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| George Takei - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
It comes as no surprise that have recently opened up our
website (www.starlightmusicchronicles.com)
to many facets of the entertainment industry and felt that a 'travel' component
was missing. Over the course of a couple years, we have networked with many
world-known and seasoned individuals on social media (such as Mr. Scott Eddy - www.mrscotteddy.com)
who we feel are the connection between the SMC platform and the destinations
that our readers and followers love. We are excited to open this door in order
to connect with many celebrity travel bloggers in effort to build the bridge
between entertainment and amazing destinations/venues, etc.
We begin our Starlight Travel component by diving right into The Dark SkyFestival in Jasper, Alberta, Canada that kicks off today, October 14th
and runs all the way until October 23rd 2016. (see the website to
find out more about the festival here: http://jasperdarksky.travel/about-the-festival/)
This annual event has been attracting people globally for three years and this
time around, there's a star studded line-up which includes: Bill Nye (The
Science Guy), George Takei (celebrating Star Trek’s 50th
Anniversary), Jeremy Hansen (Astronaut), Alan Nursall (Canadian Scientist), Nadia
Drake (Science Journalist), Bobak Ferdowsi & Ross Lockwood (NASA). With a
star studded cast of guest speakers, this is an event Tourism Jasper can
proudly boast about!
We recently interviewed Lauren Graham,
Specialist/Media/Public Relations for Tourism Jasper for this event and here’s
what she had to say:
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| Bill Nye (The Science Guy) - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
Interview
Dark Sky Festival
Lauren Graham | Specialist, Media & Public Relations |
Tourism Jasper
SMC - Lauren, can you tell us what your role is for this
event?
LG - I work for Tourism Jasper, the destination marketing
organization that has helped organize and facilitate the Dark Sky Festival
since its inception.
SMC - There are a lot
of big names attending as speakers for this event (October 14-23, 2016)! How
were you able to acquire their presence for this magnificent event?
LG - We work directly with a speaker’s agent or through
partnerships to help bring our line-up to Jasper for the festival.
SMC - Which guest
speaker are you most excited to see?
LG - It’s impossible to pick one! With Bill Nye, astronaut
Jeremy Hansen, George Takei, Canadian scientist Alan Nursall, science
journalist Nadia Drake, NASA’s Bobak Ferdowsi and Ross Lockwood each event is
going to be amazing, yet different.
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| Jeremy Hansen - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
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| Alan Nursall - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
SMC - What can one expect from their stay during this
festival as far as accommodations and bookings? I would say it's safe to assume
Jasper would receive and influx of visitors for this occasion! Is it too late
for people to book now?
LG - Definitely not too late to book! There are still
accommodations and tickets available for both Dark Sky Festival weekends.
jasperdarksky.travel has a list of accommodations and activities in the area to
assist with this planning process.
SMC - What is the long-term vision for this annual event
say, 5 and 10 years from now?
LG - We want to continue to inspire explorers of all ages to
power down and look up. It is our intention and mandate that the Jasper Dark
Sky Festival continue to grow for many years to come, attract visitors to
experience a true dark sky, learn about the universe, and visit Jasper at a
time of year they perhaps hadn’t considered before.
SMC - Who are your sponsors for this event?
LG - We’ve been extremely lucky with businesses being
interested in participating in the Dark Sky Festival this year. Rocky
Mountaineer has joined us as Official Festival Partner and Subaru became our
first even Exclusive Automotive Sponsor. CN came on board as Official Tent
Sponsor, and CTV joined us as Exclusive Media Sponsor. The Official Festival
Sponsors are: Sundog Transportation and Tours Ltd. and Servus Credit Union. But
there are many businesses who have helped create the Jasper Dark Sky Festival
Presented by Rocky Mountaineer. For a full list of sponsors, please check out
http://jasperdarksky.travel/events/
SMC - I have personally been a frequent visitor to Jasper
since I was a teen and there's no doubt that our National Park is one of the
most beautiful places on earth! What makes it so different/special to be there
at this time of year as opposed to the summer and winter months?
LG - As a dark sky preserve, Jasper National Park offers a
special experience to those visiting in the fall. With night falling a bit
earlier each night, visitors are invited to power down and look up at the sky
to experience the awesome power of the universe in a way that is only possible
in one of the world’s largest dark sky preserves. With hiking and some summer
activities still available (like hiking, camping, etc.), fall in Jasper offers
both an opportunity to venture beyond and explore as well as to sit back,
cuddle up with a warm blanket and hot drink and revel in the natural beauty of
the night sky.
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| Bobak Ferdowsi - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
SMC - We are happy to post your advertising on our website
www.starlightmusicchronicles.com over the course of this event on our event
calendar as well as help promote it further in this feature on 'The
Chronicles', our latest 'news' blog that is the origin of Starlight Music
Chronicles. How do you feel about the media reception to this event such as we
are offering?
LG - The media reception for the Dark Sky Festival has been
increasing every year as the festival continues to grow. This year, we’ve seen
media interest from across Canada, into the US and even overseas into the UK.
The Dark Sky Festival is spreading out and reaching new audiences each year,
and we couldn’t be happier. Tourism Jasper is so grateful to everyone who has
helped and continues to help us share the Jasper Dark Sky Festival Presented by
Rocky Mountaineer.
SMC - Lauren, can you tell us about the kinds of other
community events that will be hosted during the festival aside from the guest
speakers?
LG - It’s definitely a jam packed weekend with something to
do at any time of day. There are numerous stargazing events to consider with
the Jasper SkyTram, Sundog Tours, and the Jasper Planetarium, brew tours at the
local brewery – Jasper Brewing Co., photography workshops, fireside yoga, the
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the Big Bang
Expo where there will be hands on scientific demonstrations and experiments to
explore.
For a full list of events, please visit http://jasperdarksky.travel
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| Nadia Drake - photo courtesy Tourism Jasper |
SMC - We would definitely be interested in running a segment
on our website for next years’ festival in 2017! Where can media partners
register for this and what are the kinds of credentials that they require?
LG - Media can submit themselves for consideration for next
year’s Dark Sky Festival HERE. Because of the increasing popularity of the
festival, we’ve already begun receiving requests for 2017. We’ve realized that
it’s most effective to organize full media weekends with a coordinated itinerary
to ensure that our visiting media experience everything that the festival has
to offer.
We encourage any media interested in the festival to submit
a request for consideration, our recommendation is to submit all information
possible. Give us specifics about your interest in the festival, your media
platforms and your following on each. The more information we receive for your
request, the more we have to consider.
SMC - Lauren, I would like to thank you for taking the time
to answer these questions. Last question: how do you feel having this event
featured on the same website where many entertainment industry high caliber profiles globally have also been featured? This will be our first ever travel
feature too! What are your thoughts on that also?
LG - Thank you for the opportunity to share the Jasper Dark
Sky Festival Presented by Rocky Mountaineer. We’re thrilled to be included on
your website among various high caliber entertainment profiles and we are
honoured to lead the travel feature.
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