Countdown To A Concert; T minus 11 Days and Counting…

Countdown To A Concert; T minus 11 Days and Counting….

Countdown To A Concert; T minus 11 Days and Counting…

 

Today is Wednesday, January 8, 2014. What a whirlwind day its been. Covered a lot of ground with three different promotions rolling out tomorrow involving area Churches, Christian Bookstores and an eBlast announcing the April 12 Matthew Ward Concert with Bob and Jayne Farrell. Then we solidified the final sound and facility arrangements. Plus set up more social networking components with special help from Josh Parisoe of Social 4 Christ..Also special thanks to Dan and Martha Munizzii at Epic Worship. Whew!

The last ten days before a concert are crucial and most critical areas are coming into proper alignment. Everyday it is getting easier to sleep at night and I am waking up excited to see what our loving Heavenly Father is going to do today. He has been absolutely amazing the past 36 hours. His hand of favor is all over this event and I trust He is working unseen behind the scenes to cause the maximum benefit. All the Glory goes to Him. There is a point when you stand firm that He shows up and makes a way where there seems to be no way.

So we should peak and reach critical mass sometime late next week where it all comes together. I know Randy and Phil are looking forward for the opportunity to play a set together. I am not sure of the last time Phil Keaggy was in Central Florida but its been many years. My friends in Nashville tell me that he’s never sounded better. So here’s a great opportunity to hear one of the best guitarists in the world in a venue with absolutely no bad seats. Randy is in top form and simultaneous as funny and serious as a person can be. Its like his mind works equally from both the right and the left side. Given all the jet lag and bad coffee he’s had, that is quite cool. Plus, he’s really into reading and quoting Oswald Chambers… which is all good stuff.

Yes, I am thrilled today by how its coming together but we still have the large task of motivating 550 or 600 people to attend. I can honestly say that we are close to doing all that can be done. We’ve broken the fallow ground. Plowed and planted the seeds. We have watered and weeded as best that we can. But unless God sends His light by His son, Holy Spirit (and sun), it won’t grow and reach full potential. So we are just placing all our trust in His goodness and grace to bless our efforts. And there is no better place to be.

More tomorrow. Thanks for your interest. Blessings!

#LearningtoTrust #Faith #Hope #Love #Worship

 

 

 

Countdown To A Concert; T minus 12 Days and Counting…

 

Today is Tuesday, January 7, 2014. What you see above is a piece we are putting into a couple of Christian bookstores here in Central Florida where their customers can win some tickets to the Phil Keaggy – Randy Stonehill Concert on January 18th.This will be placed up next to the cash registers so  people can see it when they check out. All they have to do is share a Facebook post to be entered. It is as simple as that. Hopefully clerks will remember to mention it as people make their purchases. Just one more thing that helps get the word out. Hopefully, it starts getting people excited and telling their friends.

Today we spent some time on the phone with Phil Keaggy’s Road Manager going over some final details. He is very friendly, professional and detail oriented. I am looking forward to meeting him.  We went over what has been done to promote the event.

1) Handing out 8,500 flyers at the Reinhard Bohnnke Orlando Crusade September 27 – 28th.

2) About 120 Radio spots

3) A full page ad in a local Christian publication that supposedly reaches 40,000 people and 200,000 online

4) Almost 200 Facebook posts and boosted posts that have reach another 18,000 folks

5) 5 email blasts to about 1200 area Churches

6) 35 Days of Daily email ads by the local radio station

7) Nearly 700 Radio spots on SnTRadio.com

That may seem like overkill to you but in today’s message saturated marketplace this may only be the minimum to motivate a person to act, or in this case, buy a ticket or two.

But I am saving the best for last… a targeted email blast to a list of known Orlando concert goers who have indicated on  a survey that they like Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehiil, Matthew Ward and Christian Concerts. Its the last push for the last weekend before the concert. Only time will tell if this was enough to get enough people to the concert but we have a sense of peace and and the script ” Having done all things to stand.”. So we are standing knowing that we’ve done our best.

Tomorrow there will be more, I promise because there’s still a lot of work to be done… so stay tuned. Blessings my friends. Blessings!

 

COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT; T minus 13 Days and counting…

Today is Monday, January 6 and its been a great weekend full of nice surprises. First of all, Randy Stonehill gave a shout out to sntradio.com which sent a flurry of curious Christian Music lovers to check out the website. Plus,he mentioned the January 18th Orlando concert in the shout out. This was very much appreciated.

It is standard practice for a band or artist to contact their followers and fan base to in a market when a concert is coming to town, usually once when the date is announced, then again when tickets go on sale. The again as much as necessary to motivate their fans to buy tickets so that the event either sells out or close to it. That doesn’t usually happen in with Christian concerts. Why? I don’t have the answer. But I am thankful that Randy and his wife Leslie did what they did to draw attention to the concert on January 18th in Orlando.

So much activity is going on behind the scenes as we are in the process of creating a workable infrastructure to ensure success of this and future concerts. It involves coordination with bookstores and churches to connect with their social networks Then assistance from the artists in reaching their fan bases and helping to build them is an important aspect as I’ve explained above. No one person can truly claim responsibility for making all this happen at the grassroots level. I just give the Glory to God as His hand of favor moves on our behalf.

So on it goes…. ticket sales are beginning to trickle. Next I hope to see that trickle become a steady stream. And then that stream become a small river until we sell out.

Stay tuned. There is much more tomorrow. I have to be brief because I am part of a Worship team tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week for a series of special meetings at a good friend’s church and I have simply run out of time for today. Blessings!!!.

COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT; T minus 16 days and counting.

COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT; T minus 16 days and counting..

COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT; T minus 16 days and counting.

 

Today is Friday, January 3, 2014. I am not sure if I’ve been specific about the big cause tied to all our concerts, that being raising awareness and encouraging child sponsorship for Compassion International. Their work to bring new hope to many orphaned children in third world countries.Both Randy Stonehill and Phil Keaggy have been involved with this ministry for many years. These concerts are just one more way to gather a captive audience and let them know about the “least of these.” No arm twisting or guilt tripping is allowed. my hope is that people will begin to see beyond themselves and respond in love.

Why bring that up now? Well, I was asked by Compassion today about the status of the concert and if we needed sponsorship[ packets sent. That prompted a call to Phil Keaggy’s road manager to inquire if he was bringing them. The short answer is SnTRadio.com will provide a sign up table and Compassion will provide packets and volunteers. Either Randy or Phil will make an appeal to the audience from the stage. In the end, we hope several children receive sponsors. That’s is why we give Compassion International sponsor credit… so they have the opportunity to have a table at the event. They do not pay anything for that status as it is given to them as part of our “good works” outreach. We are excited that generous hearts will respond to the need of these precious children.

So even if you can’t make the Phil Keaggy – Randy Stonehill concert in Orlando on Saturday, January 18th, please go to http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=127385 and consider the opportunity to show Compassion for yourself and your family. You can make a difference in a child’s life.

Today we also saw the response to a post Randy Stonehill made on Facebook promoting the concert.  There were over 100 Likes and a few nice comments mostly from folks outside Florida who wish they could make it. I was very grateful for Randy making that post. Its good to see an artist support the promoter’s efforts. I have spent a lot of advertising dollars to raise awareness for these concerts because it usually takes a minimum of 6 exposures to a message before a person will decide on an action.In this crowded and over saturated media blitzed world we live, it takes many more because people forget what they have seen and heard in 24 hours. So it takes a lot of repetition to make any kind of an impression in a person’s mind. Even in social media like Facebook and Twitter, it takes a lot of tweets and posts to motivate a person to take action. (so Randy and Phil’s social media people need to do a few more posts and tweets each to help get the word out.). It’s OK, I sent both of them “Please Help Us” messages to do just that. 

The life lesson for all you social media users is that you need to be creative in the way you send out those six or so messages to make an impact on your target audience. Just don’t repeat like a parrot, say it differently each time if you possibly can. And above all, be engaging and say it with love. More tomorrow. Have a great first weekend on 2014!    James Burkhardt

#Phil Keaggy, #Randy Stonehill, #Compassion, #concertsinOrlando

COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT; 17 Days and counting.

Today is Thursday, January 2, 2014 and I had a moving phone conversation with a friend in Pittsburgh this afternoon about staying strong in the face of adversity.Its ironic that I would have to say the things to him that I did but then a timely word in season is a good thing. Its ironic because it has been his example that has strengthened me the most during the past 7 years. His name is Jim Fitzgerald, author The 9/11 Prophecy; Startling Evidence the End Times Have Begun and producer of an awesome video product called The WatchWORD Bible.  Check it out here: http://www.thewatchwordbible.com/

How many people do you know that heard the call of God, was entrusted with a vision then left his job and put all his security on the line to obediently pursue and fulfill the vision that God showed him? That is exactly what Jim and Betty Fitzgerald did over 20 years ago. During those 2 decades I have had the privilege to pray with Jim and observe how God has worked miracle after miracle to bring forth a video Bible that is a perfect fit with today’s smartphone and tablet technology. It has taken 20 years and millions of investor and donor dollars plus inventing some innovative computer graphic techniques along the way that did not exist before the production of the WatchWORD Bible. So God’s Word is ready to be shared with the next “video screen” generation who aren’t readers plus everyone else alive in this age of technological advances.

What does all this have to do with COUNTDOWN TO A CONCERT? Everything! I will get to that in a few paragraphs.

You’ve heard the term “all in”? That defines Jim and Betty, plus countless other Christian Missionaries,Bible translators, Worship leaders and accompanying musicians who have given their lives to further the work of the Kingdom without regard of safety (both physical and financial) to do that which God has led them to do. Men and women who have cast comfort, convenience, and ease aside in order to be obedient. I’ve had the privilege these past two years to serve on the Board of Directors of WatchWORD International, the non-profit arm of WatchWORD Productions.

Today was the day Jim that he has exhausted all his funds and was heartbroken that Christmas didn’t yield much. But a humble test marketing of advertising inside city buses rolled out yesterday in Pittsburgh, PA after 3 attempts of getting a bible product advertised                                            on Public Transportation. The end message is extremely edited because the Transportation Authority did not want any religious language that would be offensive to others person’s belief systems. So Jim has written a press release to explain his “free speech” censorship and contention but is waiting on a “go” from the Lord to share it. When it gets released I will share it with you.

So my words today were pretty direct… “Be strong and Courageous. like Joshua. Be like Caleb… Give me my mountain!  though there may be giants in the land, you can defeat them with the help of the Lord. The Lord has taken care of you for 20 plus years and He won’t stop now. He shows and shows up at the moment we have done all that we can humanly do. Remember the 5 loaves and 2 fishes. He can do it!”

The fact is I was also speaking to myself as well with regard to this Phil Keaggy – Randy Stonehill concert on January 18th. The circumstances are very similar to Jim Fitzgerald’s except that I do not have a mass transit campaign rolling out. We are just trying to get give some tickets away in the local Christian Bookstores and work with more local churches in the next two weeks. Then again, consumers minds need to decide to attend and follow through with buying a ticket or two. The countdown proceeds…  so please go here: .https://sntradio.webconnex.com/PhilKeaggy-RandyStonehill  and get your tickets today.

More tomorrow. Many thanks for reading and passing this along to your Christian Music loving friends. JKB