City-Wide Arts Festival Kicks Off Thursday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Thursday marks the start of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, a more-than three-week long series of cultural events infused with what it was like to be in Paris between 1910 and 1920.
Organizers are using traditional media, but also social media networks to get out the word to younger crowds.
Get used to the acronym PIFA - which features music, dance, fashion, food and more, transforming the entire city into a giant stage.
PIFA Executive Director Ed Cambron said, "Our early projections are that it could be upwards of a $30-million economic impact."
He's been on road shows all over, including Washington, New York and Canada, and they've advertised in two major airports in Paris, to draw potential patrons.
But, they're also using platforms like Facebook and Twitter, to reach younger folks.
Ed Salvato, social media editor for PIFA, said, "We're engaging with a variety of bloggers. We have almost 30."
That includes what he calls "mommy bloggers", African American, Latino, urban youth, fashionista, foodie, dance and music bloggers. "We knew organically, we were going to get blanket coverage of every single event."
Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio
