July 12, 2012
NAIT students create new look for one of Edmonton’s oldest festivals
Seven NAIT students have rebranded one of Edmonton’s oldest festivals. Float Fest, formerly called the Sourdough Raft Race, takes place on Sunday, July 15.
Andy Tran, Amanda Hua, Michael Lampa and Justin Treleaven, students in the Promotional Campaign Planning course at the JR Shaw School of Business, teamed up with Martin Phung, Shannon Findlay and Joceline Basinet in the Graphic Communications Program at the School of Information Communication and Engineering Technologies.
In keeping with NAIT’s hands-on education, their assignment took them to the Sourdough Raft Race Association (SRRA), the group responsible for organizing the annual raft race on the North Saskatchewan River from Terwillegar Park to Rafter’s Landing. While the event has been part of Edmonton’s summer attractions since 1960, it was due for some fresh promotional ideas. This year it is a new name, a new logo and a revamped website.
“We wanted to get away from just having a raft race, as there are other activities during the day, so we recommended a new name and designed a new logo,” Tran explained.
Float Fest was born and promotions expanded to attract more young people, families and small businesses.
Dr. Glenn Feltham, NAIT president and CEO, was invited by the SRRA to be the 2012 Admiral of Fleet, a position he was honoured to accept. “This event is an important part of Edmonton’s history. The fact that it began the same year the first shovel went into the ground for NAIT reflects the evolving nature of our community and the longstanding connection NAIT has with Edmonton,” said Feltham.
Team work, adhering to deadlines and thinking through all aspects of the assignment in a structured way were part of the learning process for the NAIT students.
For Graphic Communications associate chair Norm Peterson, the Float Fest campaign is another example of the community, industry and NAIT programs coming together for the betterment of the participating students. “These partnerships really allow Marketing and Graphic Communications students to showcase their talents and apply their learned skills in a real world environment.”
The Promotional Campaign Planning course is patterned after the advertising industry, giving students lots of responsibility and not a lot of direction, said instructor Bev Holoboff. “They have to trust their ideas and explain them; that is the key to the course.”
Their ideas were inspiring, according to SRRA events coordinator Corrine Thain. “We loved working with the NAIT students and were impressed by the way they approached the huge task of taking something that has been a tradition for 53 years and making it fresh, new and different.”
For more information on Float Fest, please click here. The festival runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the rafts launching at noon.
About NAIT
NAIT is one of Canada’s leading polytechnics, with almost 80,000 registrations worldwide in key areas including science, technology and the environment, business, health care and trades. Known for real-world education and student success, NAIT also engages with business and industry in applied research and innovation and provides corporate training around the world. NAIT enrolled its first students - 29 communication electrician apprentices - in 1962 and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
For more information, please contact:
Andy Tran
Marketing student, NAIT JR Shaw School of Business
C 780.993.6098 E andytran_@hotmail.com
Corrine Thain
Float Fest Event Coordinator
P 780.406.0235 E sourdgh@telusplanet.net
Frank Landry
NAIT Media Relations
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E flandry@nait.ca