July 15, 2009
Event Promotion, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
The Publici-Tea™ Express “Live” Event in Tacoma last month was such a hit that I’ve decided to take it on the road to serve even more publicity-seeking business owners. Folks tell me that the shorter event format — just two hours — and the lower price point — $97 – are exactly what they need right now, so I am delivering. The new dates and cities so far are as follows from 9:30 a.m. to noon:
- Friday, September 11 in Seattle
- Friday, October 16 in Olympia
- Friday, November 6 on Mercer Island
You can read all about this well reviewed, high value event and register at this link.
And, if you live outside of the Seattle area and still want all the benefit of this event without having to 
travel, check out the “Anytime, Anywhere” Publici-Tea™ Express. This is a digital download bundle of audio and printed materials that is the next best thing to being there. You can add your own tea and chocolate and be in DIY publicity inspiration with one click. At just $49 through July 31, 2009, this is an extraordinary value that also includes a review copy of the new Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action eGuide.
And, if you’d like me to bring the Publici-Tea™ Express to your club, organization, association, or other publicity-seeking group, let me know. This event can empower people with essentials that truly pack a punch for building the buzz in the traditional, social, and online media, and there is no time like the present to get into the game.
Hope to see many of you at Seattle Design Center tomorrow for the “How to Pitch an Article the Media Can’t Resist and Why You Should” presentation. Lots of good information to be shared. Visit the “Third Thursday” link to learn more. See you at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow!
July 13, 2009
Event Promotion, PR Beyond the Backyard, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
Join me this Thursday at Seattle Design Center for a presentation at the Conference Center, Suite 370. I’ll be talking about how to pitch an article the media can’t resist and why you should. My presentation takes place from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
And, while you are at Seattle Design Center, plan to arrive early or stay late to see all the beauty and and bounty that this top quality, regional design center has to offer. Parking is free and plentiful. If you are not a member of the design trade, just call Nancy Knowlton at 206-957-7018 to arrange your complimentary event registration. Seats are limited and 54 of them are already claimed by members of the design trade. We have room for a 46 more.
Speaking of which, If you’ve been hoping to meet the ideal interior designer to help you bring your dreams to life, this is certainly a fabulous opportunity to do that. You can read all about this the “Third Thursday” event at the home page at this link.
Hope to see you there. As always, I’ll have an abundant selection of my DIY publicity tools available for purchase. Speaking of which, the “Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide” got a nice write-up today in the Bellevue Business Journal. Read all about it at this link.
May 6, 2009
Local PR Success, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
I am happy to report that winning editorial coverage for the Vern Yip/Seattle Design Center Eye on Design 2009 event continues to roll in AFTER the event. Here is the latest story by Yoon Park in ColorsNW magazine.
Seattle Design Center invested meaningfully in paid advertising to bring attention to Eye on Design 2009. The modest investment in my publicity services has delivered prominent, compelling, accurate, and favorable coverage leading up to and following the event for a fraction of the price of paid advertising. And the story links to all the great coverage will reside online indefinitely. I love a good media mix as much as the next marketer, but you sure can’t beat the bang for the buck that publicity provides.
Speaking of which, are you interested in learning how to use free publicity to drive buzz for your business? The next Publici-Tea™ Workshop in Bellevue takes place on May 15. Four seats are still open at the table. Shall we set one aside for you? Read more and register at this link.
May 1, 2009
Seattle Design Center
2 Comments
HGTV Interior Designer Vern Yip told an engaging story during his keynote at Eye on Design 2009 at Seattle Design Center last Saturday. As the child of Chinese parents, he knew his parents had high expectations for him. In fact, his mother expected Vern to become a doctor. Clearly, he took a different path that has landed him on the cover of the New York Times, as the host of “Deserving Design,” and so much more. When a long time family friend saw Vern’s photo on the front page of the New York Times, she shared it with Vern’s mother. Her reply, “But he could have been a doctor.”
We all have expectations of greatness for our children and ourselves. The shape that takes is up to each 
individual person. Vern has done well, and earning prominent and compelling free publicity in major media outlets has certainly opened a lot of doors. He said earning a major design award was the ticket to his invitation to host “Trading Spaces.”
Hosting “Trading Spaces” was an opportunity to change rooms and lives in two days with a $1,000 budget at a time when people were standing in line for Vern to create award-winning designs for clients who could easily have spent that amount of money on a single lamp. Vern’s message is that design is important to how we live, and there are answers to every dilemma, no 
matter what the budget. In today’s demanding economic times, that message really resonates.
No matter the size or the scope of the problem, Vern is a true professional. During the Q&A session immediately following his keynote, event guests asked a wide range of design questions. One stood out as particularly memorable and repeatable. A woman stood up to ask the best way to address a very specific design dilemma: How to deal with a cat litter box in her living room.
The groans from the audience were audible. Without judgment, Vern asked a few probing questions. He wondered if there was another location that would be better. When the audience member said “no,” he went about the business of offering some practical, design suggestions to make the most of this situation. He said something like, “How about placing the cat box under a coffee table and draping decorative fabric along three sides to hide it, while also allowing your cat access from one side?” And, he added, be sure to address odor control so this room can be functional and livable for the people who gather there.
Another message that was just as powerful, yet unspoken is that the best professionals always take the clients where they are and guide them to where they want to go, given the resources available to get the job done. That’s quality inspiration for professionals in every niche.
In addition to delivering an inspiring keynote and moderating a panel of local design experts, Vern gave four media interviews on event day, posed for hundreds of photos, and graciously signed autographs for many. You can read some of the stories and photos that have debuted so far at these links.
Amy Woidke’s Eco-Friendly Examiner.com post
A Tinted Perspective’s Blog Post
Stacy Kendall’s Seattle Homes and Lifestyles interview - Part 1
Stacy Kendall’s Seattle Homes and Lifestyles inteview - Part 2
Den Design Studio Blog Post
Enjoy.
April 23, 2009
PR in Action, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
It lights me up to earn prominent, engaging, and timely coverage for my clients in the media that are right for their message. Today, I logged on to www.nwasianweekly.com to get some very good news in that regard.
HGTV Designer Vern Yip is on the front page.
Seattle Design Center Marketing Director Craig Cross reports that tickets are selling at a quick clip. There has been a particular rush for tickets these last two days in particular. This event promises to sell out at 600 tickets.
Thanks to Vern Yip for being so gracious and available to the media leading up to his April 25 appearance at Eye on Design 2009 at Seattle Design Center. You can still buy tickets if you act fast. Here is the link.
April 20, 2009
Seattle Design Center, Social Media Marketing
2 Comments
Citizen journalism sites such as those you can find at Examiner.com can prove to be powerful partners in sharing your event news with well targeted communities. You can search the categories to find the perfect avenue to share just about any message with the right people. Then, you simply connect with the blogger by email to suggest a winning story idea that is on target to serve the readers. You have to read the blog first to know that it is a fit. When you do, good results await for your message.
Case in point. Here are two blog interviews with HGTV Designer Vern Yip that offer useful tips to organize your home office and create an eco-friendly space from an expert who is coming to Seattle this Saturday, April 25 for Eye on Design 2009 at Seattle Design Center.
Thank you Seattle Women and Business Examiner Karen Rosenzweig and Eco-Friendly Design Examiner Amy Woidke for sharing useful tips to inspire others to life their most organized and eco-friendly lives through the power of interior design tips from Vern Yip.
And, here are even more tips from Vern to inspire your interior design efforts:
How can I get organized and still be stylish?
Organization can seamlessly go hand-in-hand with being stylish. Look for pieces that offer you storage opportunities such as end tables that have drawers and doors, large ottomans that have storage inside in lieu of coffee tables, and bookcases and cabinets that have doors that allow for useful closed storage instead of open storage solely for display. Culling through your things to determine what you really love and need versus what has outlasted its purpose or usefulness can also reduce clutter and get you organized. Having fewer things…that have meaning, impact and style…will take you farther than having lots of things that lack meaning and purpose in your life.
Small spaces can be made to seem larger through monochromatic color schemes that reduce the amount of contrast in a space. By staying within a defined color palette, you can expand the visual plan by creating less visual breaks. Additionally, buying fewer but larger pieces instead of many smaller items will create a sense of more space. Painting your ceiling a slightly lighter version of your wall color will help diminish the separation between your wall and ceiling planes…and hanging curtains all the way up to the ceiling line will create a greater sense of height in the room.
What is the best way to decorate an open, multifunctional space? For instance, a great room that is used as both a dining room and living room.
The best way to decorate an open, multifunctional space is to stick to some defined consistencies that still allow you freedom to express personality. For example, picking a common wood tone for furniture…whether it be maple, cherry, wenge, walnut or some other color… allows you to have flow from one space to the next. Individual pieces do not need to be exact matches, but if they are at least tonally similar, it will create a visual link that will visually unite the separate functions. Sticking to one paint color and drapery material for the entire space creates a consistent envelope that then allows differentiation with accents such as throw pillows and decorative accessories. The key with an open, multifunctional space is to have common visual threads that will also allow for areas of experimentation, differentiation and lots of personality.
A common color palette in the Northwest is “subdued neutrals.” How can we infuse our homes with some color without going overboard?
Subdued neutrals are great for people who like a lot of change because color can always be infused through easily changeable items such as art, drapery, throw pillows and decorative accents. All of these elements are opportunities to inject color in concentrated amounts. The key to doing it successfully is to limit the infused color to one or two…allowing that color to have powerful impact and punch.
In Seattle, we really appreciate green products and green design. What are some of your favorite environmentally friendly pieces?
Being environmentally friendly and stylish is easier than it’s ever been. Of course low VOC or no VOC paints are becoming widely available through many paint manufacturers. Additionally, Crate & Barrel has the majority of their upholstered pieces now manufactured from hardwood frames certified as coming from sustainable forests and cushion filler made from a soy-based product. I also am a big fan of incorporating antiques into a home…even a modern one. Design these days is not limited to one style in a house…or even in a room…and antiques are a wonderful way to employ an existing resource instead of buying a new one.
Thanks Vern for these timely and helpful design tips. Even more tips await, thanks to the panel of Seattle-area interior design experts who will be contributing to the panel discussion.
By the way, did you buy your Eye on Design 2009 tickets yet? Here is the link to make it easy. See you there.
April 15, 2009
Event Promotion, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
$10 Tickets for Eye on Design 2009 with HGTV Interior Designer Vern Yip at Seattle Design Center are selling quickly, thanks to word spreading far and wide about the extraordinary value and access to top quality local designers and one of national reputation such as Vern Yip. Special thanks to Robin Daly and Seattle-based Interior Designer Christian Ursino for interviewing Vern Yip for their April “Design Files” column in the Journal newspapers. You can read their interview at this link.
Joining Vern Yip and Christian Ursino on the panel of interior design experts at Eye on Design 2009 will be Diana Cutler, Dana Hamel, Jennifer Randall. Please visit the active links for each designer’s name to learn more about how each contributes to making Northwest homes look and live well. Each would be delighted to answer your most pressing interior design questions and earn the opportunity to bring your interior design dreams to life as your interior designer of choice.
There is still time to enter Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine blog contest to win free event tickets, and you can enter at this link. You must enter by Friday, April 17. Otherwise, you can purchase your high value and very affordable $10 event tickets at this link and simply look forward to a visually inspiring day. Why not purchase a bundle of tickets to share with all your interior design loving friends and make a day of it? I look forward to meeting you there, as do all of the participating designers.
Christian Ursino and Robin Daly
Jennifer Randall
Diana Cutler
Dana Hamel
March 22, 2009
Event Promotion, Seattle Design Center
No Comments
Special Promotion - This Week Only: Anyone who signs up for an upcoming Publici-Tea™ or Winning Bio Writing Workshop or purchases a Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Toolkit in person or online this week will receive a Prosperi-Tea cup as a special bonus gift. The message on the inside of this inspiring mug reads, “The condition of having good fortune while drinking tea.”
We are all thirsty to welcome more abundance during these challenging times. These popular, high-value workshops and this well reviewed toolkit can help you get the mission accomplished. How is that for a reason to get into action?
Speaking of which, the “Thriving in Challenging Times” event takes place today from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Sammamish Plateau Club. The address is 25625 E. Pleateau Drive, Sammamish, 98074. Why not grab a girlfriend and come on over to benefit from the connections, the Extreme Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar gifts from Seattle Chocolate Company, and the useful and inspiring presentations about fierce conversations, banking, finance, publicity, and extraordinary self care?
I’ll be there to talk about DIY publicity and answer your pressing questions. You can even sign up for upcoming Publici-Tea™ and Winning Bio Writing Workshops from my display table.
Admission is just $25, and you can pay at the door. I understand there will be some lovely raffle prizes. In fact, I’ll be giving away two sets of tickets to the Eye on Design 2009 with Vern Yip Event taking place at Seattle Design Center on April 25, along with two sets of the Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Tips Booklets that are packed with 147 powerful ways to profit from free publicity. Each prize package is valued at $30.
You have much to win and gain by joining in. Hope to see you there.
March 16, 2009
Event Promotion, Seattle Design Center
1 Comment
Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. That is your rare opportunity to enjoy the beauty and the bounty of Seattle Design Center and meet and benefit from the great interior design ideas of Award-Winning HGTV Interior Designer Vern Yip and a panel of other talented, Seattle-based interior designers at the Eye on Design 2009 event. Eye on Design 2009 is open to the interior design loving public to preview all that Seattle Design Center has to offer. Now more than ever, the timing is perfect to source environmentally friendly design solutions, edit home furnishings to achieve a fresh, inspired look for Spring, and get answers to your most challenging interior design dilemmas. Best of all, tickets are just $10. In today’s demanding economy, that is the deal of the century. You can learn more and claim one of the 600 tickets as your own by visiting this link.
Want to interview Vern Yip? If you write an interior design blog or column for the Puget Sound media or produce a radio or television show that is perfect to showcase the latest interior design trends, get in touch at 425-641-5214 or by email at nancy@nsjmktg.com. I’ll gladly arrange an interview with Vern Yip and/or the talented Seattle-based interior designers who are part of the Eye on Design 2009 event.
Feel free to share the Eye on Design 2009 event opportunity with design loving people in your community and social networks. We expect the 600 tickets to sell out quickly and don’t want you or those you know to miss out.
DIY Publicity Tip: Don’t be afraid to share a little personal information about what you love on your Twitter profile. Mine says I love HGTV. Now, I am helping to promote an event in my own backyard that features one of the station’s most popular interior designers. How cool is that? This just goes to show that if you have the courage to tell the world what you love and what you are best at supplying, the Universe provides. Love that. Try it and see what magic manifests for your business. You have little to risk and much to gain.
List
The Publici-Tea™ Express “Live” Event in Tacoma last month was such a hit that I’ve decided to take it on the road to serve even more publicity-seeking business owners. Folks tell me that the shorter event format — just two hours — and the lower price point — $97 – are exactly what they need right now, so I am delivering. The new dates and cities so far are as follows from 9:30 a.m. to noon:
travel, check out the “Anytime, Anywhere” Publici-Tea™ Express. This is a digital download bundle of audio and printed materials that is the next best thing to being there. You can add your own tea and chocolate and be in DIY publicity inspiration with one click. At just $49 through July 31, 2009, this is an extraordinary value that also includes a review copy of the new Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action eGuide.
