Izea and Izeafest

Last week, on a hopeful whim, we told members of the Izea team that we wanted to attend Izeafest this weekend. We received responses from them on Twitter and didn’t think much of the humorous emphasis placed around the conversation. Little did we know that Izea was about to become our new favorite Orlando company.

Fast forward to this weekend… Izea’s Ashley Edwards told us to check our email. We did so on Sunday night to find two passes to Izeafest in our inbox. We couldn’t believe it!

It is due to these recent actions that we wanted to write this blog post. Not only do we want to make sure we promote Izeafest (which is happening on October 1st), but we wanted to inform everyone on our love for Izea and their entire team.

Here are all of the details for Izeafest:

October 1st-4th.

View the schedule.

View the speakers.

You can also check out some of Izea’s team members and companies on Twitter here:

@tedmurphy

@brightgirl

@spontwts

@izeainc

@socialspark

@payperpost

I guess we will be seeing some of you this weekend at Izeafest!

10 Reasons Why We Love the Orlando Nonprofit, Rock for Hunger

1. They make Downtown Orlando a happier place.
2. They are led by persistent and ambitious young individuals.
3. They support other local vendors and organizations.
4. Like us, they connect with fans and volunteers via the Internet.
5. They endorse peace through art and music.
6. They don’t just talk about the problem… they act on their mission.
7. We don’t know anybody that doesn’t like or respect them.
8. They have a ton of long-term goals to fulfill.
9. We believe every human being should be given a second chance.
10. They will be holding Rock for Hunger Fest 4 on October 10th.

Thank you @evanzan for guessing the right nonprofit organization on Twitter. As promised, his website can be found at: http://www.wing-o.com

Meanwhile, Rock for Hunger can be found at the following places:
http://www.rockforhunger.org
http://blog.rockforhunger.org
Buy Tickets to RFH Fest 4 Here
On Twitter (@rockforhunger)

What Do You Use To Find New Restaurants?

Our management team was recently asking themselves, “Where do most industry-related unique leads come from.” Obviously, they are talking exclusively about restaurants and wondering how much business is still being pulled away by the economy. However, when the people that want a night out and may have no idea where to eat, they raised a reasonable question with no immediate answer.

That is why we figured we would write this blog. While we do our best to track all incoming leads and talk to our customers, it is never guaranteed that the results will benefit our efforts. We feel that the best way is to run a poll and make it as general as possible.

You will see the poll below. All we are asking is for you to choose the answer that fits your lifestyle best. Even if it’s more than one, try to find a way to decipher between them and pick only one.

We thank you in advance for your participation.

Where Do You Go To Find New Restaurants in Your Area?

• Google
• Yahoo/Bing
• Yelp
• Urban Spoon
• Restaurant.com
• Restaurant Row
• Zagat
• Local Magazines
• Local Newspaper
• Yellowpages
• Ask Friends
•  

View Results

Ichiban's Event Idea Contest

It’s a new month. This usually means new goals are set and calendars begin to fill. While we may be looking at September with anticipation, it is October that we are eyeing right now. We are focusing on October because that is when we are planning on having our next event.

All year, we have hosted a handful of different events, Tweetups, Eat-ups, etc. We have had a diverse crowd show up each and every time (and we love you all for that!). We’ve given away prizes, held events for causes, and even put together the same event twice in one day. Even after all that, however, we are ready to move on to something bigger and better. That is why we need your help.

In hopes to develop the most fun and outlandish day of sushi in restaurant history, we are currently entertaining suggestions from our customers for our next Tweetup event.

• Will it be a naked sushi dinner for 50 people?
• Could it be a sake drinking contest?
• Kirin beer pong?
• Sake flip cup?
  

The options are limitless.

The best part is, whomever suggests the winning idea will partake in the event for free. That means free sushi (if it's sushi related), free beer (if beer related), or free sake (if sake related) all day!

Please don’t hold back. We will be taking all suggestions via comments on this blog,
emails, and tweets on Twitter.

Please direct all emails to ichibansushiorlando@gmail.com and direct all Tweets to @orlandoichiban.

We look forward to hearing all of your ideas.