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RECAP: JINGLE BOWL 2021

Maura Noonan

Twas’ the night of the AAA’s reveal, while agencies competed for the golden pin, endless cans of food were donated, and one agency took home a win. 

The 2021 Jingle Bowl was back in action! Mower, The Martin Group, Crowley Webb, Fifteen, Gelia, Mr. Smith, and more gathered for an incredible night as agencies across Buffalo were able to finally gather for a fun night of bowling at Transit Lanes. To say the least, the teams got competitive with close scores, but one team took the golden pin home – congrats to Gelia! 

Attendees donated to FeedMore WNY upon entering the event. Beating last year’s total, we weighed in at 367 pounds of donated non-perishables to help feed families during the holiday season, which nearly doubled our virtual food drive donation from 2020! Let’s go Buffalo!

But what’s a game of bowling without a bit of mystery? Mower, the hosts of the 2022 AAA’s, delivered a confidential guessing game as they delivered this coming year’s theme: WHO DUN IT?, introducing some of the mysterious main characters leading into the show. We can’t wait to see what unfolds for this year’s show on March 4, 2022.

Thank you to FARM for the generous donation towards the food drive, and a huge shoutout to our best (and worst) and most festive bowlers who made the trip out for a memorable night. 

We will see you all next year!

Students Stuff

RECAP: BRANDHACK 2022

Maura Noonan

Brand Hack was back in person this fall for a fun-filled morning of branding excitement last week. 

The student event was held by AAF Buffalo at Daemen College and was free for AAF student members. This year’s featured organization was Candles in the S.U.N., a local nonprofit that uplifts the Buffalo community through extra curricular youth activities, mentorship and donation drives.

The morning kicked off with some branding 101 tips and a creative briefing from AAF: Buffalo’s Education Committee Chair, Noah Herman, along with opening remarks from Dakarai Singletary, Head of Candles in the S.U.N.. Armed with ideas and their pencils, students took to their sketchbooks alongside the Pros. Art Directors from Crowley Webb, Gelia and Renoun Creative collaborated with students on logo concepts for the organization. Students benefited from getting an inside look at the brainstorming process from professionals in the advertising field. Distilling the best concepts, incorporating type and color were the finishing touches as the clock ticked ever closer to the finish line. 

After the students finished their work, they presented their concepts to Dakarai, walking him through each component of their work. Dakarai raved about each concept, finding something of worth from each piece. For example, he loved Coolt McAndrew’s logo, which he felt would make a great piece for the company’s youth sports jerseys. Karion Carter’s graphics would be great for donation drives, and Katelynn Stechsor’s badge logo made him think of ways to implement this idea onto t-shirts.

Ultimately, Emma Lonnen’s logo was the winning concept to be chosen by Dakarai to move forward with for the company’s logo rebrand. Dakarai felt Emma’s concept successfully took Candles in the S.U.N. s original logo to the next level without changing directions. 

Congratulations Emma and students for completing this year’s edition of the Brand Hack! We are looking forward to seeing you again at next month’s Portfolio Seminar. Stay tuned for details!

Stuff

RECAP: Johnathan Worden

Maura Noonan

Johnathan Worden, a leader in organizational and management development, made a side gig as a children’s book author; and it all happened by accident. “Mr. Moose Caboose Finds His Way”, the first in the series The Great Dane Chronicles, is the finished product of a pandemic project that Worden sought out after in honor of his great dane dog, Moose. As the muse behind this book, Worden channeled Moose’s behaviors and interactions with other humans and dogs from puppyhood to adulthood and how the shift impacted not only Moose, but also Worden and his husband, Nick. 

Worden shared his story with attendees of this AdWeek event at The Barrel Factory in Buffalo. He started the conversation with the exploration of the audience’s own goals and dreams — things they want but haven’t fully gone after yet. Worden used Mentimeter to engage the audience through their smartphones. He asked things like what the audience’s goals are, what’s holding them back, what they do for work and/or a side gig, and other prompts that got the audience engaged. 

With stacks of signed books behind him, Worden took the time to go through his book and add in the details behind it – ones that children wouldn’t necessarily understand; and he even gave the audience a peek into his upcoming book in the series: “Mr. Moose Caboose and the Lavender Goose.”

After his presentation, all audience members got a signed book from Worden and walked away with an altered perspective and new found inspiration for their own personal goals.

AdWeek Events

RECAP: TIPSY TOWER TOURS

Maura Noonan

And just like that, it was day three of AAF Buffalo’s annual Adweek. On Wednesday, October 6 our members gathered together at the famous Seneca One tour to learn about the happenings at 43North and a full tour of the new and improved building. 

To kick-off the evening, participants were invited to enjoy a drink at the Seneca One Lobby Bar before heading up to the 24th floor for a fun visit with 43North. The one and only Maura Devlin,    vice president of marketing and public relations at 43North provided an informative presentation of all the great work the company is doing to build a strong startup and tech ecosystem within the city. Members were able to participate in a Q&A to learn more about the creation of 43North and what’s to come for Buffalo. 

Following the Q&A, members received a tour of Seneca One and got a live-look of the stunning views of downtown Buffalo. A shout-out to Joe Konze of Seneca One for providing an inside look into how the building has become the new wave of energy downtown and then most anticipated development in the city’s modern history. 

A huge thank you for everyone who attended or participated in any of this year’s AdWeek events! For more info on all of our programming for the club year, check out AAFBuffalo.com/events.

Not a member? No worries! You can get access to member-exclusive events and special discounts by becoming a member today.

Stuff

RECAP: ADWEEK HIRING SKILLSHOP 2021

Ad Club Of Buffalo

We kicked off AdWeek on October 4th with an informative panel on employee recruitment and retention!

Althea Luehrsen, CEO of Leadership Buffalo, guided our three panelists through a discussion about the challenges of recruiting and retaining employees.
Shannon Bryant, Chief Diversity Officer for Kaleida Health spoke to the challenges to bring diversity to an executive team made up mostly of racial and generational inequities. Tricia Barrett, Chief Operating Officer for Crowley Webb, discussed the different benefits, opportunities, and culture her employees are provided with to keep them satisfied, challenged, and happy while combating a highly poachable industry. And Elizabeth Woike-Ganga, Chief Executive Officer for Best Self, offered her insight into the challenges
of hiring employees and the struggle of employee retention with so many other opportunities available for clinicians.

About 25 professionals across advertising and other industries gathered in the atrium of 500 Seneca to hear what these much-credited panelists had to say, and they did not disappoint!

Thank you to Althea, Shannon, Tricia, and Elizabeth for all their fresh insight during this challenging time of employee engagement.

AdWeek Events

Recap: 2021 Speed Networking

Ad Club Of Buffalo

With the entire nation facing challenges with hiring and staffing, spanning across most if not all industries, we felt strongly that everyone’s favorite AdWeek event should be brought back. Our Speed Networking event was held On Tuesday, October 5 with more than 10 freelancers and pros showing up to Jack Rabbit on Elmwood Avenue to grab a drink and chat one on one.This event is perfect for companies and agencies looking to expand their freelancer shortlist, and it’s a great way for freelancers to connect with companies that may need some new talent for their team or upcoming project. Networking has been a challenge over the last couple of years, but from the conversations and chatter that lingered past the signal to rotate we could see lasting connections forming across a variety of areas.

If Speed Networking is something you would like to see again next year, please drop us a line and let us know! We’re always looking for ways to bring value to our members, and we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you to all who joined us and we hope to see you next year!

Blog Board Events

RECAP: ANNUAL MEETING 2021

Ad Club Of Buffalo

After more than a year of meeting remotely, we were thrilled to kick off the 2021-2022 club year with a chance to share some exciting things we have in store for the coming year. The Annual Meeting took place on Tuesday, September 28 at Big Ditch Brewing Company. We had more than 40 returning and prospective members join us to hear from our committee heads about what to expect in the upcoming months from AAF Buffalo.

President Caroline Buchas kicked off the evening’s proceedings before passing to the head of each committee to give the audience a glimpse of what’s in store for the club this year.

Here are the board members we heard from:

  • McKenna Murray on how to become a member and reap the rewards of epic member benefits while supporting the community
  • Jeff Quinn on upcoming events and exciting new programs
  • Noah Herman on new educational programs just for our students
  • Maura Noonan on where you can get the latest communications from the club and engage with us
  • Chelsea Carney on the upcoming American Advertising Awards and how we will top last year (if that’s even possible!)

 

Be sure to mark your calendars for our AdWeek lineup that’s full of professional development and networking opportunities within the advertising and marketing community. You’ll see some repeat favorites like Speed Networking and a Skillshop, but you my be interested in a brand new type of event that gives you a chance to tour the Seneca One tower and learn more about 43 North. Of course, you can also look forward to the student Brand Hack, upcoming Skillshops and the Spotlight Speaker series, as well as the AAAs.

 

Access our member-exclusive events and discounts by renewing your membership or becoming a member today. We’re looking forward to another great year, see you all soon!

Events

THE BIG TIP OFF 2021

Maura Noonan

The Big Tip-Off Returns!

On August 26th, AAF Buffalo hosted its annual scholarship fundraising event, The Big Tip-Off! Local advertising and marketing professionals alike were thrilled about the return of the annual event after putting the 2020 event on hold due to COVID-19 concerns. This year, the event was held at Sky Bar, one of Buffalo’s longtime favorite rooftop bars. 

Eight of Buffalo’s top agencies (and a local copper manufacturer) elected an employee to serve as a “celebrity bartender” during the event, leading to a fun night of friendly competition, gimmicks, and partying under the stars. And for the first time ever, we offered digital tipping via Venmo to reduce cash handling!

$5,500 was raised in total – breaking the annual fundraising event’s all-time record! AAF Buffalo’s scholarship fund supports the local advertising community by awarding local high school and college students annually. 

So, who won bragging rights for the most tips you ask?

  • Crowley Webb came in 1st Place.
  • FIFTEEN came in 2nd Place.
  • And Mower came in 3rd Place!

Aurubis Buffalo, a local copper manufacturer earned an honorable mention for coming in 4th place as the only non-agency represented! 

Shannon Polvino, Public Relations Project Manager at Aurubis Buffalo

Thank you to the participating companies for lending their bartending talent for the night. And kudos to everyone who attended, donated, or tipped from home!

  • Luminus
  • The Martin Group
  • Crowley Webb
  • 19 Ideas
  • FIFTEEN
  • Mower
  • Mr. Smith Agency
  • FARM
  • Aurubis Buffalo

 

 

Blog Events

RECAP: MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION 2021

Ad Club Of Buffalo

What a long strange trip it’s been! We made it through the Zoom calls, muted mics, hybrid spaces and new challenges. AAF Buffalo wanted to thank our amazing members for sticking it out through another unprecedented year by getting us back together again for one last hurrah before rounding out the club year.

To thank you for your support and celebrate all that we’ve achieved, our members-only happy hour took place on Tuesday, July 27 at Big Ditch Brewing Company. We were able to ease back into meeting in person safely without skipping a beat and finally catch up after so long being apart. Plus, we had an extra special cause for celebration…

AAF Buffalo was named Club of the Year for the third year in a row and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing members! Thank you to our members and community for supporting us over the years and attending events that bring us together. 

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That’s a wrap on this year! We’ll see you next time.

Events

Recap: Diversity Panel with Local DEI Experts DEI Panel

Ad Club Of Buffalo

In honor of Pride Month, AAF Buffalo presented our DEI Panel event to create a space for conversation surrounding the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion in our industry and community.

The virtual event was led by  AAF President Josh Gumulak and held on Tuesday, June 22 via Zoom. The panel discussion featured the following local DEI experts from our community:

·      Johnathan Worden, Senior – Talent and Organizational Development, Independent Health

·      Col Volker, Senior Ad Strategist, Knightsbridge Park

·      Kyria Stephens, Director of Inclusion, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.

·      Molly Chvala, VP, User Experience, Crowley Webb

The audience listened in on important discussion in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace, as well as passionate conversation regarding respect for others, pronoun awareness, and more. A key takeaway from listeners centered on the responsibility we all have which is to take ownership of our own awareness and educate ourselves on the challenges that exist for those around us.

AAF Buffalo was honored to have the chance to spotlight important conversations around the LGBTQ+ community and workforce. Thank you to all who joined us and we are hopeful in continuing these conversations well into the future!