivals Inc. is a special events production company based in Seattle, WA.
The company has created, consulted and produced events around the
country since its conception in 1982, experiencing incredible growth since
that time.
It all began when Alan Silverman, president, created and produced
the Bite of Seattle™ (still the company’s flagship event) in 1982.
An estimated 75,000 people attended the first Bite, with only 25
restaurants, which now attracts over 450,000 people in three days and
hosts over 60 restaurants.
Festivals Inc. has 20 successful events under its belt since that
time, has grown from a staff of three to 13 in 22 years, and has
entertained over 10 million people in the Seattle area alone!
A native of New York City, Silverman’s background (including 30 years in
the restaurant business) is the foundation of the company.
Festivals Inc. prides itself on “doing the impossible:”
combining creative freedom and teamwork!
Putting together an event as large as the Bite™ is an enormous task requiring an
overall understanding of event operations along with great attention to
detail. Festivals Inc. lays
3.5 miles of gas pipe for cooking, 15 miles of electric cable, set up for
2,000 gallons of hot water, uses 175,000 pounds of ice that will serve up
an average of 12,000 gallons of soda pop and 365 kegs of beer.
This is all done for the 450,000 people who attend the Bite of
Seattle™. This is only a small
part of the overall event plan for one of eleven events the company will
produce this year.
Festivals Inc. is a leader in the food and beverage business in areas other than
festivals! 2002 marks the
eleventh year of production of the Coffee Fest trade shows.
Coffee Fest has the distinction of assisting in the proliferation
of specialty coffee, gourmet teas and other related industries.
In addition to an industry-wide trade show, each Coffee Fest
features educational programming, keynote speakers, networking
opportunities and other special attractions.
Coffee Fest now resides in three permanent locations with shows in
Seattle, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Festivals Inc. is recognized as a leader in the event business. Alan Silverman has served as chairman and helped organize
ASSET (A Seattle/King County Special Events Team), a special membership
category of the Sports and Events Council.
ASSET’s primary goal is to communicate the value of sports and
special events to the city, county and state governments, the media and
the broader community. In
order to facilitate these goals, ASSET created KEPA (King County Event
Producers Awards) to acknowledge outstanding achievements in event
production and marketing in King County.
Festivals Inc. has received four KEPA Awards since 1996, including
Best Promotional Campaign, Best Event and Sponsor of the Year.
In 2001, David Heilbrunn, Vice President and General Manager of Lifestyle
Events Inc., was awarded the Expo Group Show Manager of the Year Award for
managing Coffee Fest. Peers
and exhibitors nominated award recipients for their innovative show
management style, incorporation of new technology and their ability to
overcome obstacles. Heilbrunn
received a trophy and $1,000 will be donated in his name to Coffee Kids,
an international organization dedicated to improving lives in
coffee-growing regions.
Entertainment is an integral part of the events produced by Festivals Inc.
Not only does the company have experience in dealing with national
performing groups of every genre of music, but has gone the extra mile at
some events to bring entertainment to a new level.
In 1987, the Bite of Seattle brought Brigada S., the top rock band
in the Soviet Union at the time, to play at the event.
The band attracted over 15,000 people and the media went nuts!
From an event like Brewstock, a 1995 version of “Woodstock,” to
hosting a dozen nationally renowned alternative rock artists, to a
fund-raiser with Ben Vereen, Festivals Inc. provides first-rate
entertainment to its audiences every year!
Festivals Inc. understands commitment to community and demonstrates this through the
company’s support of over a dozen local charities including Northwest
Harvest, Food Lifeline, C.A.P.A (Culinary Arts Promotion Association),
Northwest Burn Foundation, Pierce County AIDS Foundation, Tacoma Community
House, Books for Kids and more.
Complete company profile and event listing
|
|
