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Gleason PR has been associated with several organizations for event management and marketing. Those organizers never seemed to go all out. So Kerry Gleason designed his own event to showcase his creative marketing skills and management prowess. The result was Pizza All-Stars™.
More than 620 people packed the Main St. Armory Oct. 23 to help name the Northeast Regional Champion and an invitation to the 2008 American Pizza Championships. Gleason's recipe for "the perfect event"?
Start with America's favorite family meal, pizza. Mix a competitive element by inviting the locale's top pizza shops willing to vie for a trip to a national competition, and a sponsor list with major national sponsors and local businesses. Sprinkle in some off-beat entertainment in the form of The U.S. Pizza Team, and top it off with a fund-raising element to help local families fight the ravages of a dreaded fatal disease, Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Proceeds from Pizza All-Stars benefited the ALS Association of Upstate NY. The event was sponsored by the Red Wings, Gannett Newspapers' insider, Clear Channel radio, MicroWorks POS systems, PMQ Magazine, the U.S. Pizza Team, Heitz & Associates, Conolly Printing, Pazaz Marketing, DJ Blaze, Gleason PR and other local and national companies. Gleason says plans are progressing to roll Pizza All-Stars out nationwide in 2008. Gleason says all sponsors have indicated an interest in supporting the event.
An illustrious panel of judges named Cam's NY Pizzeria the Best Overall Pizza. First runner up was Stephanie's Pizza Kitchen, and Mama Mittsy's Pizza Kitchen was second runner up. Judges were Tom Ferraro (Foodlink), Mario Daniele (Mario's Italian Steakhouse), Bob Keller (Charlie Brown's Restaurant), Adam Wilcox (Rochester Magazine), Tony Liccione, and U.S. Pizza Team Members Casey Cole and Ryan LaRose.
The event revisited the Tuesday Night Supper Club's 2005 Pizza Wars Invitational, but it was the first time a Rochester pizza-tasting had been arranged on such a large scale. Originally planned as a ballpark event, PALS was rescheduled for Oct. 23 at the Main St. Armory, Rochester's behemoth "new" event center. Okay, it was not perfect, Gleason admitted. "We had so many people that we temporarily ran out of pizza. We did not have as many volunteers as we needed, and while I didn't know whether anyone would come, we could have afforded to hire some assistants. Still, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive."
Next year -- bigger and better.
Website: www.PizzaAllStars.com
Kerry Gleason presents a donation to Dee Dee Rohr at the office of the ALS Association of Upstate NY on November 13, 2007.
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