Thanks to all who attended the Knoxville Twestival on Thursday! Overall, it was a great success and we’ve heard nothing but rave reviews! We had a really great turnout with about 200 people in attendance, and we managed to raise about $3,000 for the Salvation Army!

There was of course a lot of planning that went into the event, so we’d also like to thank the Twestival organizers of Knoxville Overground, Knoxville Social Media Association and Social Media Club Knoxville!

We would like to thank our wonderful sponsors - the Knoxville Zoo, Cherokee Distributing, First Baptist Church of Knoxville, High Horse Sound Productions, KnoxMac, TwitPay, Zoo Mommy, Entrepreneurs of Knoxville, Spruz, Knoxville Botanical Gardens, Attack Monkey Productions, Local Chirps,
First Tennessee Bank, Tradingo, Everything Knoxville, Slamdot and Trademark Advertising! (Be sure to check out all of their websites by clicking the logos on the right.) Without these great organizations, Twestival would have never been possible!

Of course, we can’t forget the awesome performers who entertained us during the event - Econopop, Randall Brown, Leslie Woods, Todd Steed, Stewart Pack and Chris & Jay.

And finally, thanks to everyone who donated silent auction items and door prizes - The Autograph Store, Sassy Glass Studio, DharmaScape ChainWorks, Orange Apple Branding, KnoxMac, Knox Dance Worx
AC Entertainment, Zoo Mommy, AMSE, Knoxville Ice Bears, Colby’s Photography, BST Concierge, Javerde, Remedy Coffee, Lovenestmonster, Shawn Van Dyke, Ferment Station, Tim Ferraris, Nama Sushi Bar, AtWorkMassage, Tennessee Valley Winery, Regal Cinemas, Sami’s Cafe gift card, The Rabbit’s Foot and The Glowing Body.

We really appreciate all the support and are truly thankful to everyone who helped make Twestival such a huge success in Knoxville! We can’t wait until the next one!

Stay tuned for Twestival photos and info on the next Twestival!

In the meantime, be sure to check out local meetings of Knoxville Overground, Social Media Club, and Knoxville Social Media Association!

We hope you are as excited as we are about tomorrow night’s event! Knoxville Twestival is being hailed as the Social Media Event of the Year, and it’s sure to please! So if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, do so now!

A few last minute things you need to know:

1. The event is rain or shine. Luckily, all of tomorrow’s festivities fit nicely under the big tent at the Zoo.
2. Make sure you print out your ticket via the Amiando ticket sales site. You should have also received this via email when you ordered. This printout is all you need to get in. (And your ID of course if you want the free beer).
3. Enter at gate 7 at the Knoxville Zoo. If you need directions, click here for a Google Map!
4. If you’re planning to buy your ticket at the door, bring cash! However, we are drawing for door prizes (click here to check them out) based on advanced ticket numbers. Therefore, there’s no way for those that pay at the door to be entered in the drawing. It’s really easy to get tickets online, so we encourage you to get them that way.
5. Bring your checkbook if you’re planning to bid on some of the amazing items in our silent auction (check them out here). The auction will end at 9.
6. While we’ve been advertising the free beer, please bring a designated driver and drink responsibly.
7. Otherwise, have fun! We’ll see you tomorrow at 7pm at the Zoo!

Knoxville Twestival Door Prizes

Some great Knoxville businesses were kind enough to donate door prizes to be randomly given out to our Twestival attendees. These items include:

• $50 Nama Sushi Bar gift card
• 3 hour massage from AtWorkMassage
• $20 Moondollars Gift Card
• 3 bottles of wine from Tennessee Valley Winery
• Regal Cinemas movie passes
• Sami’s Cafe gift card
• The Rabbit Foot gift card
• The Glowing Body shirt and gift card

So make sure you purchase your ticket in advance to be entered to win these wonderful prizes! They’ll be given out throughout the night.

Twestival Silent Auction

What good charity event would be complete without a silent auction? So bring your checkbook, because we have some great items up for grabs, including:

• A U2 signed Fender guitar from the Autograph Store
• An 8×10 signed Eric Clapton photo from the Autograph Store
• A one-of-a-kind Fused Glass Vase from Sassy Glass Studio
• A one-of-a-king Handmade Necklace from DharmaScape ChainWorks
• A logo design from Orange Apple Branding
• 3 hours of Mac Support or Consulting from KnoxMac
• Unlimited Dance Classes for a year at Knox Dance Worx
• Tickets to Pretty Lights at the Valarium from AC Entertainment
• Tickets to Medeski Martin & Wood Tickets at the Bijou from AC Entertainment
• Tickets to Disco Biscuits at the Tennessee Theater from AC Entertainment
• Zoo Mommy premier pet sitting gift certificates
• An American Museum of Science and Energy membership and gift basket
• An Ice Bears gift basket
• A Portait Session from Colby’s Photography
• 3 days of Pet Sitting from BST Concierge
• A Javerde gift basket
• A Remedy Coffee gift basket
• A custom “Lovenestmonster” stuffed animal created from your child’s drawing
• Construction services provided by Shawn Van Dyke
• A Home Brewing Kit for Craft Beer by Ferment Station

Have you gotten your Twestival ticket yet? If not, you should! Why you ask? Well…let us tell you the reasons:

1. Free beer. Yes, that’s right. Cherokee Distributing was gracious enough to donate some Miller Lite and Miller High Life kegs…so we’re giving the beer away for free! (As long as you’re 21 or older of course)…so make sure to bring your ID! For those of you underage or nondrinkers, we’ll have nonalcoholic beverages for free as well.
2. Door prizes. All you have to do to be entered in the drawing for door prizes is to purchase your ticket online in advance. (Those who pay at the door will not be entered for door prizes, sorry!) Then, when you show up to the event, your ticket will automatically be thrown into the pool for a chance to win a door prize! What kinds of prizes are we giving away? Restaurant gift cards, movie passes, massages, and more!
3. Silent auction. Have you seen some of the great stuff we’re auctioning off at Twestival? A signed U2 Fender guitar, a signed Eric Clapton photo, custom artwork, handmade jewelry, local services, concert tickets and much more! So bring your checkbook, because there’s sure to be some great stuff for you to take home! Did we mention all the silent auction proceeds will be donated to the Salvation Army?
4. Live music. With 7 local Knoxville artists and bands, there’s a little something for everyone at the Knoxville Twestival. Econopop, Todd Steed, The LoneTones, Leslie Woods, Randall Brown, Chris & Jay, and Stewart Pack will all perform sets at the event…so get ready because we have more than enough entertainment for our guests!
5. Awesome times and a great cause! This is sure to be a great event with great people, awesome networking opportunities, and good times! AND don’t forget that 100% of ticket sales will benefit the Salvation Army, who enables change in the lives of those they help by meeting physical, emotional and spiritual needs without discrimination.

Have we convinced you yet? If so, purchase your ticket now! After all, don’t you want a chance at those door prizes? And of course all that free beer! See you at the Zoo on September 10 from 7-10pm!

We’ve had a lot of luck when searching for cool items to auction off at the Knoxville Twestival next week. The Autograph Store was even nice enough to donate a SIGNED U2 GUITAR and a SIGNED ERIC CLAPTON PHOTO! These awesome items came in the mail today — check them out to the left.

The guitar is signed by all four members of the band - Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. and it’s a Fender. So if you’re interested in bidding on this very cool item for your collection, make sure to get a ticket to Twestival!

The Eric Clapton photo is signed and framed and will also be a popular item for bid at the silent auction. Like the guitar, the framed photo comes with a certificate of authenticity. Like we said, make sure to get a ticket to Twestival if you’re interested in having this on your wall.

Other very cool auction items include gift cards to your favorite local restaurants, massage certificates, pet sitting services, hand made jewelry, one-of-a-kind art, business services, dance classes, concert tickets, movie passes, museum memberships, and more!

Interested in bidding on some of this great stuff? Well - you’ll just have to come to the event, won’t you? Get you tickets now! The event is a week from Thursday!

Want $10 off your Twestival ticket?

The next 50 people to use the promo code “TwestivalDeal” when ordering Twestival tickets at http://www.amiando.com/knoxtwestival.html will recieve a $10 discount per ticket! Just enter the promo code via the link in the “Buy Tickets” box on the site.

Hurry! This offer won’t last!

Wonderworks has decided to help us promote the 2009 Knoxville Twestival by donating 4 family prize packs to some lucky Twestival attendees!

Each prize pack includes 5 tickets to Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge, which is home to over 120 interactive adventures that will challenge your mind and body, PLUS 5 tickets to the Hoot N’ Holler Dinner Show! That’s up to a $250 value and fun for the whole family!

For a chance to win one of the prize packs:

1. Tweet about Knoxville Twestival using the following hashtag and link:
   #knoxtwestival & http://bit.ly/yILR5
   
2. You can enter as many times as you like!
   Obviously the more times you enter, the better the chances of us picking you as the winner.
3. Make sure you’re following @knoxtwestival on Twitter!
   So we can notify you via Direct Message if you win.

But you’ll have to hurry: the contest ends at noon ET on Sunday, August 30!

Winners will be chosen randomly by midday ET on Monday, August 31st and notified via direct message. Good luck!

And don’t forget to get your ticket(s) for the 2009 Knoxville Twestival at the Knoxville Zoo!

In an effort to raise as much money as possible for the Salvation Army, we’re holding a silent auction at the Knoxville Twestival.

Right now, we’re looking for companies and individuals willing to donate their products or services to our silent auction. So whether you want to donate some wine, tickets to a show, or even a few hours of landscaping services (and almost everything in between), we want to hear from you!

Of course, this is a great opportunity to get your name out there while supporting a very worthy cause and a fun, social media-centric event!

Email us at knox.twestival@gmail.com to submit your product or service for the silent auction!

And don’t forget to get your ticket(s) to the event before they sell out!

To purchase your Knoxville Twestival ticket(s) for just $25, visit http://www.amiando.com/knoxtwestival! Hurry, tickets are limited!

Knoxville Twestival is part of a charitable event taking place in communities all around the world. Twestival uses the power of the local Twitterverse to encourage community members to come out in person to a fun event to be held at the Knoxville Zoo on September 10, 2009 from 7-10pm, and to donate money to a designated local charity: The Salvation Army of Knoxville.

So what will $25 get you? A fantastic evening at the Knoxville Zoo, supporting the Salvation Army of Knoxville and networking with Knoxville’s social media elite.

In addition, there will be:

• Live music (Todd Steed, Randall Brown of Quartjar, Leslie Woods & Dark Mountain Orchid, and others TBA)
• Silent auction
• Light food
• Drinks
• …and more!

You don’t wanna miss it!

One-hundred percent of all ticket sales will be given directly to The Salvation Army of Knoxville.

Knoxville Twestival is a joint initiative by Social Media Club of Knoxville, Knoxville Overground, and the Knoxville Social Media Association.

The Salvation Army of Knoxville!

Thanks to all of the great non-profits who submitted their organizations for consideration, and the wonderful Knoxville community who voted for their favorites! We received close to 4,000 votes! Of the top three vote-getters, it was a very tough decision!

We ultimately chose the Salvation Army of Knoxville because of its dedication to the community. The Salvation Army’s goals aligned with ours, because they enable change in the lives of those they help, thus creating a “pay it forward” situation which ultimately creates the most good! The Salvation Army meets physical, emotional and spiritual needs without discrimination. They shelter the homeless, provide groceries, clothing, fuel and utilities assistance for nearly 30,000 people every year, and overall benefit the Knoxville community. Because of the current economic climate, the Salvation Army has been struggling. Now more than ever the Salvation Army needs our help…and we’re planning to give it to them in the form of a twitter-powered fund-raising event on September 10, 2009!

We’re still working out the details surrounding our September 10 event, so stay tuned! We’re hoping to have event details announced and ticket sales live this weekend!

In the meantime, follow us (@KnoxTwestival) and The Salvation Army (@KnoxRedShield) on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on the event!

The Salvation Army was selected among the top three vote-getters in a community-wide online poll. The final decision was made by the Knoxville Twestival committee, which includes:

• Brenna DeLeo, Social Media Specialist at Pyxl and co-founder of Social Media Club Knoxville
• Liz Gray, Assistant Editor at Scripps Networks Digital and member of the Social Media Club Knoxville Planning Committee
• Katie Granju, Director of Social Media at Ackermann PR and a member of the Steering Committee for the Knoxville Social Media Association
• Nikka Harvey, Owner of Zoo Mommy Pet Care and Media Producer at Knoxville Overground
• Elliott Kim, Principal and Consultant of Dominant Paradigm and member of Knoxville Overground
• Alex Lavidge, President of Knoxville Overground
• Carla Pare, Public Outreach Coordinator at East Tennessee Public Television and member of the Social Media Club Knoxville Planning Committee
• Nicole VanScoten, Public Relations Specialist at Pyxl and co-founder of Social Media Club Knoxville