Fw: WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY NEWSLETTER - December 2002

["Steve Wise" <swise@aoot.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "WorldsGreatestHobby" <WorldsGreatestHobby@maillist.kalmbachmail.com>
To: <ttat@aoot.com>
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 3:49 PM
Subject: WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY NEWSLETTER - December 2002


> What's up with the World's Greatest Hobby? Well, thanks to all of you
> folks (ambassadors, clubs, retailers, and sponsors), the hobby and the
> program to promote it are both doing quite well. Below you'll find some
> recent success stories as well as other information and updates.
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> 
> NEWS AND SUCCESS STORIES
> 
> A thousand of anything is a lot. A thousand ambassadors? That's a
> community.
> On Nov. 18, David Bacon, of Webster, Texas, became the 1,000th
> ambassador in the World's Greatest Hobby campaign, rounding out a
> successful first year.
> In addition, nearly 650 clubs have also joined the program, helping
> spread the word.
> 
> 
> Some 300,000 copies of the WGH brochure have now been distributed
> through the hands of ambassadors to the general public. The Rosen Group
> reports 15.1 million "media impressions" since the start of the
> campaign. The term refers to the combined readership and listenership
> that have had an opportunity to read or hear something about the World's
> Greatest Hobby through media sources.
> 
> 
> Gene Pritchard (Ambassador no. 190), a volunteer at the Madison County
> (Iowa) Historical Society, has worked over 200 hours this season at the
> museum with his garden railroad display located on the deck of the
> historical society's Winterset Depot in Winterset, Iowa. Gene also does
> presentations for school children about his train collection and the
> world of trains in general. "He is a very super representative to our
> historical society and the wonderful world of train collecting," said
> Debbie Zacharias of the Madison County Historical Society.
> 
> 
> Jack Hamilton certainly had his hands full - of World's Greatest Hobby
> materials, that is.
> Armed with 2,000 WGH booklets, 3,000 stickers and other materials, Jack
> and two other ambassadors (who we certainly invite to identify
> themselves and relate their experiences) promoted the program during the
> Pacific Science Center train show Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Seattle, with Jack
> presenting the clinic "Buying a train at Christmas." The show - jointly
> sponsored by the Science Center and the 4th Division Pacific Northwest
> Region of the NMRA, and the Science Center - was expected to draw about
> 20,000 people, with roughly 2,000 attendees participating in the clinic.
> Since September, Jack has served as an ambassador at three train shows
> and used WGH material in each.
> 
> 
> Roger Carp, associate editor on Classic Toy Trains magazine, promoted
> the World's Greatest Hobby as a guest on a WHBB-AM (Selma, Ala.) radio
> show Nov. 7.
> Roger followed up the next day as a guest on "Calling All Collectors," a
> call-in radio program at WSRO in Hudson, Mass. He will be on the air
> again Dec. 13.
> 
> 
> Ambassador Jim Kociemski appeared on KTNV-TV in Las Vegas Nov. 15 to
> promote the World's Greatest Hobby. Kociemski literally grew up with
> trains. His father and uncles worked for a railroad, and three railroads
> surround his childhood home near Buffalo, N.Y. Jim has served as a model
> railroad club vice president and has been a member of the NMRA since the
> late 1970s. He moved to Las Vegas in 1994, and has formed a small
> modular group with a friend.
> 
> 
> The Albuquerque Society of HO Module Engineers (ASHOME) brought together
> five area model railroad clubs and five vendors for an open house Nov.
> 1-3 at the club's semi-permanent layout site in the Fair Plaza Shopping
> Center, Albuquerque, N.M.
> The open house, whose purpose was to expose people of all ages to the
> World's Greatest Hobby and create a joint event between clubs, included
> invitations sent to 30 area senior and retirement centers and 1,000
> flyers sent to various area youth groups. Flyers were also sent to area
> hobby shops and other area railroad shows. The show, which gained some
> advance TV coverage, drew in 250 family members on Nov. 2 and more than
> 100 addition people on Nov. 3.
> Individually, the clubs are also participating at some level in the WGH
> promotion, according to Al Hovey, team leader from ASHOME.
> 
> 
> Chris Andreaci and the Boxcars Hobby Shop in Mays Landing, N.J., are
> taking on the role of Santa's helpers in the promotion of the World's
> Greatest Hobby.
> In his store, Chris is building the layout featured in the WGH video
> "Building Your First Model Railroad." When the layout is complete, it
> will be raffled off for Christmas.
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> 
> WGH INFORMATION
> 
> AMBASSADOR NUMBERS - Your ambassador kits included your own unique
> ambassador number. Please remember to use this number in ordering WGH
> booklets and any other WGH materials, whether by e-mail or telephone,
> and to have your audiences enter it on the feedback cards they fill out.
> This number on the feedback cards will help us to keep track of your
> appearances and to recognize outstanding contributions by individual
> ambassadors. You can e-mail your requests for materials to
> <mailto:customerservice@kalmbach.com>, or telephone 877-426-5082. Please
> plan ahead and allow at least two weeks for delivery.
> 
> ARRANGING APPEARANCES - The campaign's public relations firm, the Rosen
> Group of New York, continues to publicize the WGH speakers bureau.
> However, ambassadors can also arrange their own appearances,
> particularly for events that are conveniently close to home. You'll find
> a form letter (a Microsoft Word document) on the greatesthobby.com web
> site that you can send to organizations in your area to introduce
> yourself and the WGH campaign. Copy the document and add pertinent
> information. At a minimum you'll need to enter your name and address,
> that of the organization and contact person you write to, and your own
> contact information. You will find this form letter at 
> http://list.kalmbach.com/UM/T.ASP?A13.78.5.1.3173
> 
> YOUR FEEDBACK - We'd like to hear from you. As always, retailers can
> reach an appropriate contact in trade sales, and sponsors have access to
> program leaders. Now ambassadors with e-mail and Internet can
> participate in a forum set up just for them.
> The forum consists of four topic areas: Success stories, sharing
> speaking tips, other promotional activities, and suggestions for
> improving the campaign. The forum is interactive, allowing you to
> comment on other ambassadors' posts, and moderated, allowing us to keep
> the posts on topic. Please tell us about any WGH presentations that you
> make. We'd especially like to share your successes and anything you
> learn with the other ambassadors.
> 
> Using the forum, we'll try to summarize and highlight some of those
> success stories in future issues of this newsletter for all ambassadors,
> clubs, retailers, and sponsors to read.
> Under a separate e-mail in the next several days, ambassadors will
> receive instructions and links on how to access this new forum. Follow
> the registration instructions and have at it. From that point forward,
> to access the WGH forum, go to: 
> http://list.kalmbach.com/UM/T.ASP?A13.78.5.2.3173
> 
> UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION - Ambassadors who need to make changes to
> their registration information can do so online at 
> http://list.kalmbach.com/UM/T.ASP?A13.78.5.3.3173
> When you get to that page, click on "update existing information" and
> you'll be able to enter changes of address, telephone numbers, e-mail,
> and anything else on the form.
> 
> RECRUITING - Grass-roots support efforts have helped spur the campaign
> over the 1,000 ambassador mark. Keep spreading the word about the
> World's Greatest Hobby. The more ambassadors, registered clubs, and
> registered retailers the program has, the better.
> 
> 
> Happy Holidays from all of us at the World's Greatest Hobby.
> http://www.greatesthobby.com
> 
> 
> -----
> ttat@aoot.com
>