April 30th, 2017 marked the 10th and final year of The Greater Columbia Record Fair under my direction. The Record Fair brings vinyl dealers from across the country to the Columbia Museum of Art, making the museum the largest record store in the state for the day. 

As founder and organizer, it was also my responsibility to handle marketing and design. I promoted the event via print and social media – mainly focusing on Facebook and Twitter. 

Being in total control of design and brand gave me freedom to explore sometimes unconventional marketing strategies. 

One of these strategies included creating name plates for the vendors and bands. These were printed and also sent to the vendors Facebook/Twitter accounts weeks prior to the event. This served two purposes. One, it helped organize the physical layout of the record fair by informing vendors where to set up. Two, it allowed the vendors to promote themselves and by proxy the record fair by sharing the nameplates on social media. 

The Record Fair over the last ten years has grown into more than just a record convention. This final installment had live performances from some fantastic bands. There was a food truck serving Belgian waffles and a hot dog stand serving up some red hots! And to top it all off, my favorite local bar hosted a beer garden serving up local brew and mimosas in the plaza in front of the Museum. 

The Greater Columbia Record Fair from inception was meant to be a loud, boisterous, fun celebration of music and record collecting. I think after 10 years we finally got it dialed in!