Hi #YYJ,

We’re excited to get some new news about the next installment of Twestival, straight from the Twestival Organization Head Office:

1.  Twestival Local will not be taking place this year. The feeling is that September is too soon and we need to give the brand and organizers a rest.  The current plan is to host the next Twestival Local in the first quarter of 2011 and then rotate with Twestival Global in 2012.  A date is not yet set for this and I will be reaching out for your input on a number of things in October.  We are not accepting new registrations, so please do not worry if you wish to continue hosting - you will be given the first opportunity to lead again.  Do not make any commitments to local charities yet, as Twestival Local will be revamped slightly.

2.  Twestival Global 2010 donations. There are still a few cities who have pending donations to Concern Worldwide due to sponsorship hold up or other reasons.  Please email me asap to confirm when this will be sent through.

3.  Twestival Global’s follow up with Concern Worldwide will be taking place in September/October. I was hoping to have a specific date to announce, but priority for Concern right now is in Pakistan where they are on the ground working diligently.  The current plan is to visit a school we will be funding in one of the following countries; Burundi, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, Haiti, Pakistan or Mozambique.  It is dependent on the project, timing and whether or not we will be able to bring along a video camera to capture where some of our donations are going.  Remember http://charitywater.org/twestival

4.  Twestival has been profiled in a few books over the last year, but really excited to be profiled in ‘The Networked Nonprofit’, it has been listed as #1 on the Amazon bestsellers for nonprofit.  Don’t forget we also published our own book for Twestival 2009 which can be purchased on Twestival.com.  The plan was to send everyone a free copy of this book, but Blurb decided to put sales stipulations on this, so we are still waiting for more copies to be sold first.  The names of organizing teams are in the back of the book, there are never before seen photos and @SarahBrownUK, the wife of the former British PM wrote the forward.  It is a powerful little book, so definitely pick up a copy and encourage others as well.

5.  Request for creative help. After 18 months, we now have thousands of images and some incredible video footage that I’d like to compile into a short edited video piece.  If you or someone you know is a professional editor/filmmaker who wants to take on a project like this to bring the Twestival world together and tell our story - do let me know.  They would have about 2-3 months to work on it before November.  I am also looking for a small team 2-3 people who want to sift through the photos to compile our 2010 book and assist the video editor in selection.

6.  charity: water is launching their very big, very important September Campaign TODAY! Every year they ask those born in September to give up their birthdays and ask people to donate to fund wells.  This year, is something particularly special.  They are trying to raise $1.7 million dollars which will give the Bayaka people in the Central African Republic clean water.  It would be fantastic if you could spread the word asap by posting to your twitter and facebook accounts with a link to the new video:

Do you have a #September birthday? Please watch this new video from @charitywater: http://charitywater.org/september

7.  THANK YOU! No really, thank you for all of the hard work you’ve put into Twestival since I asked you to join me on this crazy global adventure for good causes.  Everyday I continue to be humbled and in awe, along with the rest of the world, of your enthusiasm and dedication.

Hi folks,

It looks like the final results are in, and the grand total raised for #yyjtwestival 2010 is….

$8,146.32

For total donations by city, we were #15 - IN THE WORLD!!!

You are pretty freaking amazing people, and without your generosity this event would not have been as fun or effective.

What does $8,146.32 do for Concern Worldwide?

• We can build just over 1/2 of a school
• Train 271 new teachers
• Furnish 10 new classrooms
• Feed a classroom of 30 children one meal per day, for 1 and 1/3 years
• Drill over 11 wells to provide fresh and clean water
• Drill over 4 boreholes to provide fresh and clean water where wells can’t go deep enough
• Send 108 children to school for a year
• Provide health education to 5,428 children

Your money will be put to good use, and we thank you for your generosity.

One of the ways that we raised funds, was through a unique Jelly Bean guessing contest.

The following folks got a great prize, and were able to make a difference in a child’s life.

Thanks also to the donors - outstanding prizes from outstanding people.

Add them to your twitter stream to show them your appreciation.

If you haven’t received your prize yet - please shoot me a note, or a DM, and I will put you in contact with the right person.

Thanks again #yyj - you are fantastic

@brandscaping

No matter which way you slice it, the 2010 edition of Twestival was a huge success.

And we couldn’t have done it without the generosity of you - the incredible folks that dug deep to donate what they could; our donors, who provided an amazing venue, excellent entertainment, and fabulous prizes; and our sponsors, who jumped in to help where we needed it the most.

There are 7,121.05 reasons to be grateful for your participation - which means that there will be children that have fresh water, a chance at an education, and the support of people around the world that are interested in helping them achieve their full potential.  With your help we raised $7121.05, but if you still want to give, please jump over to the Amiando site and donate.  The final totals will be in later this week - so there’s still time to get your contribution counted - and more importantly, put to good use.

To those who participated, donated, or sponsored - Thank You!

And we couldn’t have done it without a talented group of energetic volunteers.  Fine tweeps who were up late putting finishing touches on the TwagBags, or running around at the last minute looking for jelly bean supplies for a nick-of-time solution to a logistics issue.

Fine folks like:

Our MC - @dhelm Denise Helm

Musicians: @josealbis @carolinespence @vikkiflawith (and “Easy”)

@brainandvision Phil (for the sound system and help running it)

@delaneytosh and MediaNet for the projector and screen

Volunteers:

Event Day Volunteers

@run_in_circles Sarah Fancini

@MegankPaul  Megan Paul

@tpholmes  Paul Holmes

@shamusbaier Shamus Baier

@toridzan Tori

@Sea__Breeze  Chelsea Breeze

@tzenes  Sam Rossoff

@OhYouSillyDuck  Cass

@StirTheBlood  Jeet Samra

@eclipsecreative David Tapp

@Kristinelee8  Kristine Lee

Contest Prizes

@AsmaaMethqal Asmâa Methqal

@jennimaley  Jenni Maley

PR and Media:

@moasismedia Maureen Parker

Videographers :

@toots11 Janice Mansfield

@langkamerit Ruairi Langkamer

Photographers :

@cylerparent Cyler Parent

@CJStephenson Cindy Stephenson

@LorraineForster Lorraine Forster

If you’re hooked, and you want to spend a bit more time in the real world with some of the folks you met at twestival - join us at any of these events:

Social Media Club – the 4^th Tuesday of the month – next one

is on the way traditional media is using social media in Victoria. Moderated
by @lacouvee.

The regular morning #victoriatweetup – the 2^nd Thursday and 4^th
Wednesday of the month if people are interested in continuing to connect face
to face.

Informal evening #victoriatweetup that anyone can organize and tweet
about.

thanks again for your help - you are truly an amazing city.

@brandscaping

Ok, so I have shamelessly stolen borrowed the idea of this list from the TwestivalTO folks, but I’ve added a little bit of Island flavor.  Hope to see you there tomorrow night!

Top 10 Reasons to go to YYJTwestival

10 - Amazing People - Now you will be able to put a face to a twitter handle.  You’ve been reading the tweets for a while now, but Thursday night is your chance to talk like they used to do in the olden days - Face-to-Face

9 - Amazing Prizes - Don’t miss your chance to win some of the THOUSANDS of dollars in prizes that have been donated by the generous folks in YYJ (Victoria)

8 - Amazing Charity - Concern Worldwide is helping to make a difference in the lives of those who give, and those who receive.  Over 40 years of improving the lives of the poorest people.  Be a part of something great

7 - Amazing Local Sponsors - Meet the incredible folks that were able to make Twestival possible.  People that asked “How can I help” instead of “How much does it cost?”  People that are more interested in being a part of the community than worried about ROI.  Great people behind great businesses.

6 - Fantastic Food - The folks at the Bard & Banker have donated the venue for us, as well as supplying us with delicious B&B appy’s.  If you haven’t had a taste of their menu, now is your chance.  But be warned - you will be back for more.  How do you spell delicious?  B-A-R-D & B-A-N-K-E-R.

5 - Outstanding Local Entertainment - Hear some beautiful sounds from some of the up and coming local talent.  These are folks that you will be hearing more of over the next few years.  And you can say “I got to meet them at that Twestival thing!”

4 - Interesting Conversation - In a room full of people that share your interests, share your geography, and share your sense of philanthropy - there’s bound to be some opportunities to chat.  But, if you’re more wall flower than social butterfly, that’s ok too. Just find me and whisper “I love Brandscaping” and I will chat with you and introduce you to some fantastic folks.  Who knew Twitter would be good for shameless selfpromotion?

3 - It’s on a Thursday - We strategically picked Thursday, March 25, 2010 so we could ensure minimum conflict between TV schedules (only 8 episodes of LOST left) and personal schedules.  The stars rarely align like this, so we are thrilled to have you experience it with us!

2 - There will be Alcohol - If you are struggling with #4, the B&B has enough social lubrication for you to feel comfortable.  it can be a great confidence boost, but it’s not going to make you 10 feet tall and bulletproof.  Unless you’re me.

1 - You’ll get to meet @lacouvee - everyone might have 6 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, but I can guarantee that you’re about 1 degree away from @lacouvee - consistently the most prolific tweeter in Victoria.

There ya go - the #yyj edition of the Top 10 reasons to go to Twestival.

Now - go get your ticket, and we’ll see you tomorrow night (Thursday, March 25, 2010)

You will have fun - You will make a difference - You will meet some great people

see you there

@brandcsaping

We have some fantastic entertainment lined up for the event this year - come on down and here some amazing talent, meet some outstanding people, and support an exceptional cause:

Who do we have this year?

Jose and Oswald
From Colombia and Goa, both musicians found in Canada the perfect canvas to share the colours of the Brazilian and Spanish ballad roots.

Vikki Flawith and Easy
Singer/songwriters Vikki Flawith, John Spooner and Marvelous Trudeau have been playing together for more than three years as “Easy” - Victoria’s harmonious folk trio.

Caroline Spence & Adam Basterfield from Crimson Star
As part of Crimson Star.  They’ve been invited to showcase at NewMusicWest, were the regional winners of the Mazda Music Tour and started working on a new EP set for release this fall. Caroline loves Twitter, and she and Adam spent the past long weekend tweeting a location, then stopping and playing for whoever might be there, talking up Twestival, giving out flyers, and then tweeting about the experience. Thank you Caroline. Crimson Star!”

Put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to have a great time!

Only three more sleeps!

@brandscaping

Just in case you’re not clear on what a Twestival is, Christopher Ruffell (@aclarapromo) at Aclara Promotions shot a quick video explaining what it’s all about.

Have a quick look at the video - share it with your friends.

Twestival Victoria 2010 from Christopher Ruffell on Vimeo.

Learn a bit about twestival, Concern Worldwide, and how you can help.

Also - watch @brandscaping squirm like a criminal under the spotlight. Haven’t seen anyone that uncomfortable in front of camera since Tiger Wood’s “Apology.”

Thanks go to Christopher Ruffell (www.aclarapromotions.com) for creating the video, and to Jennifer Wong at A Channel Victoria for providing us with a shooting venue.

Lots of people adding huge value to Twestival Victoria - hope to see you all there on Thursday night!

@brandscaping

Hey Victoria,

only 1 week left until the 2010 edition of Twestival.  if you haven’t got your tickets yet, make sure you get the TwagBag option for only $15 more, and you will find some outstanding swag, er - twag!

What’s in the bag?

Gift certificates to the Spa at the Empress

Tasty spices from Tamara Knott @the_spicelady

Smelly goodies from Rocky Mountain Soap Company

Delicious Truffles (feel free to feed these to your friendly neighborhood blogger!) lovingly made by Janis Lacouvee

Gift Certificate to the Studio for Athletes

lapelsticks from www.lapelstick.com

and more - over $100 value, for only $15!!!

if you already have your ticket but you didn’t upgrade to the TwagBag, we can still hook you up.  Let us know ASAP, so we can make sure that you get one.

See you next Thursday night for excellent entertainment, terrific tweeple, and a worthy cause.

Warning - you will have fun!

See you there

@brandscaping

One of the great things about being on the organizing team for an event like Twestival is the access to information that the rest of #YYJ won’t get to know about until the night of the event.

At the last event there were amazing prizes provided by some of the most generous people in Victoria.  This year is looking just as good.

And I know exactly what’s going to be on the table.  There’s just something about having a secret that makes life that much sweeter.  And I’ve got a HUGE secret…

But, if you promise to get your Twestival ticket right now, and you swear you won’t share this information with anyone else, I will let you in on the secret.

If you take a look here, you can see some of the awesome goodies that lucky Twestivalers will be going home with on March 25.

Hopefully you can keep a secret better than I can.  Don’t tell anyone about this link, but make sure you check it often, as new prizes are being added daily.

Now - go and get your Twestival ticket, and then check out the prizes.  Hopefully you’ll get lucky at this years Twestival. 

If you have a prize that you would like to donate to this years Twestival - DM me and I will give you the top secret info of the prize coordinators - people that are just like  @TheresaScholes @AsmaaMethqal or @JenniMaley

@brandscaping

Thanks to the amazingly talented Margaret Hanson, of Margaret Hanson Design, Twestival 2010 has a new logo!

We are proud to see this new logo that captures the link between Twitter and #YYJ- come out and show your support on March 25 at the Bard & Banker.

Get your tickets today from Amiando -

Some people are wondering how Concern Worldwide was selected as the charity for twestival 2010 - Global edition.

Well - their focus, since 1968, has been to help those living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives, and they do this in a caring and personalized manner.  Twestival is a bit newer than that, but the values are the same.

Twestival 2010 wants to share this opportunity to help with you.  You can be a part of the global effort to raise funds to help those that need it most, but we need to decide on where the funds raised should go.

We have a choice, Victoria.  The money that we raise on March 25 can help any part of the Concern network, but we would like you to help us decide on the one area to focus our energies.

Our choices are:

• Building Schools - The Average cost of building/renovating one school: $14,500.

• Training Teachers - Average cost of training one teacher: $300.

• Furnishing Classrooms  - Average cost of furnishing one classroom: $800.
• School Meal Program  - Average cost of providing one meal a day for a classroom of 30 children for a full year: $6,000.
• Water for Schools - Average cost of providing clean water for schools: $700 for a well or $2,000 for a borehole.
• Reaching the Vulnerable - Average cost of providing learning for one out-of-school child for one year: $75.
• Health Education - Average cost of providing health education for 1,000 children: $1,500.
• Education for Girl - Average cost of providing education to one out-of-school girl for a year: $75.

Check the Twestival site to get more info - if you aren’t reaching for your wallet at the end of the webpage, someone needs to check your pulse.

So - we need you to do a few things

1. RT this to as many people as possible
2. In the comments section, let us know which of the choices above are the right message from #YYJ
3. Buy your ticket, and one for a friend!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Bard & Banker on March 25.

Be ready to have fun, and accidentally give back to the global community!

@brandscaping