Fw: World's Greatest Hobby Newsletter - November 2003

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

> WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY NEWSLETTER
> November 2003
>
> What's up with the World's Greatest Hobby? The updates come from a
> variety of sources, but we place extra weight on the information
> provided to us from you, our ambassadors. Below you'll find some recent
> success stories as well as other information and updates. - David Popp
> and Jim Riccioli
>
>
> Thanks to promotions new and old, November and model railroading go
> together like BN and SF, or CS and, um, X. The World's Greatest Hobby
> campaign has refocused this relationship by promoting not only the
> long-running "National Model Railroad Month" but also "Take a Model
> Train to Work Day" on Friday, Nov. 14.
> The latter represents another chance for ambassadors to stir some
> discussion within their workplaces by bringing their favorite locomotive
> or train-related item to work. We ask that participating ambassadors
> report to us what kind of reactions they get from co-workers on that
> special day so we can share some stories in our next newsletter.
> In our September newsletter, we listed one group (the Seacoast Division
> of the NMRA) that used model railroading's calendar connection as an
> excuse for a four-part model railroading program throughout November
> aimed at beginners. As many as 450 people were expected to participate
> in the program at the Wolfeboro (N.H.) Public Library. In addition to
> hearing how that program came off, we'd like to hear about other special
> programs ambassadors conduct during November.
>
> Oh yes, and don't forget: December is unofficially another great month
> to connect model railroading and the calendar. Holiday trains also serve
> as an important launching point. We'd like to hear about any displays
> and train-related events you conducted or attend to speak with the
> public about the World's Greatest Hobby.
> One grand display is in the Big Apple itself. The Station, a holiday
> model railroad display, will be returning to Citigroup Center, 153 E.
> 53rd St. at Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y., from November 28 to
> January 2. The multi-scale display, designed by Broadway set designer
> Clark Dunham, covers 700 square feet of Citigroup Center's atrium and
> features 30 train lines running through dozens of miniature scenes set
> in the 1940s and 1950s.
>
> Even before the special promotion months, the World's Greatest Hobby has
> been in the news recently. The Rosen Group, WGH's public relations firm,
> reported that the campaign generated another 11 million "media
> impressions" in September alone.
> The biggest media story was in the Sept. 29 issue of Time magazine,
> which profiled model railroad enthusiast Steve Flanders. The article
> focused on seniors and their hobbies and reached an audience estimated
> at 9.5 million.
>
> One ambassador who hasn't needed much prompting in telling us what's up
> is the ever-active Glen Chenier (Ambassador no. 1000). Along with
> ambassador Judy Watkins, Glen recently put on a small train show at a
> local restaurant in Highland Village, Texas. The event featured four
> "hands-on" N and Z scale layouts where anyone interested in model
> railroading could try their hand at running trains. Throughout the day,
> Judy and Glen also conducted scenery construction demonstrations that
> featured projects of various skill levels for all different age groups.
> Glen reports they had a lot of happy kids and parents turn out for the
> show.
>
> One of WGH's early ambassadors has been keeping busy this year with a
> trio of events.
> In April, George Boggs (Ambassador no. 89) and his Little Great Northern
> & Pacific Railway (Ramona, Calif.) club colleagues accepted an
> invitation by the Westfield North County Fair Mall to provide another
> public display for shoppers. "As usual, it was a good shopping weekend,"
> said George. "We estimated we entertained in excess of 10,000 people. We
> actually talked to several hundred people at length and sparked
> considerable interest in the World's Greatest Hobby." The centerpiece, a
> 32-x-36-foot U-shaped HO scale layout, proved to be a great attention
> getter, and club members followed up by handing out WGH materials.
> In addition, the club hosted the Spring San Diego Division/PSR Meet and
> Swap Meet (open to the public, with WGH materials available on hand) in
> May and took on another public show in August, this time at the Rancho
> Bernando San Rafael Parish. Concerning the latter, George said
> attendance (close to 500 people) amounted to a big success. "It helped
> that the (parish) priest pushed attendance at his masses," he added.
>
> And, finally, here's an avenue for the World's Greatest Hobby that has
> gone pretty much unexplored: A tie-in with one of the world's most
> popular outdoor sports.
> Larry Jankowski (WGH ambassador no. 832) helped establish a working
> layout on, of all places, a mini-golf course located in Illinois. Larry
> says Tinley Park is the only mini-golf in the United States with a train
> theme or a garden railroad. The 17-x-64-foot layout can be seen from
> anywhere on the golf course. Since his retirement from SBC, a regional
> phone company, after 32 years of service, this WGH ambassador has kept
> himself busy building layouts professionally, having already built three
> of the six public layouts listed in Illinois. He also has accepted
> various speaking engagements at libraries, garden clubs, and garden
> centers, on behalf of the hobby.
>
>
> 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@greatesthobby.com>, or telephone 877-426-5082.
> Please plan ahead and allow at least two weeks for delivery.
>
> ARRANGING APPEARANCES - While the campaign's public relations firm, the
> Rosen Group of New York, continues to publicize the WGH speakers bureau,
> ambassadors can also arrange their own appearances, particularly for
> events that are conveniently close to home. Using the following link,
> you'll find a form letter (a Microsoft Word document) that you can copy
> and add pertinent information. At a minimum you'll need to enter your
> name and address, that of the organization and contact person you're
> writing to, and your own contact information. Note, this link cannot be
> accessed by going to WGH's home page on the website. Cut and paste the
> following address or use the active link enclosed in this e-mail.
> http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/doc/FormLetter_ambassador.doc
>
> YOUR FEEDBACK - We'd like to hear from you. Retailers can reach an
> appropriate contact in trade sales, and sponsors have access to program
> leaders. Ambassadors with e-mail and Internet can check out WGH's
> recently redesigned website and 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.
> Ambassadors you can access the WGH forum at
> http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/forum/
>
> If you have forgotten your password for access to the ambassadors forum,
> here are the Username = and Email Address=ttat@aoot.com that were used
> for your initial registration. You can use them to get help remembering
> your password by clicking
> http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/forum/password.asp
>
> UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION - Ambassadors who need to make changes to
> their registration information can do so online at
> http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/dynamic/contactus/form_updateapplication.asp
> When you get to that page, 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.
>
> WGH LAYOUT - A PDF is now available on the WGH website of the track plan
> and materials list from the WGH "Building Your First Layout" video. It
> can be found on the downloads page at:
> http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/default.aspx?c=a&id=84
>
>
> -----
> ttat@aoot.com
>