I am blessed.

Hello everyone,

So beyond the blessings of my trip, I have discovered that I have withheld a tad bit of additional good news. Mercyhurst will always be my home as I have spent the last eight years there between high school and university, the community will always feel like home to me; however great things lead to even more great things.

The communication program at Mercyhurst is awesome. It has provided me with many tools and life experiences that I truly believe I would have missed out on at a larger university. My work with the Public Relations Student Society of America and the National Broadcasting Society are absolutely incredible, all of my professors have, and many of them still are, working in the field they are teaching, not just the academics of the subject, and the focus has always remained on me as the student, my dreams and how they can assist me in reaching those dreams. Despite those people who wanted me to go to "bigger and better" universities from high school, I would not trade my Mercyhurst experience for anything and understand from those people that I got just as good, if not better, the education they did.

With that being said, plans for after college are always a big deal for seniors. Now that you have a degree what are you going to do with it. Over that last three years I have heavily contemplated whether or not to go to grad school or call it a day and pursue a full-time job in amusement parks. So... still not knowing I have been applying for both and just over two weeks ago I have been blessed with a decision to go to grad school.

On  Monday, Feb. 11 (I will never forget this day) I was at work at the Erie County Convention Center Authority when I received an email from American University. I had applied a mere 11 days before, so I figured this was simply a confirmation email that my application was being reviewed, however to my utter surprise (even to this moment) it was an acceptance email! American had decided to accept me to their first stage of application review, provide me with a scholarship AND give me a Graduate Assistant position!

While I am still waiting to hear back from two other universities, American was and remains my number one program and I am blessed to have the support and education from Mercyhurst to help me in achieving this great honor. If you are a prospective communication student and have heard from Meghan Corbin, take a moment to email her back. I again and again cannot thank here enough for her guidance and  patience in helping me get here. I attribute this success to her guiding mind. Meghan - Thank you!

So on this day and Spain, I apologize and I am excited to finally share this news with you. I have said it before and I say it again, I am blessed.

Thanks for reading!
Joe

Trip Update

Hello everyone,

This is just a quick update from Poland. Poland is a beautiful country with very nice people! I love it. All the while I long to come home and be somewhere that I know proper etiquette and the language. This has truly been an eye opening experience and I can't wait to share some pictures with you when I get home.

In the meantime, today we are traveling from Warsaw to Krakow by train, then flying to Madrid, spending the night in a hostel until we take a bus to my girlfriends town, Palencia, Spain. Overall, this trip should take about 36 hours, so... I am prepared to be tired. I am staying in Palencia until Friday when I return some to the U.S. It has been a crazy, yet memorable and extraordinary trip. 

That's all for now. February is almost over (Can you believe it?!)

Happy trails!

Thanks for reading,
Joe 

Spring Break Plans

Hello everyone,

One of my favorite things about Mercyhurst is our community, which you will understand more about in a moment. This week is our finals week and fortunately for me, I am already done. I am writing this from Poland. Poland? Yes, Poland - land of my ancestors. As I have mentioned before, my girlfriend is currently living aboard as an English teacher in Spain, so for Spring break I am visiting her in Spain and we're on a trip to Poland.

Now, back to the beginning, why do I love my Mercyhurst community so much? Because I am only here due to the generosity of my professors. I guess I could have left after finals on Wednesday, but being able to leave on Sunday has made a week trip into a more or less two week trip. My professor's know my girlfriend because she graduated from Mercyhurst last year, but at the same time that wanted me to take this opportunity to go aboard and appreciate it to the fullest. Over the last two weeks, I have been working very hard to complete all of my assignments ahead of schedule and take my final exams a week early, which isn't allowed very often, but again, due to the generosity of my professors I am now sitting in Europe for the very first time.

College is such an amazing time to explore and try new things. I am consistently amazed that I am old enough to be traveling the world and four years ago I was at home with my parents telling them my every move. Growing up is an amazing things and I enjoy the adventures I have the privilege to have every day.

Another term is completed for me at the Hurst, now only one more to go.

I am blessed.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

PRSSA Regional Conference

Hello everyone,

This weekend I had a great opportunity to go to Penn State University Park with my PRSSA chapter for a regional conference. It was great! We got to hear first hand from people in many different aspects throughout the industry: agencies, non-profits, & corporations. The conference allowed for us to mingle with students from other chapters, network with professionals from Edelman, Victoria's Secret (for the girls) and Campbell's. Below is a picture of the seven of us, I bet you can't guess who I am!

The term is currently coming to a close. This is my last week of classes, which means lots of projects, presentations and tests. Next week at this time I will be in Madrid visiting my lovely girlfriend. Anticipate many great pictures come March!

March is officially my final term here at Mercyhurst. I can't believe it's already been nearly four years. More so, I can't believe the place I'm in. Life is great, so great sleeping is just a chore because there are so many fun things I am or still want to do. Be excited for college. If you like high school, just wait!

Thanks for reading,
Hasta luego!
Joe

Unique Social Media

Hello everyone,

This is another addition of my articles for class. For week four, I found an article talking about how Six Flags used foursquare's revolutionary check-in system to encourage park gets to be more involved in their parks. Guests received perks, such as season passes and unlimited exit ride vouchers if they were a "mayor" of the park. This created a higher level of interactivity and drew people back to the park. It is fun ideas like these that make me love social media. You can see the article here. 

 

Thanks for reading, 

Joe

 

A Theme Park’s Thrilling foursquare Ride

Think you know the real value of foursquare, a location-based social networking Web site? In Carmine Gallo’s book, The Power of foursquare: 7 Innovative Ways to Get Your Customers to Check In Wherever They Are, much can be learned about this popular social media tool. Here’s an excerpt from his book.
A Theme Park’s Thrilling foursquare Ride
Twenty-five million people a year visit one of 19 Six Flags theme parks in North America. They enjoy shows, live concerts, and roller coasters—the “baddest, fastest, and steepest” in the world. At the Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA, riders on the Kingda Ka reach a speed of nearly 130 miles per hour and drop from a height of 418 feet. It’s the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the United States. On the opposite side of the country, at the Six Flags Magic Mountain outside of Los Angeles, the Goliath lives up to its name with unique twists and turns and intense g-force acceleration.
The company runs these coasters, shows, and attractions at parks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and it keeps close tabs on the data they glean from visitors. They know that of those 25 million visitors, 90 percent desire to return. They know the average guest spends 8.55 hours at the park. And they knew that foursquare’s rate of growth, especially among the park’s visitors, was simply too great to ignore. “Everyone was talking about it. Its growth has been incredible,” said Angel Aristone, Six Flags director of communications and social media. “Foursquare has become one of the hottest trends on the Web and continues to build momentum. It presented yet another innovative way Six Flags could engage our social media fans.”
Foursquare’s mission—to encourage exploration and location sharing—fit perfectly with a destination venue like a theme park. The park decided to first experiment with the service in the summer of 2010. Fans of the Six Flags foursquare page who checked in at the same Six Flags theme park 10 times earned a customized Six Flags Funatic badge and were entered to win a 2011 Unlimited Exit pass. “An Unlimited Exit pass has never been offered in our 50-year history. We thought it was a great way to celebrate our 50th birthday in 2011,” said Aristone. The badge was available for fans to unlock through September 7, 2010. At the conclusion of the campaign, the mayor of each park in the Six Flags family was granted a 2011 season pass. Foursquare users who check in to Six Flags parks also receive valuable insider tips posted by Six Flags staff.
Aristone says foursquare is different from other mobile social networking tools because of the added incentive of the game and the competition for points, badges, and mayorships. She compared it to offering a virtual loyalty program for their online, mobile, and digital fans. “The reaction was extremely positive,” according to Aristone. “The promotion was a great incentive for our most dedicated fans and one that was truly exclusive. We became one of the top brands on foursquare and will definitely continue to use the software.”
As with all social media, Aristone found it difficult but not impossible to measure the return on investment. Aristone says it’s important that brands commit to emerging social media trends and to become the leaders.
“Foursquare presents another unique way for Six Flags to engage fans while creating a virtual loyalty program. We know that we’re making positive strides when we see our fans and followers continue to grow, even in our off-season. Both platforms—Facebook and foursquare—are extremely valuable to help us reach our core audience, and we will be active on both. But what separates foursquare from other social sites is the incentive of earnings badges, points, and mayorships. The competition offers something extremely unique to its users as well as the ability to share that experience with others.”
Aristone is confident about the platform after seeing that Six Flags’ social media fan base continues to grow even during the off-season. She and Six Flags remain committed to the early adoption of location-based tools to engage an increasingly mobile fan base.
“Foursquare is the biggest success story in social media right now. Foursquare is new, fun, creative, interactive, and easy to use. We’re having lots of fun and will continue to explore new ways to engage our fans.”

Read more: http://blog.eonetwork.org/2012/02/a-themeparks-thrilling-foursquare-ride/#ixzz2KAE7JFjC

The Lake Effect

Hello everyone,

They say that a good intro to a conversation with someone you don't know is the weather. They can always relate to it on some level. Well this week was a roller coaster, Monday through Wednesday was in the fifties and now it's been upper twenties and has been snowing since Thursday. In Erie, this is called Lake Effect snow because cold air blows over the warmer open waters of the lake and then drops the water on shore in the form of snow. So until the lake freezes, we get really beautiful and fluffy snow storms, making campus just as gorgeous in the winter as it is the summer.

Two weeks are left until the end of term, which means that I only have one more term to go! Event better news is that I only have one class this Spring. Yes, you read that correctly. Overloading during the past two years has allowed me to finally breathe a sigh of relief, work on some special projects and have some fun before reality kicks in. I am so so so excited!

If you are a communication major, keep an eye out for information regarding the "Day in Communication." This is your opportunity to spend a day dedicated to communication, talk to professors and students about the program and get an official school tour from me! Contact Meghan Corbin at mcorbin@mercyhurst.edu for more information.

In light of the Super Bowl this evening, while short, this is truly my only update for the week. Carry on, keep warm and enjoy the commercials.

Thanks for reading!
Joe

Branded Sheep

Hey everyone,

Another interesting article update this week. Passerby's in the UK discovered sheep in a field branded with a creepy smiley face. The stunt was owned by Alton Towers, a premier amusement park in the UK, as a publicity stunt for their upcoming new roller coaster. Alton Towers has been at it for months teasing locals and roller coaster enthusiasts alike, promising that the new coast will be like nothing ever seen before and include a never before created future, which many believe is clued to in the eyes of the smiley face. Check out this article on the sheep and Google the Alton Towers SW7 project for more information on what they're doing.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Weekend Blues

Hello everyone,

The title, "Weekend Blues" may be a bit of a misdirection, but I think it speaks to the awkwardness that was this weekend. Primarily for the first time in 41 years Mercyhurst closed the university at the end of last week. Due to a drastic temperature shift, several water mains broke causing the school to have little to no water (depending on the building). On Thursday school was cancelled and arrangements were made for students to be sent home or moved somewhere safe. Now with water restored, classes are beginning again today.

While typically cancelling classes and creating a unforeseen break would be a blessing, not this weekend. As you have heard me discussing, this weekend was the 2013 Frozen Putt-A-Thon hosted by my student organization. My team and I spent Friday night and Saturday morning uncovering the course and decorating. Then from noon to 5 p.m., we opened the course, provided free hot chocolate and donuts, as well as hired a great DJ to keep the course rocking!

Overall, the event was a huge success. For the second time around, we had more than 60 people attend the event and considering that the majority of our Mercyhurst audience wasn't able to, that was a great success. We had the opportunity to succeed and make some mistakes, so now all there is to do is evaluate everything, compile resources and contacts for next year and move on to the next project.

We had a great day and I am proud to have such an amazing team. Here are some pictures of the crew doing the wobble on the course!

Thanks for reading,
Joe  

Busch Garden's Branding Change

Hello everyone,

Continuing on my assignment for industry news I bring the evolution of logos. After the new year Busch Gardens released designs for a new logo, but this is no small implementation. Logos are a big deal. Think of Coca-Cola, Ford or McDonald's, three iconic brands that the first thing you see in your mind is their logo, which is a representation of their product. Also consider the capital that will be involved in implementing it into the parks. Changing a logo is no small or cheap task.

Ever since I worked for Busch Gardens in 2011 I have received tidbits about the strength of the brand being in question. The company states that they conducted two years of research to determine how to alter and positively influence the brand.  The new logo as seen above is earthly and appeals to both the thrills and environmental identity maintained by Busch Gardens. The icon on the right is the coaster tree, which represents that "Fun Grows Here" at Busch Gardens.

Below, on the left, is the logo they are now transitioning from and, on the right, the original logo of the parks. All three tell a very different story, but considering what the brand is, the new logo is a great step toward better communicating that brand even though I still love the old red logo.

 

Thanks for reading,
Joe 

It's here!

 

Hello everyone!

It's finally here. After just under five months, this is the week for the Frozen Putt-A-Thon. The press release has been pushed out, more than 2,700 fliers have been distributed and every community event calendar in the county has the PRSSA Frozen Putt-A-Thon on it.With a snow storm on the way for the early part of the week, the troops are preparing to dig out the course and add about 4,500 twinkle lights, decorations and tinsel, all before doors open at 12 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. It's a great time for the PRSSA chapter and I'm super excited for the event. If you're interested in coming, please visit us at frozenputt.com.

Harbor View Miniature Golf - Erie, PA

While I have been telling you a lot about my PRSSA adventures, this past week I hosted the "Epic Program" as an event in my freshman hall, though I cannot take all the credit for it. First of all, the idea came from a wise man named Shaun. Shaun is an HR master who is originally from Australia, but now travels the world starting parks and training their management team and team members. I met Shaun as part of my IAAPA Attractions Expo experience over the last two years. This is called "Rock Paper Scissors Warriors," and perhaps is not nearly as good as the IAAPA team, but we had a blast doing it in Warde. Thank you all for participating if you're reading this! Check out the video below.

Have a wonderful week!

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Industry Articles

Hello everyone, 

This week's article is brought to us by the PRSA, the parent organization of the Mercyhurst PRSSA chapter. Interesting enough, the gentleman who was interviewed is David Mandt, the Vice President of Communication for IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). This is interesting because David was my supervisor during the 2012 IAAPA Attractions Expo during my stint as a social media ambassador. He comes with many years of combined experiences in the amusement and PR worlds, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to learn from him once again. 

While you can find the link to David's article here, I wanted to pull out two things that David said that hit me particularly well. He said that for someone looking to get into the travel and tourism sector they should, "have a passion for this business." He also said why he loves working in the industry, "I love working in an industry that’s all about making people smile." I feel that these two things align closely with my own prospective and I really enjoyed the positive affirmation that I am heading in the right direction.

Thanks for reading, 
Joe

Halfway There

Hello everyone,

This post just reminds me of this song. Listen to this clip while you read below.

When I think of halfway there, this song reverberates through my head, though I don't know if the song provides any more parallels than that. This week represents the halfway point of my senior year, which incorporates a mixture of emotions. I wouldn't say I'm living on a prayer, rather that I'm living the dream. College makes you think, dream and desire more. You aren't asked to settle, but look beyond the average and seek the extraordinary. Oddly enough that leads students to seek life beyond these gates, which is where my emotion lies. Three and a half years at Mercyhurst have changed how I define myself. It's difficult to move away from the place that has created that definition, however because of it it's hard not to seek more. Luckily, it's only halfway there and not graduation day, because I still have four months to enjoy Mercy World (Mercy World - slag term, the world that is Mercyhurst).

The last week threw me on my butt. I'm just finally getting back with the swing as I am recovering from the flu and strep simultaneously. I have been to the doctor twice in the last week and all I can say is that the nurses at the Cohen Health Center are incredible. They are just so caring and sweet. I feel better just thinking about it!

Jan. 26, 2013 | 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Harbor View Miniature Golf

Finally, two week countdown until the Frozen Putt-A-Thon. I love this whole learning thing. We have been working on this since our first meeting in August and have seen our fair share of disappointment, but I am proud of our group not letting that get them down! Click the link above for more information and click to join our Facebook event.

That's all I have for you! Enjoy the second half of your January. Remember, the days only get longer from here! :-)

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Industry Articles

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope your first full week back is going swell. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things as there are many exciting activities ahead. This post is the first in a series that is actually a requirement of my Professional Development class. We have been asked to seek and post articles related to our areas of interest, so for the next several weeks I will be posting them here!

The first article was written by Chad Emerson and aligns perfectly with the book I'm reading, "The Disney Way." Emerson interviewed Vicki Johnson, the Director of Worldwide Sales and Travel Ops PR at Disney Destinations. She talks of her experiences moving to the Disney team and how great leaders inspire her, and all the other employees, to do great things. You can see a copy of the article here.

Thanks for reading, 

Joe