Thank You San Diego for an Amazing Foursquare Day Celebration #4SqDaySD

Foursquare Day San Diego is just wrapping up and the 2013 event was bigger and better than ever! The true spirit of Foursquare was definitely in the air. I have been hosting Foursquare Day events for the past 3 years. This year I partnered with @DowntownRob, Stephanie from i.d.e.a, Melonie from Fandom Marketing and the Social Media Club.

The night started out with Foursquare Education by my friends over at Matters of Grey, Chaunce Dolan and Andy Morales. Matters of Grey is the best resource on the web for finding out about how to unlock Foursquare Badges! They taught us everything we needed to know about Foursquare. I definitely learned new tips on how to use Foursquare on a personal level and for business. If you missed the Foursquare Education portion of the event, no worries. You can find all the slides here.

After learning, we worked up a big appetite just in time to start the Foursquare Day Crawl! The idea behind the Foursquare Crawl was to get people checking in throughout the night and rewarding them for doing so. We walked over to Po Pazzo, checked in and started the night started off with mouthwatering appetizers.

The next check in on the Foursquare Day Crawl was Zia’s Bistro. Everyone enjoyed a nice glass of wine and more delicious  appetizers.

Our last check in was Cafe Zucchero. They generously awarded us with any dessert from their dozens of choices for checking in. Their desserts are delectable. If I’m ever in the mood for dessert, I will definitely be coming back here! We also had a nice area reserved for us in the back to relax, mingle and enjoy the rest of the night.

Throughout the evening I got to catch up with my social media friends, met some awesome new connections, gave away limited Foursquare Day 2013 water bottles and made people winners by giving out gift cards to various restaurants in San Diego. It was an amazing night with the best company.

A special thank you goes out to the Bussalachi Family Restaurants for their extremely generous food, wine and dessert contribution to our event. They had superb customer service at every location and all of f their food was spectacular. Our partnership with them couldn’t have been made possible without our friends Stephanie, Gary and Beth from the i.d.e.a team.

Also, thank you to Dining Out San Diego and Islands Restaurants for donating raffle prizes. Last but not least, thank you to every single person who attended the event to celebrate Foursquare Day! This geek holiday is made possible by social media and all of the savvy people who use it so thank you San Diego for an amazing Foursquare Day celebration! See you next year on 4/16!

 

More Foursquare Day San Diego photos are posted on the Marketing Melodie Facebook page.

Check In at Foursquare Day San Diego on April 16th, 2013 #4sqdaysd

I am thrilled to be hosting Foursquare Day San Diego for my third year in a row (My fourth year hosting Foursquare Day  in general since the first year I was in Hong Kong and hosted the event overseas). I’m excited to see everyone and meet new Foursquare friends on my favorite geek holiday! Two years ago, I enjoyed delicious apps, wine tasting and check in special drinks with you all at Foursquare Day San Diego at R Gang Eatery. Last year we got the community involved at Foursquare Day San Diego at Osetra where we raffled off fun prizes for checking in and enjoyed delicious food and drinks from the restaurant. This year Foursquare Day San Diego is back and will be bigger and better than ever.

As always, Foursquare Day is on 4/16! (4th month; 4 squared=16). This year it falls on a Tuesday evening. Myself and @DowntownRob from Downtownrob.com have been hosting this event the past couple years and this year, we have joined forces with Stephanie Garcia of  i.d.e.a, Melonie Gallegos of Fandom Marketing and Social Media Club San Diego, with sponsorship from the Busalacchi family of restaurants.

This is a free event and this year we’re making the features of Foursquare come to life by adding a Check in Crawl so you can experience a few different venues and check in at each to earn rewards and win prizes. The night begins with a Foursquare Education workshop, then the Check In Crawl and mingle at the end. Meet new friends, check in with your online connections in real life and enjoy fine wine and delicious appetizers along the way. 

• Start the night off by learning more about Foursquare at the Social Media Club San Diego Educational Workshop, 5:30-6:30pm. This workshop is a paid event (the rest of the activities are free), for tickets and details visit: http://thesocialhour.eventbrite.com/

Then let’s have fun at the Foursquare San Diego Foursquare Check In Crawl:

• Po Pazzo – Check in here between 7:00 to 7:30pm and sample some delicious appetizers
• Zia’s Bistro – Check in here between 7:40 to 8:10pm and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine
• Trattoria Fantastica/Cafe Zucchero- Check in here between 8:20 to 10:00pm to end the night at our Foursquare mix and mingle and enjoy a sweet dessert
• Please note you can join us at the crawl any time! If you miss the crawl, no worries, we’re meeting at the end for the Foursquare mix and mingle. We’ll be raffling off fun prizes for checking in at each venue. (Must be present to win.)
  

  Foursquare Day San Diego 2012 Crowd at Osetra

We discourage drinking and driving therefore, all venues are within walking distance in beautiful Little Italy.  There are also a few other ways to get involved in this year’s event:

•  Last year I shared a list of San Diego’s best Foursquare Specials of 2012. The specials are constantly changing so I need your help coming up with a new list for 2013. What are you favorite Foursquare specials in San Diego? Please share them in the comments below and your suggestion may be added to the list.
  
• We need raffle prizes! If your company would like to donate a prize, please let me know. Our Foursquare Day San Diego team will make sure you get the recognition you deserve.

RSVP to the event on Facebook here. When tweeting about the event and checking in on Foursquare use the hashtag: #4sqdaySD – you can also add the international hashtag: #4sqday. Feel free to follow my Foursquare updates in the meantime here. I look forward to checking in with you all very soon!

Navigating the Pacific Northwest through Social Media as a Seattleite

Wow this summer is flying by. I haven’t had a chance to update much because I’ve had a lot on my plate from hosting marketing workshops, attending conferences, teaching yoga classes and keeping up with my marketing consulting clients. I’ve been fortunate enough to explore some amazing places this summer despite my busy schedule and am grateful that I designed a career which grants me the freedom to travel at my leisure. I recently shared my adventures from Terranea Resort located in the beautiful Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Immediately after returning from my trip to paradise, I hopped on a plane to the Pacific Northwest! I landed in Seattle which is a town I have been to before but this was the first time I was actually going to have an opportunity to explore the city.

My trip was a combination of visiting friends, family and business so I definitely hit all the birds with one stone. If you remember my trip in March to Chicago, I brought the San Diego sunshine! It was 70s and sunny my entire stay. I brought the San Diego sunshine to Seattle too! It sprinkled on my first day. After that it was perfect sunny weather. In Chicago, I navigated the city utilizing Facebook recommendations and Foursquare tips and uncovered many hidden gems in the city that even my friend and cousin who both live there didn’t know about. In the Pacific Northwest, I once again turned to Facebook and Foursquare to learn about that hotspots in both Seattle and Portland (My Portland trip will be in another post!). The Seattlelite Foursquare list had so many things that I was already planning to do. I also purchased the Seattle City Pass which I highly recommend. It includes passes to 6 attractions for only $69 including the world famous Space Needle. If I purchased the tickets individually it would have cost over $130.

Click on the Facebook image below to check out all the recommendations:

I love attending sporting events. There is always so much excitement and positive energy. I’m a die hard San Diego Padres fan but I always think it’s fun to catch a baseball game whenever I travel. In fact, my goal is to attend a baseball game in every MLB stadium. So far I’ve been to 7. I attended my first Mariners game at Safeco Field. I also attended a Sounders Soccer game at Centurylink Field which is definitely something everyone needs to experience when visiting Seattle.

I celebrated 4th of July in Seattle by watching the fireworks at the renowned Gasworks Park at the “Family 4th at Lake Union” event. It was a gorgeous evening and an amazing fireworks display. Even when it’s not 4th of July, I recommend a visit to Gasworks park. They have group photo ops and you’ll see unique displays that can’t be found anywhere else.

Other must sees in Seattle include the Pacific Science Center. I was in awe of the Michael Jackson laser show. I had no idea what to expect since I’ve never seen a laser show but I highly recommend it. I fell in love with the butterfly garden at the Pacific Science Center. The beautiful delicate creatures were fluttering all around and sometimes stopping for a photo op.

Anyone who visits Seattle needs to make a stop at the world famous Pike Place Market. It’s a giant farmer’s market that’s always open and buzzing with excitement with flying fish, curious tourists and hungry locals seeking the freshest of the fresh fare. The flagship Starbucks is found here too.

Being from San Diego, I’m lucky to have the World Famous San Diego Zoo in my backyard. Visiting the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle however was very relaxing. It’s a lot smaller than the San Diego Zoo so I didn’t feel rushed to try and see every exhibit. I enjoyed feeding the birds and watching the animals lounge around. Since I use Foursquare to explore new cities, I was excited to discover a check in special at the Zoo. They gifted guests with a plush animal toy with check in!

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Hiram what?! That’s what I said when someone tried to explain to me what the “locks” were. All I know is that it’s something unique that I recommend experiencing. I was fortunate enough to experience the locks both on a boat and on land! I’ll let Wikipedia take it from here and explain what the locks are.

If you want to feel like a kid in Charlie’s Chocolate factory, $6 is all is takes for a grand tour of the Theo Chocolate Factory. All of their chocolate is organic, fair trade and made right in Seattle. The tour began with chocolate education and then they let you taste more chocolate than you’ll ever need while giving you a sneak peek at all the contraptions used to churn out their delicious chocolate.

I mentioned that this was also a business trip. A quick shout out to my Seattle based client, Insect Shield. I have been consulting with them for the past couple years  but I have never met their team in person. I love that the power of technology allows me to help people with their marketing even if we’re not in the same location. Insect Shield’s Marketing Director initially connected with me on LinkedIn so it was a pleasure to finally meet her in her home town. I celebrated my Grandpa’s 87th birthday in Seattle too. By the end of my trip, I was an official Seattleite! I even have the shiny Foursquare badge to prove it!

I conclude this post by once sharing my gratitude for opportunities to travel, explore new places and spend time with friends and family. I’ll definitely be going back to Seattle sometime. If you plan to visit, I trust that I’ve given you a few great recommendations on what to do during your stay.

Celebrating Foursquare Day 2012 with San Diego’s Best Foursquare Specials #4SqDaySD #4SqDay

Happy Foursquare Day everyone! Foursquare day is my favorite Nerd Holiday (other Nerd Holidays include: PI Day 3/14, Star Wars Day 5/4- May the Forth Be With You!) because it really showcases the benefits of social media. This day brings people together  all over the world to celebrate and check in at local businesses while networking and meeting new friends. This year I once again have the honor of hosting Foursquare Day San Diego. I look forward to seeing everyone tonight at Osetra in the Gaslamp from 6-8pm!

In addition to hosting Foursquare Day San Diego, I also compiled a list of San Diego Foursquare Specials for you all to enjoy. I created a list of Foursquare specials last year too but they’re constantly changing so this is the most current. Please keep in mind that these specials are subject to change. If you know of a great special that’s not on this list, please feel free to tweet me, or leave me a comment here!

Apertivo | Italian Tapas & Wine Bar – Newbie Special: Your first time check in gets you a FREE tapas with the purchase of one of equal or lesser value. Unlocked on your 1st check-in. Not valid with any other promotions, coupons, or discounts and Loyalty Special: Check in to Apertivo’s 8 times, spend $10 or more each visit, and receive a FREE bottle of our House White, or Red wine! Unlocked every 8 check-ins. Not valid with any other offers, coupons, or discounts.

Bub’s at the Ballpark and Bub’s Dive Bar & Grill – CHECK-IN and get FREE TOTS with any purchase! Good for 1 Per Table/Per Day! Show your server your Check-In! ***Offer Not Valid during WING WEDNESDAY (Unlocked every check-in)

Chili’s Grill & Bar (all over San Diego) – Friends Special: Free Happy Hour Appetizer in the Bar! Unlocked for 3 friends checking in together (Max value $5. Offer only available during Happy Hour. and Check-in Special: Start your meal right; Check-in @ Chili’s & receive a free order of Chips & Salsa! Unlocked every check-in.

Copy-It - Newbie Special: Free Sharpie Marker with any purchase over $5.00 (excludes postal purchases). One per customer. Unlocked on your 1st check-in.

Dragon’s Den – Newbie Special: Get the 1st Drink (beer, wine by the glass or cocktail) at Half of Regular Price. Unlocked on your 1st check-in. Also an American Express Shop Small Check-in special.

Hexagone- Mayor Special- The Mayor receives 40% off their total bill and Check-in Special- Show your waiter that you’ve checked in on foursquare and receive a free appetizer.

 iTAN (all over San Diego) – Check-in Special: New customers receive $100 in free tanning! (Unlocked every check-in) and Mayor Special: Receive 25% off iTAN services. Show your mayor badge to the cashier & this code: PSP25%FS. One time use only. (Unlocked every check-in)

Java Mama – Check-in Special: Show that you checked-in and receive 10% off food and beverages. Enjoy a delicious latte, mocha, panini, and lots more. (Unlocked every check-in) and Mayor Special: 20% off food and beverages to the mayor. (Unlocked for the mayor.)

Marcella Junes Coffee Lounge – Mayor Special: 20% off every purchase. (Unlocked for the mayor), Newbie Special: Buy one 16 oz. hand crafted beverage at regular price and receive one hand-crafted beverage of equal or lesser value free. (Unlocked on your 1st check-in; One redeem/visit/customer.) and Loyalty Special: Every 9th check-in receive a free 16 oz. hand crafted beverage of your choice! (Unlocked on your 9th check-in; One check-in per day.)

 Noodles & Company (Rosecrans) – Show that you’ve checked In to this location and receive a FREE Rice Krispy Treat! Unlocked every check-in.

Payless ShoeSource (All over San Diego) – Check-in Special: Take $5 off of any $25 purchase. Valid thru 4/30/2012 & excludes Shopko stores. (Unlocked every check-in) and Newbie Special: Take 10% off your entire purchase. Offer valid thru 4/30/2012. Excludes Shopko stores. (Unlocked on your 1st check-in)

Pastalini Pasta Bar- Check-in Special- Free soda with your meal and Mayor Special- Free box of bread with any meal order.

Quality Social – Friends Special: Check in with 3 friends and dessert is on them! (Unlocked for 4 friends checking in together.)

Rubio’s (all over San Diego) – Mayor Special: Get a Grilled Gourmet Garlic Herb Shrimp Taco for free with any purchase. (Limit 1 per day.) and Friends Speial: Free Regular Soda or Iced Tea when you check in with 2 friends. (Unlocked for 2 friends checking in together.)

Souplantation- Show your phone to the cashier for 15% off lunch or dinner. Not valid w/ other offers. Web code: W00170

Super Brows – Check-in Special: Free Lip Threading Service when you buy Eyebrow Threading Service. (Unlocked every check-in; Only One Per Customer.)

 Tops Of The Park – Newbie Special: Show this to your server to receive 20% off of your bill. (excluding alcohol & Unlocked on your 1st check-in)

 T-Mobile  Newbie Special: As a thank you for checking-in at a T-Mobile store for the first time, we want to treat you to 30% off any one of our awesome accessories! Unlocked on your 1st check-in

Terra American Bistro – Check-in Special: Show that you’ve checked in on FourSquare and receive a free appetizer. (Unlocked every check-in) and Special Mayor Offer: Receive 25% off you total bill. (Unlocked every check-in)

The Blue Pearl Casual Eatery – Check-in Special: Get 10% off your total bill for Lunch! (Unlocked every check-in)

The Comedy Store – Newbie Special: Receive FREE ADMISSION at the La Jolla Comedy Store any Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sunday! (Excludes Special Events) 21 & up only. (Unlocked on your 1st check-in)

The Field Irish Pub & Restaurant – Newbie Special: Get one free dessert on your first check-in. (Unlocked on your 1st check-in; Must purchase one entrée.)

The Tipsy Crow – Check-in Special: Check in and receive complimentary vodka infused mango or pineapple with purchase of any beverage. (Unlocked every check-in), Loyalty Special: 50% off your tab for every fourth check-in! (Unlocked on your 4th check-in) and Mayor Special: Mayor gets their tab 50% off anytime.

Village 631 – Check-in Special: Get 10% off your Tab with check-in. (Unlocked every check-in)

Wave House Bar & Grill – Check-in Special: 10% off your bill. (Unlocked every check-in.) and Mayor Special: If you’re the mayor, you get $3 wells! (Unlocked every check-in.)

Wings Beachwear – Check-in Special: FREE Sand Dollar when you Check-In. (Unlocked every check-in; Tell cashier to use SKU 7619846 to Redeem.)

American Express has also teamed up with Foursquare to offer you some great specials! Here’ are details on how to Sync, Explore and Save with American Express.

These are just a few of the Foursquare specials offered in San Diego! This list is always growing so please let me know if you see any others. Happy Foursquare Day 2012 and enjoy the benefits of your check ins even more now that you know about these awesome specials.

Foursquare Day San Diego 2012 Presented by @MyMelodie & @DowntownRob #4SqDaySD #4SqDay

I’m so excited to host Foursquare Day for the third year in a row with @DowntownRob. It’s coming up in less than a week on 4/16  (4th month; 4 squared=16). During the inaugural Foursquare Day in 2010 I was traveling in Hong Kong so connected with their awesome Social Media community and hosted Foursquare Day Hong Kong. Last year, I hosted Foursquare Day San Diego at R Gang Eatery and this year we’re celebrating at Osetra in the Gaslamp from 6-8pm. You can RSVP for the event here!

Everyone is invited to this free event to celebrate a Holiday created by Social Media. Meet new friends and check in with your online connections in real life! We’ll have Foursquare Day drinks specials and complimentary appetizers including tempura tuna rolls and bruschetta compliments of Osetra.

If anyone would like to help with the event, please let us know. We’re accepting raffle donations (anyone who checks in at the event is entered in the raffle) and we would love your help in spreading the word about the event on your social networks! I’m also compiling a list of San Diego venues that offer Foursquare specials. To celebrate Foursquare Day last year, I compiled a list but it needs to be updated. If you know of any venues that offer Foursquare specials, please tweet me or leave me a comment here.

When tweeting about the event and checking in on Foursquare use the hashtag #4sqdaySD. You can also add the general hashtag #4sqday -view the Minglestream tweetwall here. And find out where I’m checking in on Foursquare here. Looking forward to seeing everyone on 4/16!

Marketing Melodie’s Adventures in Exploring Chicago on Foursquare

Chicago is my favorite city outside of California to visit! I’ve been on three occasions and have the best time each and every single time!  One of my best friends, Krissy moved back home to Chicago last year and has been nudging me to come and visit ever since. A few months back we decided St. Patrick’s Day weekend would be the perfect time for me to adventure out to Chicago again. The timing worked out perfectly because I was already traveling to Austin for SXSW March 8-14th so instead of flying all the way back to San Diego, I flew to Chicago on March 15th and stayed for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. As a bonus I brought the San Diego sunshine to Chicago with me! It was 70s and sunny my entire stay!

I love traveling and exploring new places but I don’t like to have strict agendas or time tables to follow. I enjoy being able to relax and check out new places without feeling like I need to see everything. I generally travel with a few ideas in my head of places I’d like to check out but leave things completely open as I truly believe that things always work out exactly how they’re supposed to. The Explore Chicago website does such a great job at showcasing so many different attractions in their city. They have something for everyone, no matter what type of entertainment you’re in to.

What I found exciting about all the attractions they list is that the City of Chicago has Foursquare badges you can unlock by exploring! I took a look at the lists and there was such a great variety of attractions that I decided to use their Windy City Badge list and On Location Badge list as a guideline for touring the city since many of these spots were places I wanted to visit anyway!  Here’s a glimpse of my adventures in Chicago, I’m highlighting locations that helped me unlock these 2 shiny new badges in addition to other fun things I experienced.

My first night in town was Thursday. I was craving Chicago style pizza! I turned to Twitter and Facebook to see what everyone thought was best and I started a little pizza war as people debated different spots. I kept hearing about Gino’s East and Lou Malnatis. Pequods was also mentioned a couple times. When Krissy got home from work, I told her was recommended and asked what she thought. “I’m taking you to Pequods, that’s the best pizza in Chicago”.  So it was decided, Pequods for dinner and I’m so happy we went there. Their pizza somehow has a caramelized crust that adds a delicious crunch to the deep dish. It’s to die for! I can easily say their pizza is now my favorite of all time!

On Friday during the day I met up with my cousin Genevieve who attends college at the Art Institute in Chicago. We walked around the gorgeous Garfield Park Conservatory. So many beautiful species of plants and so many unique plants I’ve never even heard of. We then took the train over and toured the University of Illinois at Chicago campus where we also visited the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum located on campus. So much history in this little house! I wouldn’t have known about either of these spots if it wasn’t for Foursquare!

I love attending sporting events so I couldn’t leave Chicago without going to a Bulls game! The Bulls are #1 in the NBA so tickets to the game are hard to come by! I was lucky enough to get hooked up by Sports Illustrated and the Bulls PR with tickets to the game and I’m so grateful for that! We picked up our tickets right outside Will Call which was right next to the famous Michael Jordan Statue! Even though the Bulls are in first place they were missing their best player that night and lost to the Portland Trailblazers! It was still an exciting and close game though!

After the game we met up with friends at a popular tavern/restaurant called The Boundary. I was happy to see that many Chicago businesses are utilizing Foursquare specials to grow their business. I checked in at Boundary and noticed they had a pretty epic Foursquare special. “Show that you’ve checked in at The Boundary on Foursquare with parties of 3+ and receive a free Nachos plate.” The Nachos plate was enormous! Definitely more than enough to feed everyone in our group.

The next day was St. Patrick’s Day! Chicago takes their Irish heritage very seriously! They even dye their entire river GREEN!  We attended a roof top party in the beautiful sunshine with a gorgeous view of the city. Then headed to Wrigleyville where walked around Wrigley Field and all the bars in that area that were all jam packed with people dressed in GREEN!

The day after St. Patrick’s day, the city calmed down. We began our day with a hearty brunch at Revolution Brewing Company. Only a couple miles from Krissy’s house and highly recommended on the Windy City List. I loved the casual and fun atmosphere here! Then it was off to more exploring! We drove to the University of Chicago campus which has such a cool historic feel to it. We also visited the Oriental Institute Museum located on campus.  Before going back to our cars, we took a brisk walk past President Obama’s House! It’s on watch with the Secret Service!

Our next stop was the John Hancock tower. Their 95th Floor Signature Lounge is a great spot to grab a cocktail and watch the sunset! Before we knew it, it was dinner time! Within walking distance was Spiaggia, one of the finest Italian restaurants I’ve been watching to try. Their head chef is Sarah Gruenberg who was the Top Chef finalist in the most recent season. Their food is hands down some of the best Italian food I’ve enjoyed! Sarah was also so sweet and walked around talking to all her fans. If you’re in to Italian food and fine dining you can’t miss out on the experience of dining here! After dinner we called it a night. We had another long day planned the next day before my flight home at night.

After grabbing breakfast the next day, Krissy and I met up with my cousin Genevieve again at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum. It’s the 3rd largest museum in the world! Visitors can easily spend hours in this museum and still not see every exhibit. I was excited to see the art featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off especially since I recently watched the movie. If you haven’t been to this museum, it’s a MUST SEE in Chicago! After getting our culture vultures side satisfied at the museum, we walked down the road to the famous Cloud Gate Sculpture in Millennium Park that looks like a giant bean! Soon it was almost time for me to head to the airport back to home sweet San Diego, but I wanted to try deep dish pizza one more time before we left. I knew it would be hard to top my Pequods experience. A lot of friends recommended Lou Malnatis so we went there and I was honestly disappointed. The crust wasn’t very thick therefor I didn’t feel like it was a true deep dish pizza. Also the bread was soft and doughy that it almost tasted under cooked. Oh well, at least I got to try and compare 2 popular pizza spots. I’ll be returning to Pequods but not Lou Malnatis.

 

Before I conclude this post on my adventures in exploring Chicago, I must commend the city for doing such an amazing job at embracing social media to enhance their tourism experience. Adding a gaming element to Foursquare definitely helped me find many hidden gems that I wouldn’t normally have known about. I’m so grateful I had this opportunity to explore Chicago and you can be sure I’ll be returning very soon! Even though I packed a lot of adventure into my trip there is still so much for me to see and experience in Chicago! If you plan to go there, make sure you check out the Explore Chicago website before your visit!

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