The race to the starting line begins!

So it’s just over 2 weeks to go and race is on. Once you think everything is in place, more keeps on happening . The Marketing Department is awash with activity. Our DL brochures have just come in so will be in spots all over the city and nationwide so keep an eye out. The What Will You Think? campaign is in full swing with our 48 sheet billboards, bus stops, DART and Bus’s covered in Festival slogans. It’s a shame that we never getting out of the office to see it all but I did nearly get run over after nearly following one of our Bus’s on Sunday – so be warned!

Radio adverts started this week and will run through Newstalk, Today FM and RTÉ. The wonderful Janet Moran and Bosco Hogan both recorded for us last week and within seconds, they had it, such true professionals! Final touches are being done to the 2 TV ads which Janet and the fantastic Malcolm Adams star, will be aired from next week, which we are all really excited about.

So life in the Marketing Office is all about deadlines, ad deadlines, print deadlines and all personal deadlines – well they can wait till November! Show programmes are all in motion and asides from specially commissioned articles, we are lucky enough this year to have high profile people such as ex-Artistic Director Tony O’Dalaigh and Honorary Patron Hugh Leonard writing special pieces on the Festival’s 50 year History. They’ll all be on sale for most shows over the Festival - a collector’s item to be sure.

The Festival club this year promises to be one that will go down in Festival history as the liveliest place in town where we have lots of parties planned. There is a real buzz this year as we will be using the beautiful Odessa Club which is central, late night and also serves food for the starving artists of the Festival. The club is members only so only companies, media and Friends of the Festival can get it. As Dee our wonderful Box Office manager has given all the great benefits of becoming a Friend below, there’s no need for me to go on.

Finally, to the shows. Fishamble have already opened The Pride of Parnell Street in London to amazing reviews . Quotes like “simply magnificent” and “quiveringly beautiful” from the Sunday Independent ensure an amazing start, look up the web page on our site for some audio clips. What is exciting the Festival office is definitely Traces, the hit of the Edinburgh Festival. See what the fuss is for yourself, with the video clip on the website. The History Boys and Long Days Journey Into Night are in the lead in Box Office takings and both productions are set to be the heavyweights of the Festival also. Catch a rare Question and Answer session that the legendary Alan Bennett gave in London recently on The History Boys page.

Anyway, that's it for now. Hope to see you at the Festival!

Shauna Lyons
Marketing Assistant