Introducing Joy Whitman: Our New Client Experience Manager

Saffire is very excited to announce Joy Whitman as one of its newest team members. Joy hails from Hutchinson, Kansas, a city not too far from Wichita. However, Joy says she is a Texan at heart, growing up in a small town near another Wichita–Wichita Falls–which true Texans know as “just Wichita.” Joy served as … Continue reading “Introducing Joy Whitman: Our New Client Experience Manager”

Joy WhitmanSaffire is very excited to announce Joy Whitman as one of its newest team members. Joy hails from Hutchinson, Kansas, a city not too far from Wichita. However, Joy says she is a Texan at heart, growing up in a small town near another Wichita–Wichita Falls–which true Texans know as “just Wichita.”

Joy served as Convention Services Manager for the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau before moving to Kansas in 2005. In Kansas, she worked as the Association Sales Manager for a convention center in Hutchinson. For the past 12 years, she served in various roles at the Kansas State Fair, with the latest being the fair’s marketing director.

Joy says she has already had great experiences in her position as Client Experience Manager for Saffire. She will put her background in CVB, venues and state fairs to use as she helps our clients every day.

When Joy isn’t solving problems across the nation, she spends time on her Harley with her husband and four children – all of whom love to ride the highways. Other hobbies include pumping iron in the gym, along with fishing, hunting and enjoying the outdoors.

Saffire Welcomes Amy Pelzl

Austin, TX – Saffire, LLC, a fully integrated website and ticketing provider to over 330 clients across the United States, has announced the hiring of Amy Pelzl as their Director of Ticketing Partnerships.  Amy is a 33-year ticketing veteran with experience in sales, marketing and operations for various markets including performing arts and venues, college … Continue reading “Saffire Welcomes Amy Pelzl”

AmyPic

Austin, TX – Saffire, LLC, a fully integrated website and ticketing provider to over 330 clients across the United States, has announced the hiring of Amy Pelzl as their Director of Ticketing Partnerships.  Amy is a 33-year ticketing veteran with experience in sales, marketing and operations for various markets including performing arts and venues, college and professional sports, fairs and festivals. Amy joins Saffire after spending 9 years with ExtremeTix where she performed many functions including Account Manager, Client Development Manager, Director of Strategic Accounts, Director of Marketing and most recently a role focusing on developing new business within the fair and festival industries.

Saffire founder, Kendra Wright said “Amy’s wealth of ticketing experience and knowledge make her a key addition to our team. As Saffire continues to see explosive growth in the ticketing industry, having someone with Amy’s experience on board is essential, especially as new ticketing services are added, such as the ability to sell reserved seating tickets.”

The ticketing component of Saffire is called SaffireTix, which combines three points of sale (including online, physical tickets and gate sales) into one handy system for comprehensive, up-to-the-minute reporting.

Saffire is the first industry provider to incorporate full website management into its ticketing offering, via its Spark™ content management system. Spark gives clients complete control over website content, navigation, homepage features, event calendar and more. Further, the system allows clients to schedule web content including site-wide messages, events, event tickets and homepage features. This gives Saffire clients one place to manage all items for sale, and their customers one interface and URL throughout the shopping process.

Additionally, Saffire offers unlimited customer support. “Our support is second to none. We provide email, phoneand chat support, and our goal is to answer questions within ten minutes. We also provide Saffire U, an 8-week site launch training process, which breaks website creation up into eight areas of online success. Finally, we provide ongoing webinars, newsletters, town hall client calls and more to help our clients be successful online,” said Saffire’s president Aaron Pederson.

To congratulate Amy or to learn more about Saffire and SaffireTix, feel free to email Amy directly at amy@saffire.com or on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amypelzl/

 

 

 

Beyond the Lanyard: Chattanooga and San Diego!

Well friends, here I am for another fun episode of Beyond the Lanyard! What an amazing few months it has been for traveling on the Saffire circuit. I’ve had a blast “taking off my lanyard” on a few trips during conferences, and I wanted to share with you all the fun things we’ve been doing! … Continue reading “Beyond the Lanyard: Chattanooga and San Diego!”

Well friends, here I am for another fun episode of Beyond the Lanyard! What an amazing few months it has been for traveling on the Saffire circuit. I’ve had a blast “taking off my lanyard” on a few trips during conferences, and I wanted to share with you all the fun things we’ve been doing!

First of all, we went to Chattanooga, TN for the SFEA Convention, but got to see a few sights along the way. What a fun town! It was a little cold (and snowing at times!) which is tough for a Texas girl, but nothing was going to stop me from exploring! Chattanooga has so much to offer—restaurants, museums and an AWESOME aquarium where we got to spend a fun-filled evening! We saw HUGE fish that live in the rivers near Tennessee, and got to learn a lot about the topography of Tennessee.

We also went to an AMAZING restaurant called Urban Stack that served fresh, locally-sourced hamburgers and classic southern sides. Delicious!

Shortly after my trip to Chattanooga, I headed to the west coast for a little fun in San Diego! One of my favorite parts about my hotel was the location: only about a quarter mile from the beach! I enjoyed running on the beach boardwalk in the mornings. Since there were several military bases nearby, I had the privilege of seeing our troops out for their morning workouts too. A truly beautiful sight! We’re so lucky to have them!

Finally, I capped off my trip to San Diego with one of the most fun things I’ve ever done on a Saffire trip – RIDING A ROLLER COASTER! This roller coaster sat between our hotel and the beach. It was a very old, historic ride, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t move fast! WHOA! It was even more fun because I got to ride with my friends from lots of fairs around the country. I was so excited to see that fair managers could still enjoy a good carnival ride! What a blast!

Until next time travel team!

 

 

 

 

Introducing Edith Arreola

We are excited that Edith Arreola has joined our team as our Intern! She will be working on many great projects for us! Let’s get to know Edith! Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Currently listening to: Shakira, Lana Del Rey, Ingrid Michaelson, and Lady Antebellum Best Local Restaurant: Takoba Starbucks Order: Iced coffee with white … Continue reading “Introducing Edith Arreola”

We are excited that Edith Arreola has joined our team as our Intern! She will be working on many great projects for us! Let’s get to know Edith!

I'm in a BOX!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate

Currently listening to: Shakira, Lana Del Rey, Ingrid Michaelson, and Lady Antebellum

Best Local Restaurant: Takoba

Starbucks Order: Iced coffee with white mocha syrup

Can’t Miss TV Show:  The Goldbergs, Modern Family and New Girl

Guilty Pleasure TV Show or Move: Mexican soap operas, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and My best Friend’s Wedding movie.

Currently Reading: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Hidden Talent: Belly Dancing

Introducing Travis Milum

We are excited to tell you all that we have hired Travis Milum to be a part of our Marketing Team. Let’s get to know him! Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ice Cream. Currently Listening to: Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith. Best Local Restaurant: Austin has so many amazing choices! I would say Thai … Continue reading “Introducing Travis Milum”

We are excited to tell you all that we have hired Travis Milum to be a part of our Marketing Team. Let’s get to know him!

Yeehaw!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ice Cream.

Currently Listening to: Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith.

Best Local Restaurant: Austin has so many amazing choices! I would say Thai Fresh is the best.

Starbucks Order: Drip Coffee, 1 pump of sugar, and a splash of cream… nothing fancy.

Can’t Miss TV Show: Game of Thrones

Guilty Pleasure TV Show or Movie: Bridesmaids and the Hangover movies… the typical, raunchy comedies.

Currently Reading: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Hidden Talent: Singing in the shower

Introducing Taylor Warner

It is with great pleasure that we introduce an amazing addition to our Sales and Marketing Team. Let’s get to know Taylor Warner! Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Definitely Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, my Granny got me hooked on that flavor at a very early age. Currently Listening to: Lately I have been jamming Essential Tremors … Continue reading “Introducing Taylor Warner”

It is with great pleasure that we introduce an amazing addition to our Sales and Marketing Team. Let’s get to know Taylor Warner!

Aye Aye Captain!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Definitely Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, my Granny got me hooked on that flavor at a very early age.
Currently Listening to: Lately I have been jamming Essential Tremors from J. Roddy Walston & The Business along with The Strokes’s latest release, Comedown Machine.
Best Local Restaurant: Having just moved to Austin, I am still on the hunt for my favorite!
Starbucks Order: Grande Iced Latte, no flavor (vanilla when I am feeling adventurous) with a squirt of Stevia.
Can’t Miss TV Show: The Office will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show or Movie: Pretty Little Liars. I love the writing style of that show, but it is ridiculously dramatic.
Currently Reading: Just Kids by Patti Smith
Hidden Talent: I am pretty dang good at sports, particularly track, volleyball and softball. Most people are surprised by this, perhaps due to my girly facade.

Pink Lemonade Margarita Recipe

If you know much about the team here at a Saffire, it will come as no surprise to you that we love a delicious cocktail!  In fact, you’ve probably heard about the Cotton Candy Cocktails we serve at various conventions and events. But when we were getting ready for TFEA in San Antonio, we knew … Continue reading “Pink Lemonade Margarita Recipe”

If you know much about the team here at a Saffire, it will come as no surprise to you that we love a delicious cocktail!  In fact, you’ve probably heard about the Cotton Candy Cocktails we serve at various conventions and events.

But when we were getting ready for TFEA in San Antonio, we knew we wanted to serve something new and different.

Summertime in Texas is just begging for a refreshing cocktail, and we needed to deliver.  We adapted a recipe from one of our favorite blogs that combined two of our favorite things: lemonade and tequila.  So please enjoy your very own Pink Lemonade Margarita.

Pink Lemonade Margarita
Serves 8

  • 1 can of Minute Maid frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed (12 ounces)
  • 3 cans of cold water
  • 1 can of silver tequila
  • ½ can of 03 Premium Orange Liqueur
  • Ice
  • Salt or sugar for the rim
  • 1 lemon sliced for garnish

Note: For all of the our measurements above, we used the empty pink lemonade can.

  1. Pour the thawed can of pink lemonade concentrate into the pitcher, then fill the can up with cold water 3 times adding it to your pitcher.
  2. Fill the can almost to the top with the silver tequila of your choice (This will be a strong drink, so feel free to use a little less!)
  3. Fill the can not quite halfway full with the orange liquor.  We used a clear liquor so we could maintain the nice pink color of the lemonade.
  4. Now, add ice and stir to mix.  Chill the mixture until you’re ready to serve!
  5. Garnish each drink with margarita salt and a lemon slice.  And of course, we recommend a cute straw!
  6. Enjoy!

Kendra’s Queso Recipe

I think it’s safe to say that the queso at our TFEA happy hour was a hit!  Several people have asked for the recipe, so here you go! Kendra’s Queso 2 lb. (32 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 lb. cooked sausage 2 cans ROTEL® 1 Cilantro/Lime 1 Regular 2 packages (8 oz. each) … Continue reading “Kendra’s Queso Recipe”

I think it’s safe to say that the queso at our TFEA happy hour was a hit!  Several people have asked for the recipe, so here you go!

Kendra’s Queso

  • 2 lb. (32 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 lb. cooked sausage
  • 2 cans ROTEL®
    • 1 Cilantro/Lime
    • 1 Regular
  • 2 packages (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese

Combine all ingredients into a slow cooker and heat until it’s all melted together, stirring occasionally.  Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

We’ve Moved!

As more people have joined our team to keep up with our growing client list, we’ve outgrown our original office space here in Austin!  Please update your records so you can send mail to our new home across town.  

As more people have joined our team to keep up with our growing client list, we’ve outgrown our original office space here in Austin!  Please update your records so you can send mail to our new home across town.