Kobie Marketing Hosts First Annual “St. Pete’s Got Talent” Charity Event
St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) December 01, 2015 -- Kobie Marketing Inc., one of the largest Downtown Saint Petersburg employers, hosted its Saint Pete’s Got Talent (#StPetesGotTalent) charity event at Jannus Live – and it was a spectacular success. Nineteen local performers sang, danced, hula-hooped, joked and jammed their hearts out, each sponsored by a Tampa Bay area company and popular neighborhood band, Fowler’s Bluff opened the event as headliners.
Each performed on behalf of their sponsor’s non-profit of choice, hoping they could win a portion of the $50,000 prize pool to benefit that charity. Judges awarded points (1-20) to each performance in five categories: overall quality of performance, originality/creativity of the act, audience appeal, personality, and stage presence. Acts were then ranked in order of points (highest to lowest) to determine winners.
Going by their enthusiasm, the over 500-person audience loved the variety of performances, ages and entertainment. They erupted in even more applause when crowd-favorite musician David Camden won a surprise scholarship to further study his craft. Another amazing ovation came when Kobie Marketing announced that all sponsor charities would receive a $1,000 donation whether their performers placed or not.
The event not only recognized local talent, involved local companies, and raised funds for pre-selected charities, but another major initiative included collecting nonperishable food donations for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank (SPFC). Last year, Kobie collected over 46,000 pounds of food for this cause through their #StompOutStarving carnival fundraiser, filling their coffers for over six months. This year, the marketing agency that specializes in loyalty programs aimed to raise the bar. Thus Saint Pete’s Got Talent was born. From the multi-cause effort, over 50,000 pounds of food was collected from Tampa Bay area companies.
“The support from our community – from sponsoring companies, talent acts, and charities – has been overwhelming and inspirational,” said Bram Hechtkopf, CEO of Kobie Marketing. “As our food drive grows each year, we’re not only able to donate food, but also draw more attention to important work done by SPFC and increase awareness about hunger in our community.”
"Every year Kobie Marketing amazes us with an inventive way to support the community through their annual food drive to support SPFC," said Beth Houghton, executive director of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. "We are so grateful for their support. It is wonderful how they have inspired the local community to come out and support their neighbors in need."
The Saint Pete’s Got Talent event also featured a hugely successful silent auction with over 85 items donated by local and national companies, including: restaurant gift certificates, tickets to live entertainment and sporting events, apparel, autographed collectables, hotel and spa packages, wine baskets and more. Tickets to the event were priced at $40 ($20 for students) and included an hour and a half of free food courtesy of restaurant sponsors.
Click here for a full list (see long description) of talent show winners, sponsors and other companies that contributed to the success of the Saint Pete’s Got Talent event.
For more information on this event or if you are interested in sponsoring or participating in future Kobie charitable causes, please contact Selena McLaughlin at Selena(dot)McLaughlin(at)kobie(dot)com or call 727-822-5353.
About Kobie Marketing
Kobie Marketing is a global leader in loyalty marketing and an industry pioneer, delivering end-to-end strategy, technology and program management solutions. For 25 years, Kobie has provided innovative loyalty experiences to the world’s most successful brands, helping clients receive incremental revenue, product and household penetration, and brand advocacy. The company drives results and ROI through Kobie Alchemy®, a best-in-class loyalty marketing technology platform. To learn more, visit http://www.kobie.com.
About St. Petersburg Free Clinic
St. Petersburg Free Clinic is a multi-service, independent, not-for-profit human services agency providing neighbors in need assistance with food, shelter and health care since 1970.The Free Clinic is comprised of eight programs that are a beacon of hope for families and individuals who fall through the cracks of existing systems and services. To learn more, please visit http://www.stpetersburgfreeclinic.org.
Jennifer James, Kobie Marketing, Inc., http://www.Kobie.com, +1 (727) 822-5353 Ext: 138, [email protected]
Share this article