Allegiant Takes Off From ELP, CultureSpan Pilots the Launch Party

Photos by CultureSpan Marketing

When our client, El Paso International Airport (EPIA), informed us that an entirely new airline would be providing their low cost, non-stop flight service from El Paso to some awesome destinations, we weren’t the least bit surprised.

In the aviation industry, it’s not very common for an airport to have a new airline added to its portfolio of flight services. Airports around the country can only wish for such a lucky break so we knew we had to put together a great event to celebrate the announcement.

For starters… anyone can throw a great party but if there’s no one there to experience it, does it make its mark? In order to ensure we had plenty of guests, we developed promotional invitations that would be nearly impossible to resist opening. Our first piece was a “teaser” that was mailed out to stir curiosity about Allegiant Air’s launch party at El Paso International Airport (EPIA).

The envelope included a label that read “Congrats! Your boarding pass is enclosed!” with EPIA’s return address and inside, a jacket sleeve with EPIA’s logo. The jacket sleeve was stuffed with a teaser piece that resembled an Allegiant “boarding pass” and included a date, passenger class, boarding zone and gate information. On the top we included teaser copy that simply read, “Here’s Your One Way Ticket to Fun!” and “Details coming soon. Save the Date!” Each teaser was also printed with the recipient’s name via variable data printing in order to personalize the experience.

After this piece was mailed out, we followed up with an invitation that included the same details but new copy that read “You Are Invited to Allegiant Air’s El Paso Launch Party”. On the back was additional information about the event. This was attached to a promotional package of fun goodies that included a beach bag, water bottle, sunscreen lotion and a beach ball. All items included EPIA’s logo.

These promotional items were provided to various airport officials, city officials and dignitaries from
El Paso, Las Vegas and San Diego. We also made sure news directors at all media outlets throughout El Paso received the promotional package.

As for the party itself, we ensured there would be plenty of fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. The festivities were kicked off in EPIA’s main lobby with the rock and roll mariachi group Mariachi Fatigo. The unique quintet’s playlist included traditional mariachi songs, their own original music and mariachi renditions of classic hits like Hotel California, The Gambler, Californication, Viva Las Vegas and California Girls. As an agency that literally lives and breathes the Mexican/American border life, we’re always looking to break down cultural barriers and present the unexpected in a unique fashion that also helps raise eyebrows. Thanks to Mariachi Fatigo, we were able to do just that.

Attendees were also treated to meet and greet opportunities with a young Elvis and an authentic Vegas showgirl plus El Paso mascots Amigo Man and Jiggy the Giraffe from The El Paso Zoo. They even enjoyed a little surprise when Elvis joined Mariachi Fatigo onstage for a special performance of Viva Las Vegas.

Throughout the first half of the event, guests were able to register with Allegiant for neat prizes and a chance to win a round trip to San Diego with hotel accommodations. The catch? It was on the flight leaving that same day immediately after the festivities! No worries, though. Media outlets were informed prior to the event so party goers knew to show up with their bags packed and ready to take off.

The second half of the event took place at Allegiant’s gate area. The fun included a special Allegiant cake that was cut and shared with party goers and passengers waiting for Allegiant’s first departure flight from El Paso to sunny San Diego. A ribbon cutting with various officials followed and passengers received a farewell from Elvis before boarding their flight.

As the Allegiant aircraft left the terminal, passengers were unaware of one last surprise when water cannons shot across and over the airplane in celebration of the inaugural flight. The same salute occurred when the aircraft arrived at the airport.

The airport festivities came just a few months after CultureSpan Marketing developed a :30 television commercial for EPIA to air during the nationally televised 2015 Hyundai Sun Bowl. The spot was developed in a way that would seamlessly showcase what El Paso has to offer while reminding our audience that EPIA is the gateway to access the city’s amenities. This included a positioning of EPIA as an anchor for economic development via their Foreign Trade Zone No. 68, which serves as an integral part of the city’s regional and international investment strategy.  It was all showcased through a variety of picturesque shots and awe-inspiring scenes woven together to produce a promotional piece that pleased everyone involved with the production.

The growing list of achievements that EPIA has been accumulating over the years has been noticed by not just travelers from our city and beyond but those within the industry as well. A passenger survey conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI) Air Service Quality (ASQ) revealed that the facility ranked number one in 25 of the survey’s 37 categories.

A few of those designations include Overall Satisfaction Business, Overall Satisfaction Leisure, Efficiency of Check-In Staff, Ease of Finding Your Way Through the Airport, Walking Distance Inside the Terminal, Ease of Making Connections with Other Flights and Speed of Baggage Delivery.

Overall, the event was a great success. Camera crews and reporters from all major English and Spanish media outlets were present to document the festivities. One Las Vegas official commented that the launch party was one of the most successful he had seen in comparison to similar festivities he had recently attended in larger markets.

CultureSpan prides itself on being a marketing firm that has these capabilities and has been active for more than 35 years. We believe it speaks volumes about the work we produce. More importantly, it helps secure the relationships required to ensure our clients’ public relations events are covered by media outlets in our area. It’s also just one of many factors that make us one of the premier marketing firms in the Southwest. Give us a call today at 915.581.7900 or shoot me an email at  gabe.acuna@culturespanmarketing.com to discuss how we can help put any of our multiple services to work for you today.