The Bellevue Downtown Association is a nonprofit membership organization charged with leading the evolution of Downtown Bellevue as the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside. The BDA also produces the annual Bellevue Jazz Festival, the Live at Lunch Concert Series, the Ice Arena at the Bellevue Magic Season, Walk Downtown Bellevue, and co-produces the Bellevue Family 4th with the City of Bellevue.

The event features non-stop entertainment on the Festival Main Stage, fresh strawberry shortcake, hands-on heritage activities and exhibits, over 90 food and vendor booths, a Classic Auto Show presented by BECU (Sunday only), and a Family Fun Area presented by Microsoft Playtest, with carnival games, giant inflatables, face painting, a big purple slide, rock climbing, mini-golf and more!

Free parking and shuttle bus from Kelsey Creek Center (148^th Ave & Main Street).

The Strawberry Festival is the Eastside Heritage Center’s Signature Event, celebrating the region’s agricultural heritage as well as its diverse cultural past, present and future.

Join us as we honor a tradition which began over 80 years ago!

Visit www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org for a complete entertainment line-up, participating vendors and other exciting details. Or call 425-450-1049.

Downtown Bellevue’s outdoor concert series will entertain audiences with a stellar lineup of top Northwest bands every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 1:30 p.m., July 6 through September 9.  Now in its 10^th year, the Bellevue Downtown Association will present 30 concerts in the 10-week series, infusing downtown with jazz, flamenco soul, disco, R&B funk, Rolling Stones tributes and more.

Week one of the series begins Tuesday, July 6 with the Scott Lindenmuth Trio (Jazz standards at Skyline Tower), Wednesday, July 7 with New Age Flamenco (Flamenco soul at Bellevue City Hall) and Thursday, July 8 with Emerald City Throwdown (Hits from the 60s to today at Bellevue Galleria).

Tuesday and Wednesday concerts will take place in outdoor plazas and open spaces throughout Downtown Bellevue, while Bellevue Galleria’s Compass Plaza hosts each Thursday concert.  The annual Rockaraoke contest will be August 19 at Bellevue Galleria.  Concert goers can enter to win lunch for two for a year at Tap House Grill.

Event and venue information is available at bellevuedowntown.com/events or by calling (425) 453-1223.  For day-of event updates, follow Live at Lunch on Facebook (Live at Lunch) and on Twitter (@Live_at_Lunch).

Each Live at Lunch concert will also host sign-ups for the BDA’s Walk Downtown Bellevue campaign.  Participants will receive a free Walk Downtown Bellevue Starter Kit with a free Overlake Hospital pedometer, David Barton Gym water bottle, Downtown Bellevue walking map, reusable BECU shopping bag, and more.  More information on Walk Downtown Bellevue is available at bellevuedowntown.com/walk.

Live at Lunch is produced by the Bellevue Downtown Association and sponsored by Bellevue Galleria, Unico, U.S. Bank, Puget Sound Energy, 98.9 KWJZ, AM 880 KIXI, Warm 106.9, MOVIN 92.5, the Bellevue Reporter, Ilium and Tap House Grill.

Established in 1974, the Bellevue Downtown Association is a nonprofit membership organization charged with leading the continuing evolution of Downtown Bellevue as the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside. The BDA also produces the annual Bellevue Jazz Festival presented by First Tech Credit Union, the 6th Street Fair, the Group Health Ice Arena in Bellevue Downtown Park, and co-produces the Symetra Bellevue Family 4th.

2010 Live at Lunch Concert Series Schedule

Venue details and directions are available at bellevuedowntown.com/events/liveatlunch.

For more information and to RSVP, go to EastsideEntrepreneurs.com.

Over $20,000 in prizes including:

- Cruise for 2 on Holland America Line!
- Round trip Alaska Airlines tickets!
- Xbox with an Xbox Live Gold Membership!
- $1,000 Neiman Marcus Shopping Spree!
- And so much more!
This adult-only fundraiser sells out every year so don’t be left out. Click here to purchase your tickets today!

100% of your contributions to Carnival fund our educational programs and interactive exhibits.

The Gift Live! is a unique event that allows people of all walks of life to connect with others based on a philosophy that teaches us to give to others first and ask nothing in return. Investing in others is investing in yourself.

Traditional networking tells us to not waste time. Find out what the other person’s does for a living, see if you can mutually benefit from each other, and don’t worry if there are no commonalities. Move on. After all, that’s the name of the game.

At The Gift Live! individuals are encouraged to dig deeper than the cursory “what do you do?” conversation. It’s about learning more about the other person, and put all agendas aside. “The Law of Contribution states that the level of your happiness and success in life is directly proportional to the number of people you serve selflessly,” says Matthew Ferry, one of the founders. “Contributing to others can take shape an idea, an insight, an introduction.”

Over the past two years live events have been held in Seattle and Los Angeles. The event was originally called the Contribution Networking Party, which currently has an online following of over 1,200 registered members. Its popularity has attracted local business owners, and professionals from a wide range of industries along with corporate sponsors such as Bank of America and Country Insurance.

O’Asian Kitchen 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

800 5th Avenue, Suite Plaza 1 Registration starts at 5:00 p.m.

Seattle, WA 98104 Hors d’ouevres and drinks will be served.

Register at GiveTheGiftToday.com

About the Founders

Unified by their passion for The Law of Contribution, The Gift is founded by four visionary entrepreneurs. Marc Sachnoff is an Emmy nominated entertainment industry veteran; Thach Nguyen is a realtor, developer and philanthropist; Kristen Marie Schuerlein is a vision translator of brands and businesses, and Matthew Ferry is a global thought leader in personal transformation.

Come meet them at The Gift Live! where they will share their stories of how The Gift has helped them achieve more money, more happiness and overall success.

Social Media 201 is sponsored by the Microsoft Local Engagement Team and Comcast Business Class. Supporting organizations for Social Media 201 include Fresh Consulting, Eastside Entrepreneurs Social Network, Ruby Media Group, Banyan Branch, Regillo Consulting Group and Tribal DDB Worldwide.

SocialMedia201.com

Mike Whitmore, President of Fresh Consulting from Bellevue, Washington explains, “The concept for Social Media 201 stemmed from the Social Media 101 Conference the Eastside Entrepreneurs and Joe Kennedy hosted last September at Microsoft. The 101 Conference helped educate business owners about what social media is and why companies should participate. The new Social Media 201 Conference is designed for those businesses that have begun to delve into social media and want to take it to the next level, find a path to profitability and measure return on investment.”

Registration for the event is available at www.SocialMedia201.com with an early adopter discount available through March 15, 2010. Additional discount codes are available though the sponsoring organizations.

Twitter feeds on the event are available from Twitter.com/SM201CONF and you can follow the event tweets via the hashtag #SM201

The Microsoft Conference Center provides free wireless Internet connectivity. A complimentary lunch is provided for attendees thanks to Comcast Business Class.

For More Information Please Contact:
www.SocialMedia201.com

March’s host, the PowerPlay Arcade has more than 105 gaming stations, from the to-scale Ferrari simulator with life size rear-ends and 62″ high definition televisions as windshields to the 16 Sega Outrun 2 full motion simulator suites that are inspired by Hummer and Harley Davidson. Then there is the Laser Maze which challenges players to race against the clock by navigating the room without breaking the beam just like Mission Impossible.

Each guest will receive a game card that will allow them to enjoy all that PowerPlay has to offer!

YPN @ Lucky Strike Lanes
Date: Thurs, March 25, 2010
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Lucky Strike Lanes 700 Bellevue Way NE, Suite 250, Bellevue 98004
Members: $15 pre-paid ($20 after 3/23, $25 at the door)
Non-members: $20 ($25 at the door)
Register: Online or contact Larry Pike at larryp@seattlechamber.com | 206.389.7215

About our host
Lucky Strike Bellevue is a sleek, sexy, upscale entertainment venue. The 50,000 square feet includes 16 bowling lanes, pool tables, a private Luxe Lounge, 3 bars, a large open lounge and Power Play which is an adult high-end gaming lounge with more than 125 different arcade games. Lucky Strike can hold parties from 8 guests up to 1450. A happy hour is offered daily from 4-7 p.m. in their lounge with 1/2 off appetizers and drink specials. You can find a live DJ on Friday and Saturday nights with no cover for entry. Whether you are planning a birthday party, holiday party, corporate event or just stopping in with friends or family, Lucky Strike Bellevue will create a memorable experience for every guest.

Why get involved in YPN?

• Exposure to what is going on in Seattle
• To build your business network with other young professionals
• Unique access to regional business leaders and political figures

The Strawberry Festival is a family-oriented, historic community event, featuring fresh strawberry shortcake, historical and agricultural exhibits, food and vendor booths, entertainment, a Classic Auto Show and a Family Fun Area with games, inflatable bouncers, strawberry shortcake eating contests and much more.  In 2009, more than 40,000 people attended the two-day event, consuming 6,000 lbs of strawberries!

Through the Strawberry Festival, the Eastside Heritage Center endeavors to create public awareness for the organization and to promote community involvement in and appreciation of Eastside history.

Booth Spaces range from $60 to $310:

Non-profit information only

Non-profit merchandise sales

Profit hand-crafted Merchandise

Profit Import and Manufactured Merchandise.

Main Stage Entertainers:

Saturday and Sunday
30-50 Minute Sets

Ethnic, Dance and Community Entertainers Encouraged

The Festival is a revival of the original Lake Washington Strawberry Festival begun in 1925 to attract business and residents to Bellevue.  Cancelled in 1942 due to WWII, the Festival was revived in 1987 by the Bellevue Historical Society (now the Eastside Heritage Center) as a single-evening celebration in June, honoring Bellevue’s agricultural heritage.  Since that time, it has grown to a large two-day event, attracting not only visitors from the greater Eastside, but the entire Puget Sound area.

Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage. In addition to maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to East King County, Washington, the EHC focuses on sharing this collection with the community through exhibits, books, presentations and a wide variety of educational programming. For more information on the Eastside Heritage Center, visit www.eastsideheritagecenter.org.

To become a Strawberry Festival Vendor or Entertainer, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at (425) 450-1049 or email Jennifer@bellevuestrawberryfestival.org. For complete Festival details, applications and forms, visit www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org.

I have helped both the PR company and the marketing association many times over the past 5 years, but am unable to recall one time that either of them did anything nice for me – or even invited me to an event without a price tag.

Still the same, I kept an open mind and asked if they would be willing to give me a media pass to the event so that I could report on it.  The person said she’d have to check with her boss and then the next day said that would not be giving media passes, but that they could offer me their ‘special’ student rate of $99.

Evidently, they don’t place much value on the work they continue ask me to do to help them – and don’t realize that most of media types do not make much money – especially considering the huge number of hours committed each week.  I usually alternate between the emotions of anger and amusement when someone asks to pay so I can help them out.

What was my reaction to this situation?  I asked to be immediately removed from all their media lists and stated that I would never be helping them or their client ever again.  What would you have done?

I love to help people, businesses and organizations, but eventually, as in every successful long term relationship, it eventually has to come back around.  All parties must be willing to help each other.  My suggestions for engaging the media:

1) Invite them to the events you ask them to promote.  They might even give you post event publicity too.

2) Don’t attach a price tag (you probably don’t like to pay to work and the media doesn’t either).

3) If the event includes a meal or food for attendees, don’t withhold it from your media guests – we are people too.  If your budget does not allow for cost of having media attend, simply don’t ask them to – or to promote it.

4) You might want to consider ‘the media” as your partner – and treating them as you’d treat a partner.

5) Go out of your way to connect and develop relationships with media. Do something nice for them – introduce them to someone who can help them, invite them to special events.  Don’t just use them – nobody likes to be used.

Feedback?  I’d love to hear it.