We have a great booth planned this weekend at the Armed Forces Day event on Joint Base Lewis-McChord-Main.  To draw people to us and get the word out on our great clients, we'll have a balloon artist making shapes and animals for the kids.  We did this at the Kids Fest event in early April and it was a big hit - kept a steady line in front of our booth.

Ever need a balloon artist, the folks at Balloon Birthdays (www.balloonbirthdays.com) do a great job.  Clean cut college kids do the work - all quite professional - they represent our company well.

OK, we've lacked a few posts lately, but here is what we've been up to:
1. Organizing the big Romancing the Spouse event in DuPont for June 3rd.  A great opp to help spouses prepare for the return of their husbands and wives from war (18,000 in total).
2. Spearheading an effort to put gift baskets in every barracks room of returning single soldiers.  We are publishing a newspaper to go in the baskets thanking our sponsors...our PR clients are all participating.
3. Regular booth work and gift bags at newcomers, Kids Fest and the upcoming Armed Forces Day.
4. Linking our clients and their great stories with issues of the Ranger and Airlifter.  Recently highlighted were CDS in the NW Veteran, Bank of America in the Spring Homes and Apartments Guide.
5. Front page ads in the papers for our clients.  This week Shur Kleen.
6. Preparing the glossy program guide for the Air Expo at McChord Field.  350,000+ people are expected to attend.
And much more...

Flea Market on base last week was a huge success...we handed out a ton of bags.  This Saturday, we are back at the Easter Dash - we are supplying the bunny rabbit and candy, plus., of course, handing out bags.  Then, next Thursday, it is Kids Fest on JBLM - we are bringing a balloon animal guy for the kiddies.  Should be great fun!

Bank of America provided an update on the savings programs available to military home buyers, while Parkland Auto Center discussed how boat and motorcycle trade-ins can be used on vehicle purchases.

Also, see Pet Brigade's "free" ad on the cover of our papers...one of the perks PR clients receive.

We've posted several stories recently on PR clients (Shur Kleen, Go Local-Tacoma, National Furniture, Ghilcrest Motors).  You can view them here.

Swarner PR clients will receive 20% off their advertising space in the McChord Air Show Guide publishing this summer.

The McChord Air Show drew over 350,000 people in 2008 (the Air Show runs every other year).  The glossy magazine style is handed out at the entrance gates to the show as well as other locations throughout the event.

Five clients have been chosen to sponsor our Tournament of Tacos event which kicks off next week in the Weekly Volcano.
The 5 Sponsors are:
Bank of America
Olympia Auto Mall
Go Local-Tacoma
National Furniture
Commercial Drivers Services

We hope to see you all at the Newcomers Meeting tomorrow on the Joint Base.  We do this every month, handing out goodies to the new military families donated by our great clients.  Good publicity for all!

Our Valentine's Day of Pampering event brought over 650 local military spouses to Lacey to interact with our clients for the afternoon.  We gave away a lot of free gifts, food and drinks.  Our vendors were thrilled with the results.  A major success for everyone involved.
We are now planning our next one.  Give us a call to be involved at (253) 584-1212.

The Ranger and Airlifter will team with Commercial Driver Services to promote during the Super Bowl party at the Heroes Club on JBLM-Main, Sunday.  This is a great opp for us to highlight one client at an event on the base - something we like to do when the event makes sense.