Last week, we worked in 26 markets around the country. As of today: 32. We have been retained to plan summer promotions in six new (at least, to us) metro areas, including Seattle, Louisville, Hunstville, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. Once again, we are taking someone’s show on the road.

Whew!

This past weekend was the end of an era of back-to-back-to-back public shows. The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Baltimore was the last of the 24 shows in 18 cities we promoted in the past 17 weeks. And while the eyes of the world were on the Royal Wedding, the eyes of Baltimore media were on the Maryland State Fairgrounds, where 250 of the nation’s finest craftspeople showed off their artistic creations, and where the festival got the royal treatment from the media.

Some media came for the wedding gifts…Kim Dacey from WBAL-TV focused on the “Bridal pARTy” themed show. Some sought gift ideas for mom… WJZ-TV came to get the scoop on handcrafted presents for Mother’s Day. Others spotlighted the bling… The Baltimore Sun featured local jewelry artists in the Fashion 5 section, and Barbie Levy was profiled in the Baltimore Jewish Times.

All’s well that ends well: attendance was up over last year at 19 of the 24 shows.

More than 160 Baltimore-area foundation executives and philanthropists (and one public relations executive) gathered on Tuesday for the annual meeting of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG). ABAG maximizes the impact of philanthropic giving on community life through a growing network of diverse, informed and effective grantmakers (and one public relations executive). While the remarks by keynote speaker Mark Sedway, Project Director of the Philanthropy Awareness Initiative, were directed at the funders in the audience, they had particular meaning for the one public relations executive in the audience; the message was consistent with what Himmelrich PR tells its clients and does on their behalf.

Sedway urged foundations and corporate giving officers to “Go Outside,” advocating that they stop thinking that their “work speaks for itself” and begin sharing their stories and successes as a way to encourage philanthropic activity. From the public relations executive’s notes scribbled during the presentation:

Know your product so well that the product sells itself.
Find solutions. Sell solutions.
Ask your audience what they think.
Don’t think that other people can connect the dots. They can’t.
Tell stories about the impact of what you do, not about what you do.
The goal is not to get more people to listen to your story. The goal is to get more people to TELL your story.
Be persistent and consistent.

“I have to admit that my first day at Himmelrich PR was pretty amazing. It started with peanut butter donuts, then there was an all-staff lunch, and we topped off the afternoon with way too much chocolate.

But the real meat of the day happened in between the meals. There were press releases, social media brainstorms, client introductions, and lots and lots of things to read. Phones were ringing and emails were flying. It may sound overwhelming, but everyone here thrives off the energy.

I can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow.”

- Tara Miller

Tara Miller has just joined Himmelrich PR as Account Executive. She has lived and worked in Baltimore, MD; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Charleston, SC; and Richmond, VA. Living and working in these varied cities has allowed Tara to make important press connections around the country that will benefit Himmelrich PR clients. Tara’s past work experiences include positions with museums, art galleries, magazines, and non-profits. Most recently, she was the Marketing and Communications Associate for the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Welcome, Tara!

Among those who are reminded of the legacy of former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, who passed away Monday night, is Himmelrich PR president Steve Himmelrich:

My first job after graduating from college was with a Baltimore PR firm. One of our clients was the city agency promoting art and culture. After months of asking to be allowed to make media pitches, I was finally given an assignment - secure a story about a Mayor Schaefer look-alike contest. As my first media pitch, it was an example of what works: a willing client, an interesting and unique angle, and an eager local media. And I guess it was a pretty good pitch; the result was a front page story in the “right” section of the daily newspaper.

My next encounter with the Mayor was a few years later when I was working for another Baltimore ad agency. We had been asked by a city agency to develop a campaign promoting a city project, and were invited to the Mayor’s meeting cabinet to introduce our work. As a still-young PR guy, I was flattered to be asked to accompany the agency president to the presentation.

There I sat, in my only suit and my first-ever pair of dress shoes with laces, under the crystal chandelier in an ornate meeting room in City Hall, surrounded by people whose names I read in newspapers and who I saw interviewed on TV. Mayor Schaefer entered the room, and everyone rose. Talking stopped in mid-sentence. It was awesome.

“Before we get on with the agenda,” the Mayor began, as we sat down “I want to read you a letter.”

“Dear Mayor Schaefer,” read the Mayor. “My name is Justin” (or something like that) and I am 10 years old. I live in…” The Mayor read the name of some little-known city in Northeast Pennsylvania. He continued (with my paraphrasing, but pretty close to exactly what was said)…

“My family came to Baltimore on vacation last weekend to visit my grandmother. We went to the Inner Harbor. While we were there, our car was broken into. They smashed the window and took all of our suitcases and the presents for my grandmother. I hate your city and I will tell everyone I know never to go there.”

The Mayor looked up at the chandelier, and then slowly looked around the room. “So…,” he said quietly. “How should I answer?”

Stone silence. For a long, long time.

Mayor Schaefer broke the silence by looking at my boss and saying, “Ok. Now do the presentation.”

Gulp.

One of my other memories of Mayor Schaefer was during a presentation by Tom Peters, the iconic management guru. He was speaking at a meeting of a Baltimore development agency where I worked - Peters had profiled the Mayor in one of his books. At the end of his presentation, Tom Peters asked the room of executives, “How many of you got a good idea or two from my talk?” Everyone raised a hand. “And how many of you took notes?” asked Peters.

Only one hand stayed up - the one belonging to William Donald Schaefer.

“And that,” said Peters, “is why he is in my book and you all are not.”

I am not going to pretend to have any deep relationship with William Donald Schaefer. But I, too, have been reminded of stories related to him, and about all the good work he did for Baltimore, Maryland, and the people who live here. Many of Himmelrich PR’s tourism and nonprofit clients exist only because Mayor Schaefer, or Governor Schaefer, passionately championed their causes.

As I think about his legacy, I realize that he may have had an impact on me, as well – albeit, from afar. I learned early in my career that having a willing client is a joy, and having a compelling story is a necessity. The Mayor showed me (in the glare of a crystal chandelier) that no matter how much you prepare, you can’t control everything, and you need to be able to quickly recover from any setback. (The campaign we presented at his cabinet meeting was warmly received.) And I always carry a notebook and pen in my pocket because you never know when you might hear a good idea.

Many of us attended a reception yesterday hosted by Arts Every Day to honor the Baltimore City school children whose work was being featured at the Walters Art Museum. Sure, this was “just another” client event - we were there to meet the media and grab some photos for Arts Every Day’s communications. We loved being surrounded by more than 200 guests, including students and their families, educators and school leaders, and museum visitors who were there because of our promotion of the event.

But the reception yesterday was more than just a successful client event. It was a wonderful reminder that we get to work with some inspiring and dedicated clients who are doing some pretty cool and important stuff.

Yesterday, Arts Every Day’s mission of helping educators integrate the arts into their classrooms was more than just some words we might write in a press release or a pitch to the media. The value of this nonprofit and their work was illustrated through the elementary and middle schoolers posing for family photos in front of their paintings, and the kids explaining to their grandparents how their drawings related to Greek history… or Colonial America… or African-American poets. It was hearing a child whisper “I’ve never been to a museum before” - and for a father to whisper back “Neither have I.” It was the incredible silence in the cavernous Sculpture Court as an eighth grade string quartet played magnificently, or as two middle schoolers sang “Ave Maria” in perfect harmony. It was a perfect moment.

We like what we do, and we feel incredibly fortunate that we get to do it for the people we do it for.

The intrepid account executives of Himmelrich PR have really racked up the frequent flyer miles the past three months. We’ve boot-scooted in Dallas and Houston; been to the breweries of Milwaukee; indulged in some sweet tea in Atlanta; and sun-bathed in Tampa… quick diversions while drumming up press for The Woodworking & D.I.Y Shows.

We just wrapped up promotion of the Shows’ spring season - 13 shows in 13 weeks that took HPR staff all over the country to work with media. Enough station call letters, contact numbers, and masthead monikers to make heads spin - but not for us voracious voyagers.

And what makes it all the more gratifying – attendance increases at 11 of the 13 shows. (Blasted winter blizzards!)

We’re planning ahead, and we’re planning on being pretty busy this summer. So, we’re planning to have summer interns help out at the world headquarters of Himmelrich PR.

Here’s the plan:

Unpaid internships at Himmelrich are a great way to get some practical experience and build a great resume. Our interns do what we do - research, write, strategize, and produce good work for our clients. The hours are flexible (like us) and the environment is fun (also like us).

If you like us and want to be here this summer, let us know. Send a resume to Rachel Fauber at rachel@himmelrich.com.

Craft connoisseurs collected at our client in Connecticut this weekend, where attendance climbed and sales catapulted.

The crowds love the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Hartford – and so did the media. The show was covered in the Hartford Courant, and the Courant’s Savvy Shopping Blog conveyed all the show specials and deals. The FOX CT cameras captured the creativity of local artists, communities were clued in thanks to the local news website, Patch, and bloggers crooned over the creative concoctions from Sugarloaf gourmet food purveyors.

And the count: a 15% increase in sales and an 18% increase in attendance.

Cool!

This was a record breaking weekend – not just for the warm temperature, or the world news, or the performances (or lack thereof) during March Madness. The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Oaks, Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia also saw record-breaking numbers and record press.

Record #1: Attendance was the highest ever for this show – and you could tell! The aisles and booths were packed with happy browsers…

Record #2: And buyers! Artists set a new record for sales.

Record #3: Sales at 12 of the last 13 Sugarloaf shows have been up. We think that might be a record for the consumer show industry.

And it was all on the record. The Festival was in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Do This! section, featured in the The Times Herald, and showcased by Montgomery Newspapers.