The next day was a rainy one at Bucknell. It had rained both days we were in Delaware and still raining in Bucknell was kind of a downer for everyone. It was Saturday though so we got to watch some college football.
The venue was smaller and we had an area on the upper level, that overlooked the floor and stage, to set up our stuff. I grabbed a spot right in the middle of the venue, just around the corner from the other tables, because I thought it would be a better place to sample. It’s also where we were going to put just the inflatable, but I have come to realize I like it better when the inflatable, sampling, and table are all in one place. A few times the inflatable couldn’t fit by the table so we put it somewhere near the entrance where everyone could see it. Also at Delaware the barrel coolers were leaking so I had my volunteers hand out samples outside, and that wasn’t ideal because I didn’t get to see people’s reactions to Silk. It also really goes hand in hand, “try a sample, you could win a year’s supply.”
Sampling at Bucknell was a little slower than it had been at Delaware. Since we were upstairs a lot of people came in the entrance and went straight to the floor. Everyone could see us from the floor, so we did have a decent amount of people come check it out. Tonight I stood by one of the barrel coolers next to the inflatable and handed out samples. My two volunteers also handed out samples on the other side of the table. This was different than in the past because no one was standing behind the table, asking people to sign up for the raffle. I feel that since no one was standing behind the table more people stopped to check it out. At Delaware the new specially made raffle forms got delivered and they are awesome looking! The form describes exactly what is being raffled off. So for people stopping by, if I am distracted talking someone else, can read the form and know what they are signing up to win. I think it may be intimidating for someone to be standing behind the table watching you fill out a form to win, also some people are just shy and would rather walk by than ask what the signed guitar and huge Silk carton is doing there. I think I may continue to try and be out in front of the table, and have people sign up.
The night went well, at the end I had a lot of raffle tickets filled out, and no samples. Since everyone could see it, I left the inflatable up for most of the show. I felt like it was in a good spot, and should have a presence during the show. I don’t really think it had that much of an impact leaving it up longer, because everyone was watching the show, but even if it caught a few people’s eye I was ok with it.
My brother Mike came down from Penn State for the show, so he hung out with me for a little while I handed out samples. We had a really good view of the show so he watched it near the table with me. He also got the chance to wonder around. I got him a guest pass so he could go wherever he wanted to. He got there around dinner time so I was happy we got to eat dinner together, the catering was pretty good that night too. Then there was a meet and greet with the band so I got to introduce him to some of the guys. I felt bad I kind of had to ditch him to do my job, but at the same time he could watch the show wherever he wanted to, hang out on the bus or backstage, and do a lot of things that most people don’t get the chance to do at a concert. After I cleaned up all my stuff we went down and watched the show from the side of the stage. It was definitely the best show OAR has put on so far!
The next day we we had a day off and we were stopping in Portland, ME. That is also where Reverb is based so we had plans to go out to dinner with Adam and Lauren (the founders of Reverb). We went to a place called flatbread pizza right on the water. It was a cute little place that just served pizza and salad and used all locally grown and organic products to make their food. I had tasted a few flatbread gluten-free pizzas at expo and was hoping that this place had a gluten-free option, because I am allergic. Sure enough I asked, and they make a single size gluten-free pizza. It was the best pizza I have had in a long time! Even better than the kinds I tried at expo because it was fresh out of the oven. I really contemplated ordering some to ship home, but decided against it. Besides the food being awesome dinner was great. Everyone casually conversed about different things, and I had a chance to sit down and talk and get to know Lauren and Adam. They seem like really great nice people, you can tell they really care about what Reverb is all about and what we are doing. We talked about how happy they were to have SIlk on board and how much of a really great partnership it is between the two organizations. I think so far the tour has been a great success and it has really given SIlk a chance to get out and show people that it supports an environmental initiative, especially to folks who normally would not have know that.
The night in Portland was great, I also got a chance to meet Brian and Emily, who also work in the Reverb office. Overall everyone had a good time and it was really great to meet Adam and Lauren because everyone has spoken so highly of them. Rightly so, they seem like good-hearted, motivated, friendly people.
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