We're back and excited to share spectacular photos and delightful characters with you from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 

What a terrific event!  We have never had so many people specifically interested in photography, printing, getting the most out of their cameras, capturing bright, vivid colors and then of course, sharing those pictures quickly and easily with their friends and family that were not able to attend.

One chipper gentleman came in with a wonderful hat shaped like a hot air balloon that was covered in pins.  He was eager to speak with someone in the Kodak Inspiration Tour tent because one of his collections was all of the Kodak pins that were ever made for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta since 1980!  The hat he had on was, in fact, his second hat.  The first one was at home and weighed nearly a ton he said!  He was excited to see that Kodak once again had a presence at the Fiesta and spent quite a bit of time in the tent learning about the "digital era" and uploading his recent pictures to the Kodak Gallery. 

Two friends came into the tent all decked out in their Balloon Fiesta regalia, sporting patches from the past 22 years!  The Fiesta has become a tradition for them to get together and it is even more of an event since one of them moved about 200 miles away.  They had a great time getting their picture taken in the No.12 NASCAR Dodge, and they couldn't believe how natural the colors were when they printed their image on the KODAK EasyShare G610 Printer Dock. 

We were privileged to meet 3 cousins and their aunt who were reuniting at the Balloon Fiesta after 45 years!  They had recently lost their last uncle of 6 and decided it was time to see one another again.  Tears of joy ran down the aunt's face while she was standing on the Olympic Podium photo backdrop as she realized this would be their first print of all of them together after such a long separation!

There was a tangible nostalgia in the air at the Balloon Fiesta and everyone seemed to be of high spirits and very receptive to the Kodak Inspiration experience.  We were constantly amazed at the splendid, rainbow colored and interestingly shaped balloons that flooded the sky at dawn and brilliantly glowed at dusk.  Every night brought magnificent fireworks over the Kodak tent and we captured some great shots using the fireworks scene mode on all the cameras that we have on display.  These pictures served as great examples to show off the next day and it was fun to see people compare the Kodak pictures to those they themselves had taken with other cameras. 

Thank you, Albuquerque!  Over 14,000 visitors toured the experience and inspired our team of dedicated Kodak Ambassadors in the process.  As we move on to the Arizona State Fair, our team is more passionate than ever to continue to educate and inspire others every day we open our doors.

Comments (1) | Permalink

US Navy Blue Angels, Canadian Forces Snowbirds, and spectacular fireworks were just a few of the sites guests enjoyed at the Salinas Airshow near Monterey, CA over the last weekend in September.  The Inspiration Tour visited the Airshow as well and captured some great photos and stories while entertaining and educating visitors.

We took a lot of pictures of people with their arms spread wide like airplanes over the course of the three-day event! We received positive feedback from everyone that came through and many people returned with others so that they could come and "check out Kodak" and our full suite of digital products and services on display.

One very friendly gentleman came in to check out Kodak's 4,000 sq. ft. exhibit and reminisce a while about his career as a pilot and how many years he had been attending the Salinas Airshow.  When he showed us all of the old, tattered photos that he kept in his wallet, we suggested that he scan the photos in on the Kodak Picture Kiosk and create a new digital copy to preserve them.  He was thrilled with the idea and left with an 8x10 collage and a Kodak Picture CD.  He told us he was going to surprise his wife with the special keepsake he created!

Thank you, Salinas!  The Inspiration Tour packed up and left the state of California to take up residence in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a couple weeks at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  We'll be back soon with breathtaking photos from Albuquerque and visitor feedback from people we continue to have the privilege to inspire!

Comments (0) | Permalink

Sunny Southern California was overcast and rainy at times, but we still enjoyed our time at the LA County Fair. We are excited to report we have inspired just over 100,000 visitors through the first 6 events on the tour schedule. We are extremely proud of our team of dedicated Kodak ambassadors and thankful for the opportunity to bring this experiential marketing pavilion to people all over the country!

We were thrilled to see a very diverse group of visitors in Pomona, CA at the LA County Fair.  To properly reach out to the Hispanic community, Kodak developed a :30 second promotional spot for the fair that ran on a huge megatron video wall and delivered the content in both English and Spanish.  Many visitors mentioned the video when they visited the experience and commented on how nice it was to have multiple languages on the Kodak Picture Kiosk machines when they arrived.  We met a lot of families that didn't speak much English and greatly benefited from this feature which made their time much more enjoyable in the tent.

The new All-in-One Inkjet Printers continue to be well received on the tour.  "It's about time Kodak came out with a line of inkjet printers and one that does everything like this - prints, copies, scans. The cost is good and the quality is good.  This is a huge win for Kodak!"  Many people loved the low cost ink and commented on the great picture quality.  A couple was in the market for a new printer as theirs has just died. After experiencing the All-in-One printer first-hand, they were convinced and took a special offer coupon to make sure they didn't buy the wrong thing.

Thank you, California!  The Inspiration Tour moved just down the road for a few days to enjoy the Salinas Air Show and then we're off to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the breath-taking International Balloon Fiesta

Don't miss the next few blogs as we are sure to have spectacular images from both of these events.  See you soon with more photos and stories from people across the country we have had the privilege to inspire!

Comments (1) | Permalink