[JCPentax]

PENTAX is planning a K-7 tour through several U.S. cities. We will show up in the towns below with the K-7 and some of our favorite lenses to try out. The best part is we will hold a drawing for a K-7 at every gathering! We would love to involve our PENTAXIANs with a little help on location (and permit!) advice, etc. Is there a great gathering spot in a park or do you know a restaurant or hotel with some space we could use?

Please make sure you post your city in the subject line of the reply. Sorry, we can't add any cities at this point.

Here is our tentative schedule:
- July 29th evening – Minneapolis - Hilton Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport: 3800 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, MN 55425 (925)854-2100 6:30-8pm on Wednesday

- August 4th Denver/Golden, CO - PENTAX's Golden office 600, 12th Street, Suite 300, Golden, CO 6:00PM-7:30PM


- August 6th Orange County (CA) 5:00pm to 7:00pm/Pacific II Ballroom THE PORTOFINO Hotel & Yacht Club 260 Portofino Way Redondo Beach, CA 90277


- August 7th Orange County (CA) 5:30pm to 7:00pm HILTON Irvine/Orange County Airport Crystal D Room 18800 MacArthur Blvd Irvine, 92612 949-833-9999

- August 8th afternoon/evening – San Jose, CA 2:30-4pm Hilton San Jose – Santa Clara Room 300 Almaden Boulevard San Jose, CA 95110 408-287-2100

- August 9th am or mid-day – San Francisco, CA 10am to 11:30am Marriott San Francisco Union Square 480 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94108 415-398-8900

- August 11th am or mid-day – Seattle, WA Hilton Seattle 1301 6th Ave (at University St) 11:30AM-1:00PM

- August 12th mid-day – Portland, OR 11:30-1pm Hilton Portland & Executive Tower 921 SW Sixth Avenue Portland, OR 97204

- August 14th - 2 gatherings - NYC 11:30am - 1pm and 5:30pm - 7:00pm Hilton Times Square (Empire Room) 234 W 42nd Street New York, NY


- August 15th – 2 gatherings - NYC 11:30am -1pm and 5:30pm - 7:00pm Hilton Times Square (Empire Room) 234 W 42nd Street New York, NY


- August 16th – Miami, FL 6-7:30pm Marriott Southbeach 161 Ocean Blvd Miami, FL


- August 17th – Orlando, FL 5:30-7pm Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress One Grand Cypress Blvd Orlando FL


- August 18th – Orlando 11:30am-1pm Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress One Grand Cypress Blvd Orlando FL

-

Thanks,

John

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Last edited by Damn Brit; 08-05-2009 at 02:00 PM.

[Wildnsyko]

Always happens... east coast... west coast... and nothing near me.

[MrApollinax]

Where abouts are you looking to hold this? There are a ton of places in the city that could accommodate something like this. I do not know what your marketing department has planned for an event like this but I would definitely consider a public place where you can setup a small kiosk/table for people passing by can get a look at pentaxians being excited about Pentax cameras! If the weather holds up next week Nicollet Mall would be a great place to do this. Plenty of people to see and take snap shots of people and things. Another place would be Mall of America in the Rotunda or maybe some other corner of the Mall where Pentaxians can take some "street" shots.

The Mall would have the best parking available whereas downtown you will need to pay for parking but either way I will be there!

PENTAX is planning a K-7 tour through several U.S. cities. We will show up in the towns below with the K-7 and some of our favorite lenses to try out. The best part is we will hold a drawing for a K-7 at every gathering! We would love to involve our PENTAXIANs with a little help on location (and permit!) advice, etc. Is there a great gathering spot in a park or do you know a restaurant or hotel with some space we could use?

Please make sure you post your city in the subject line of the reply. Sorry, we can't add any cities at this point.

Here is our tentative schedule:
- July 29th evening – Minneapolis area

Thanks,

John

[fearview]

and some of our favorite lenses to try out

it must be Takumars..

There are quite a few places in Golden Gate Park that are available for use. Parking can be an issue though so you would want an area that was close to public transport.

This should give you the relevant info John;
Permits

Golden Gate Park - San Francisco - California

I'd be happy to volunteer my services by the way.

[skinja]

Water front location, great view of the city, lots of parking, easy to find.

Looking forward to it.

Maybe one of the Moderators could make this a sticky. I don't want to forget about this thread.

Thanks,

John

[dantekgeek]

There are almost too many options to think of! If you can give us a better idea of exactly what kind of event (size, what if anything you plan to set up, etc) you're planning, I can narrow down my suggestions. In any case, here are some ideas to start out:

Both Adorama and B&H have event space, which seem like fitting locations for such an event, though I'm not sure of the costs involved.

Any of the semi-central Manhattan parks (Madison Square, Union Square, Bryant Park) would be good options, as well as of course Central Park.

I'd be happy to help with setup or logistics for the events.

[mike.hiran]

in regards to Portland, OR: couple places come to mind...

first would be the eastside waterfront around OMSI. In the afternoon, the sun is coming from across the river, so everything on the east side is pretty well lit. There is a lot of cross traffic too, so from a promotional standpoint, you'd get a lot of cross traffic besides pentaxians. This area is a magnet for photographers too who shoot the Portland skyline, river traffic, and OMSI stuff (big propeller from a sub, an actual submarine docked on the river front, a cool looking fire house). Near the fire house is a parking lot that is usually pretty empty, but it is very shaded there as it's underneath a highway... about a block north is an open area with benches. Also, it's a central location to Portland proper and it's suburbs. Also, tons of parking, much of it free, nearby.

Next, perhaps the Oregon Convention Center area might be good... some decent architecture in the area and is well lit in the afternoons. Great public transportation nearby too. Not much cross traffic that would be interested in photography though.

Some other ideas...
Pioneer Square - downtown portland - between buildings, so gets pretty shady during late afternoon, but good public transportation nearby, but not so good (free) parking.

Washington Park - Pentax visits the City of Roses in the Rose Garden - nice view of the city, lots of flower shots. I dunno though... kind of out of the way no matter where you are and all there is to shoot is flowers.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park (West waterfront) - tons of cross traffic, lots of open areas, a fountain, decent access, river views, downtown. lots of people shots, scenic shots, bridge shots, architecture. but gets shady late afternoon b/c of tall buildings. Could be okay though this time of year....

Thanks for making the trip. I look forward to playing with the k7!

[krypticide]

Be great if you could come to Stanford on 8/8. Parking is free on the weekends, but I'm not sure if or whom you'd need to get a permit from. I certainly won't tell...

[MrApollinax]

Just bumping this thread in order to make sure it gets enough coverage here. Still eagerly awaiting details

[apisto]

Although it is somewhat short notice, I hope to make the 29th event in Minneapolis.

[PhotoJim]

Hi there, think I'll throw in my 2 cents:

In Minneapolis we have Loring Park. It is connected by bridge to the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The garden and park are very photogenic, and free for people to come and take snapshots.

The Walker Art Center does rent out space for a price. There is a bar in there too. It is a modern art center, so be prepared for that...

There is also a Dunn Bros coffee shop near the park, their back room can accommodate maybe 20 people at most.

The Minneapolis Convention Center is about 3 blocks away. There's also several restaurants in the vicinity...

I hope I was of some help.

_Jim

Edit: And Brit's Pub has several private gathering rooms, probably 21+ though, but I had to give it a shot!

[MrApollinax]

MNtaxians! The event will be held at the MSP Airport Hilton 6:30-8PM! Here is the address:

3800 American Blvd East, Bloomington, Minnesota, United States 55425-1658

[GearHead]

Portland, OR

I second the suggestion of Pioneer Courthouse Square. It is centrally located right downtown and would have great exposure for your product. I checked the noon-tunes concert schedule and there is no conflict for that day. For people that don't want to park downtown, the Max light rail runs past the square going both east and west, also, the square is located on the bus mall for those who ride the bus. This is the place where most come to promote products. Here is the web-site for Portland regarding permits: Chapter 20.08 Permits

There are no stores in Portland where we can look at a Pentax SLR anymore. Looking forward to seeing you.

[JonPB]

One possibility is to rent a wedding location from the Parks & Recreation department. Most of these are outdoors and beautiful. This would communicate confidence in Pentax's all-weather abilities and also receive heavy, random foot traffic. The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden would be my pick.

Outdoor Wedding Sites
Other Suggested Locations

I am very glad that Pentax is coming to Portland--your products fit in very well here but I don't think there's a single retail store to see and buy them at.