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| A guide to the Kingman area by Jim Hinckley that is now available at Amazon.com |
When you develop a bit of name recognition, and use it to help promote the old hometown, the line between shameless self promotion and promotion of said hometown can get quite thin. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Two excellent examples of this would be my current position with the Route 66 Association of Kingman and Ramada Kingman, an historic property that began life as the Holiday Inn in the mid 1960’s. As a consultant for the association, I provide an historic content, photographs, promotional assistance, and similar services which in turn promotes Jim Hinckley.
Likewise for the Ramada, a property that is moving closer to being the cities only full service Route 66 resort with the commencement of phase two of an expansive remodel and upgrade. However, for Ramada the relationship is a bit more business orientated. This provides additional opportunity for promoting the motel property, Kingman, and me.
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| Ramada Kingman |
With that said, I am quite pleased to announce that the long discussed and anticipated tours will be a reality before the end of this year. We will be starting out with two; a customized walking tour of the historic district and a virtual tour of Route 66, or the Kingman area, in the conference room for groups large or small, or individuals.
With the program that is about to be launched, you can book these tours on line when making your hotel reservations. In addition, you will be able to purchase tickets for Grand Canyon Caverns or book packages offered by Grand Canyon Western Ranch. In the coming months options will be expanded as partnerships are arranged with other area attractions such as Keepers of the Wild and Hualapai River Runners.
For more information, contact the Ramada Kingman through their website, or by calling (928)753-6262.
The Route 66 Association of Kingman is rapidly establishing a position of leadership
in regard to Kingman historic district and Route 66 corridor revitalization initiatives. I am quite pleased to be able to lend assistance with those endeavors.
With that said, on the evening of January 16, I will be making a presentation at Beale Celebrations in Kingman. In addition to The Armchair Tour of Route 66 presntation, there will be a dinner, a silent auction, wine from Stetson Winery, and afterwards, an informal pub crawl.
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| Beale Celebrations, artist rendering of pending renovations. |
This evening will be the kick off for the associations ambitious 66 Celebrates 90 initiative that includes providing promotional assistance to the organizers of Chillin’ on Beale, a delightful event held on the third Saturday of each month, April through October. Funds raised from the January presentation and auction will be applied to the acquisition, restoration, and installation of neon signage in the historic district and along the Route 66 corridor. For more information, to purchase tickets ($25, seating is limited), or to donate items for the silent auction contact Jamie Taylor at Just Marketing, (928)530-2056.
To arrange for a similar presentation for your group or organization contact me directly. I should note that I am available to make these anywhere in the United States or internationally.
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| Dunton Motors in KIngman |
To foster development of a sense of community as well as community purpose the association hosts an open house meet and greet every month. This informal get together is an excellent opportunity to network, to share ideas, to meet business owners, to learn about pending developments, and for visitors, an opportunity to get a glimpse at what makes Kingman special.
This month the Meet and Greet takes place on Saturday, December 12, 2:00 PM, at the historic Dunton Motors facility, now Dunton Motors Dream Machines. This is next door to Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner on Andy Devine Avenue, which is immediately to the east of Locomotive Park and across from the Powerhouse Visitor Center. Details for this and other events hosted or developed by the association are posted on their Facebook page. They will also be added to the website upon completion. If you would like to support this organization and its endeavors, membership applications will be available at the get together, or you can contact them through the Facebook page.
Another example of the associations developing role as a community leader is the recent announcement that they will be joining with Kingman Circle, an innovative marketing and promotional project launched by Ignite Marketing. This link is for the initiatives Facebook page, and this one is for Ignite Marketing.
The Kingman Circle is a pooled resource marketing vehicle that will provide the small business owner with big buck promotional opportunities. It is similar in nature to a proposal made last year during the developmental meeting for the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative Steering Committee in Albuquerque.
The final note of the morning pertains to my slow adaptation of modern technological opportunities. I now have a Twitter account (this is the link) where I will share updates, a daily witticism, and a few photos.
