This is what I like

Here’s an offer for you - a discount on tickets to the MASH 2011 conference in Croke Park Conference Centre May 9 and 10 . Buying a ticket will also make a donation to Barnardos!

Through the website, early bird conference plus workshop seats are now €255 (early offer ends 25th March).

With the code “darragh”, you will get an €80 discount on these ticket price - a full ticket will cost you €175.

All you have to do is go to www.mashmedia.ie and enter the discount code ‘darragh’ when purchasing your ticket.

Plus every ticket you buy using this code will mean a €45 donation to Barnardos Ireland. (You don’t pay any extra - the donation will be made from MediaContact) 

Here are more details on the conference:

The Mash conference will bring together the world’s leading media people, innovations, and technologies.

Twenty Irish and international speakers will chart the massive explosion of media over the last three years, and give practical tips about how to be part of the trends and technologies that will shape the next five years.

The theme is ‘Exploding Media’. The last 5 years have seen more change and upheaval in the media than at any point in the last 60 years. Everywhere you look the traditional ways of printing, broadcasting, publishing, and communicating are exploding and being challenged by new technologies.

Over two days there will be 20 speakers, and three great workshops. Book your ticket before Mar 25th 2011 to avail of the great early bird offer.

Full details are available at www.mashmedia.ie or by calling +353 1  473 2050.

Big thanks to Jack and Gaye in MediaContact for helping to set this up. It’s great to be able to offer this to you. Also, in the interests of disclosure: *I’m not making any money/profit from this.

19/03/2011 - EDIT: ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN EMAILED BY ME AND NOTIFIED BELOW. CONGRATULATIONS!

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These people below are having a 7UP party in Dublin Saturday night where The Coronas and Delorentos will be playing. You can win tickets to come along.

Seven buddies from Wexford - Paul, Dwaine, Maria, John, Ciara, Conor and Mat - were reunited with friends and family, thanks to the 7UP Free ‘Bring Them Back for the Craic’ competition.

After weeks of demanding challenges and campaigning for votes, the Paddys Downunder, now living in Australia, were flown home from the Land of Oz in time for St. Patrick’s Day, and will have a massive party thrown in their honour on Saturday 19th March, with The Coronas and Delorentos performing in The Tivoli Theatre in Dublin’s City Centre.

Terms and Conditions: 18+ residents of Ireland only. Closing date is 18 March 2011. Winners will be chosen at random. The winner and guest must be able to attend the event on Saturday night. Venue terms may apply and proof of age may be required.  

SO the gig - a 7UP Free one - is on this Saturday 19 March and is on from 8pm at the Tivoli Theatre, Francis Street, Dublin.

Want to come along? Comment below and I’ll let the winners know on Friday!

7UP are on Facebook here.

Thanks to 7UP and Piaras in Edelman for arranging the tickets.

I have 2 pairs of tickets to give away to How 2.0 - and also a discount code for you.

How 2.0 is a conference on Tuesday March 29 in Dublin focussing on how businesses can market themselves online.

How 2.0 Market Your Business Online is a fully informative conference shedding light on all aspects of online marketing for your business.

Aimed at business owners, sales managers, marketing managers & crucially non techies, the How 2.0 conference promises not only to show you what’s possible but also to ensure you leave with the know how to get started yourself.

Through our WOW sessions and our How workshops we’ll show you how using:

Google, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter & Email Marketing

can help engage your market and ultimately add to your bottom line - without adding to your costs. And our sessions to de-mistify search engine marketing will have you up and running on Google by the following week. 

There’s a wide range of speakers and topics, myself included, to share what we know on topics like the below:

To be in with a chance to win tickets just comment below on why you think you should win them.

In addition, I have a discount code for the first 20 people to buy early bird tickets - save €30 on the cost of €150 and pay just €120 when you use DDVBF

With thanks to Karl in ingage for the tickets. 

With thanks to Cybercom, I have tickets to give away to The National Digital Media & Marketing Summit in Croke Park on March 30.

Full ticket prices are €240.79 (incl VAT) and Early Bird are €180.29 (incl VAT).

All you have to do to win them is comment below on why you think you should get a ticket.

You can also win tickets over on the Cybercom Facebook page. Their twitter account is @digital_summit. The hastag is #ndmms

Here’s the details:

Theme:

BUILDING BRAND RELATIONSHIPS IN AN ERA OF FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE

Speakers confirmed to date:

• Inma Martinez - one of the World’s Leading Digital Media Strategists
• Jonathan Forrest - MD, Cybercom
• Patrick Leddy - CEO, Furious Tribe
• Anthony Quigley - CEO, The Digital Marketing Institute
• Philippe Brodeur - MD, EightTwenty Interactive
• Richard Colwell - MD, Red C Research

This second National Digital Media & Marketing Summit aims to educate and expand delegates’ knowledge of the medium and therefore, get maximum return on their marketing spend.

The National Digital Media & Marketing Summit aims to bring digital marketing professionals and clients together; both agencies and service providers to discuss the most important issues such as Social Media, Mobile Digital Communications & Entertainment, On Line Advertising, On Line Video, Digital Media Investment, the Future of News Media, Emerging Technologies, Privacy, Security and Personalisation, the Smart Economy, Digital Marketing’s Role in Integrated Communications, Comparative Evaluation, Cross Media Optimisation, and What the Future Holds for Digital Marketing to mention a few.  

We aim to attract a wide range of clients to the conference to enable them to see the merits, advantages and the latest advances in digital marketing for themselves by hearing from the experts.  

The inaugural National Digital Media & Marketing Summit in March 2010 was a huge success.  The digital industry embraced the event by providing huge support both through sponsorship and exhibition participation.

Over 500 informed delegates from leading high profile companies attended the event in search of answers to their digital marketing questions.  For 2011 we aim to expand on last year’s event by covering many of the hot topics that marketers need answers to now.

More marketing Euros are being spent on digital campaigns than ever before. And it’s increasing, even in the face of declining marketing budgets. Digital marketing and advertising is becoming the best marketing method to communicate with customers and enable you to recruit new customers.

Vicar Street, Dublin, tomorrow evening from 7.30pm. CEOL.

Republic Of Loose, Delorentos, Heathers, Fiach, The Flaws, Lumiere, Lir, Dublin Gospel Choir, Luan Parle and more. Tickets only €20 and all proceeds to Barnardos.

You can win two tickets by just sharing your favourite Irish word(s) in the comments below.

The press release bit:

Seachtain na Gaeilge in association with Aiken Promotions, St Patrick’s Day Festival, Raidio Rí Rá and Barnardos presents:

Ceol in Vicar St, March 16th. Doors 7.30pm.

Seachtain na Gaeilge presents a live concert in Vicar Street on the 16th of March as part of the Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations of 2011 in aid of Barnardos Ireland.

The concert will be packed full of top-rated acts singing their well known songs both in English and Irish. Acts including chart toppers; Republic of Loose, Delorentos, Heathers, Fiach, The Flaws, Lumiere, Lir, Dublin Gospel Choir and Luan Parle will take to the stage alongside some surprise special guests.

Tickets cost €20, a marginal price to pay for such headline acts, with every cent of the profits going to Barnardos.

Seachtain na Gaeilge will be working hard with the St.Patrick’s Day Festival, Aiken Promotions and Radió Rí-Rá to fill the venue!

The aim of this concert is to promote and celebrate the Irish language.

 Ceol will illustrate some of the outstanding talent we have in Ireland. The acts will be accompanied by members of The Orchestra of Ireland (An Ceolfhoireann na hÉireann) led by renowned arranger, Joe Csibi and the house band led by the very talented musician and producer Gavin Ralston.

The objective of the concert is to lift the musical spirits of all and with a line-up like this, it’s hard to pass up. With well known acts from Ireland’s music industry, It’s rare to see such a mix of talent from different genres coming together on one stage in an event such as this.

 Ceol is our biggest production for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2011 and promises to be a very memorable night for all who attend. These musicians are working together to help improve the lives of children who are in need of charities such as Barnados.

With all profits going directly to Barnados, we hope to raise a significant amount that will make a difference to the children who need it most.

Ceol le Seachtain na Gaeilge, Vicar Street, 16th March, Doors 7.30pm.

Tickets available from here.

Just put your favourite Irish word(s) below. Winners will be picked this evening after 9pm.

A big thanks to the folks at Seachtain na Gaeilge for the tickets.

Spring Break. The Guinness Storehouse. St Patrick’s Day. 

If you don’t know who Spring Break are, well, erm, you may not be as excited by this competition as I am.

Thanks to WHPR and the Guinness Storehouse, I have pairs of tickets to give away to the Storehouse celebrations on the 17th.

We went last year and had a great time. This year you can win a pair of tickets too.

To be in with a chance just comment below letting us know why you think you should win! I’ll pick the winners on Wednesday afternon.

Don’t forget, if your name is Patrick, Patricia or a derivative thereof, you can get free entry on the day.

Details from the press release below and details on their site here:

Thursday 3rd March: Today, Guinness Storehouse announced that they will host the first ever “Patrick Parade” on St. Patrick’s Day in celebration of all the things Patrick!

As part of their exciting St. Patrick’s Day Festival, this year Guinness Storehouse is inviting everybody by the firstname of *Patrick, and variants of the name (see full list below), to take part in, as well as enjoy, the amazing line-up of entertainment at the Storehouse.

As well as their very own parade, all those by the name of Patrick who land at Guinness Storehouse on St. Patrick’s Day will receive free entry to enjoy the festivities.

Upon arrival all Patricks will receive a VIP (Very Important Patrick) Pass, a special VIP Patrick t-shirt and are invited to join in the special Patrick Parade!

All Patricks are invited to take part in the Patrick Parade, which will be led by an energetic marching band in celebration of all things Patrick.

The Patricks will parade alongside the band proudly celebrating their namesake on St. Patrick’s Day! Patricks must present official photo ID, e.g. passport, driver’s license, National Identity Card, at the point of purchase to gain free admission.

(Can’t see this? The PDF is here.)

As well as the Patrick Parade, there is a vibrant line up of home grown talent and entertainment to mark the occasion of Ireland’s national holiday.

Headlining the day is Ireland’s most loved 80’s cover band ‘Spring Break’ who will be sure to keep the crowd dancing with their signature air guitar moves and air punching!

DJs will provide some seriously cool tunes to compliment the panoramic 360 views in Gravity Bar, the highest viewpoint of the city where visitors receive a complimentary pint of Guinness to enjoy while soaking up the atmosphere on the day.

For all those who are not lucky enough to be called Patrick but would like to be involved in the celebrations, there will be an interactive Céilí taking place for all to enjoy.

Or for those who would rather stay off the dance floor and fancy learning a new skill, staff will be on hand to demonstrate how to master the art of pouring the perfect pint of Guinness plus caricaturists will be on hand to capture the moment as a memento to take home!

The Storehouse will serve complimentary Guinness brown bread with smoked salmon on the day as well as complimentary tastings of two Guinness variants – Foreign Extra Stout and Extra Stout. There will also be a selection of traditional and contemporary Guinness inspired recipes on offer in the Brewery Bar Restaurant.

The ultimate St. Patrick’s Day experience at Guinness Storehouse is free of charge to all Patricks and for everyone else, standard admission rates apply.

Adult tickets cost €15 and those who purchase a ticket online at www.guinness-storehouse.com can also avail of a 10% discount off adult tickets.

For full terms and conditions and details of The Guinness Storehouse St. Patrick’s Day Festival log onto www.guinness-storehouse.com and check out the new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/guinnessstorehouse.

Yes, it’s called Gingerfest and yes it’s a festival for ginger people. It’s an event on Saturday March 12 in Dublin in aid of UNICEF Ireland.

You can win two tickets, worth €20 each, below.

From the Facebook page:

It’s the night gingers across the world have been waiting for… It’s time to celebrate our red haired brethren by partying until the wee hours with live music and lots of fun and frolics!

The venue is Dax at 22 Pembroke Street Upper, Dublin 2. You can buy tickets at https://www.unicef.ie/Shop/Tickets-9.aspx

The venue will be open from 4:30 for those who want to come in to watch the Six Nations Ireland V’s Wales match at 5pm. 

A great new band called ‘The Snails’ will be getting their ginger on from 8.30pm onwards - Check out their tunes at http://www.myspace.com/snailsthe

Tickets are priced at €20 for red heads (natural, unnatural or even in a wig).

Non red heads be warned (or those not in a red wig, costume or with red hair dye) will be refused entry on the night although we will have wigs for sale on the door that night for an additional charge.

Gingers can come as they are on the night - either with natural red hair, a red wig or red hair dye and there will be a prize for the best costume (come as Bosco, Podge and Rodge, Annie etc!) on the night and all proceeds will be donated to UNICEF Ireland.

Tickets are now on sale. Buy yours today on https://www.unicef.ie/Shop/Tickets-9.aspx

The Viking Splash Tours will be operating throughout that day and will be donating a section of their profits to UNICEF.

They have asked that you quote “Gingerfest” when you are booking tickets. You should do it before the match, the pickup and drop off point is just around the corner from Dax. Make sure you take photos and post them to our Gingerfest Page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Viking-Splash-Tours/281782534823

For more info, email us at headginger@gingerfest.ie or visit www.unicef.ie for all the lowdown on the ginger-tastic event that is ginger fest 2011….

ALSO (via email):

The Dublin Barber Shop on 11 Aston Quay is going to give every penny they make on Saturday to the Gingerfest fund for UNICEF, no matter what colour your hair is!

Knights on the Green and Hermans Hair Studio in Dundrum Town Centre have given €100 prizes to be given out on the night.

 We have a prize for the best dressed ginger, a night out for four which includes a €75 voucher for DAX, four tickets for the Viking Splash Tours of Dublin and some other cool stuff.  The Viking splash tours have made us their charity of the year and will be giving us €1 per passenger during the third week of May.

Dax Bar will be giving us a large percentage of their sales on the night.

All money raised will go to UNICEF Ireland.  22,000 children die every day of preventable causes, UNICEF works to reduce this number to zero.

Tom Dunne recently interviewed organiser Mike McGuire on the show.

Just stick your name below, no matter what colour your hair is (or if you have any), if you’d like to go and you’ll be in with a chance to win.

Facebook event page here and main page here.

Big thanks to Mike for the tickets and best of luck to all involved.

Just got sent this as a press release:

Link to enter on Facebook is here.

GROOVE ARMADA ANNOUNCED AS HEADLINE ACT AT THIS YEAR’S JAMESON GLOBAL PARTY ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Following on from the successful event last year, Jameson is hosting their world famous St. Patrick’s Day Global Party in Dublin, where international dance sensation Groove Armada will play an exclusive DJ set. 

The Jameson Global Party kicks off on March 17th in the Round Room of the Mansion House on Dawson Street from 8pm.  This free ticketed event will feature performances by Irish bands Republic of Loose and The Codes. Renowned DJ Aidan Kelly will hit the decks and TV and radio presenter Michelle Doherty will act as MC.

Throughout the night there will also be live link up’s with other Jameson St. Patrick’s Day parties which will be taking place all over the world to ensure a truly global experience. For up to date listings, more information and a chance of winning free tickets to this event, log onto www.facebook.com/JamesonIreland  

Over 35 Radio stations from around the globe will descend on the Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin as part of the Jameson Global Radio Broadcast and will transmit their shows from the heart of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to over 50,000,000 listeners joining the festivities.

I should probably call it the “Award-winning” play, following the Irish Times Theatre Awards but delighted to be able to offer tickets to this Friday’s (March 4) performance.

HAMLET by William Shakespeare
presented by Second Age Theatre Company

DIRECTED by Aoife Spillane-Hinks
SET & COSTUME DESIGN by Alyson Cummins
LIGHTING DESIGN by Sarah Jane Shiels
SOUND DESIGN by Denis Clohessy

CAST: Conor Madden / Jane Brennan / Noelle Brown / Peter Daly / Mark Fitzgerald / David Heap / Darragh Kelly / Aonghus Óg McAnally / Frank McCusker / Anna Shiels McNamee / Fergal Titley 

HELIX, Dublin : Thurs February 24 – Fri April 8
EVERYMAN PALACE, Cork : Tues March 22 – Fri March 25
TOWNHALL THEATRE, Galway : Tues March 29 – Fri 1 April

Second Age Theatre Company brings you an exciting, dynamic and original production of HAMLET.

The play opens on a cold night in the Danish palace of Elsinore. The King of Denmark has been murdered by his brother Claudius, who not only takes his seat on the throne, but marries the newly widowed Queen, Gertrude.  

A grief stricken, and betrayed Prince Hamlet, determines to avenge his father’s death, but is consumed by a crippling inertia and agonises over his quest for revenge.

The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness, from overwhelming grief to seething rage, it explores the themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.

This Second Age production promises to be an arresting and heady take on one of the greatest tragedies of all time.  Join us at the Danish Palace of Elsinore, for an evening of intrigue, treachery, and tragedy.

Directed by Aoife Spillane-Hinks, who is creating a quite a buzz on the theatre scene, this new production will create what Second Age do best: presenting classic works in a clear, fresh and faithful manner. Second Age always finds the perfect balance between presenting work that is faithful to the text, whilst remaining relevant and resonating with modern audiences.

Hailed as one of Shakespeare’s greatest works – the play is not about bad or evil people but about human beings living in an evil system and caught up with the trappings of luxury and power. It is the depth of characterisation that allows Hamlet to be revisited, reinterpreted and reinvented in seemingly infinite ways. 

As is characteristic of these Second Age productions, audiences can be sure they will be treated to a visual delight.  Designer, Alyson Cummins will be taking on both the Set and Costume design and her Danish palace of Elsinore promises to be an extravagant, expansive set, offering a myriad of staging possibilities and a few surprises.

Another name making waves in Irish theatre is actor CONOR MADDEN who will play the title role in this Shakespearean tragedy.  Conor’s distinct physical and impressive stage presence will bring an individuality and edge to the role. Conor may be known to many from his previous appearances on the hit TV shows RAW, THE CLINIC, and LOVE/HATE.

Joining Conor on stage is a stellar Irish Cast that includes some of Ireland’s most experienced talent such as Frank McCusker, Jane Brennan, Darragh Kelly, David Heap, Aonghus Óg McAnally, Peter Daly and Noelle Brown together with some fresh young talent such as Anna Shiels McNamee, Fergal Titley and Mark Fitzgerald.

There are more details on the Helix’s website.

To win tickets to Friday night’s performance of HAMLET at 8pm, March 4, at the Helix, Dublin, just stick a comment below. Winners will be picked on Thursday afternoon.

Thanks to Conleth and Second Age for the tickets and opportunity.

Adebisi Shank, The Cast of Cheers, Cathy Davey, Fight Like Apes, Halves, James Vincent McMorrow, O Emperor, Two Door Cinema Club and Villagers are all confirmed to play. 

They’re on Facebook here and on twitter here.

It’s a sold out gig, it’s on next Thursday, March 3 in Vicar Street, Dublin and here’s a chance for you to win tickets

The Choice Music Prize live event is only a week away and Two Door Cinema Club have just been added to the live bill! The band will perform an acoustic set on the evening. 

The event will take place in Vicar St on Thursday 3rd March. It will be hosted by Alison Curtis and will be broadcast live on Paul Mcloone’s show on Today FM from 7-11pm.

The confirmed line-up is as follows (artists listed in alphabetical order): 

• Adebisi Shank
• The Cast of Cheers 
• Cathy Davey 
• Fight Like Apes 
• Halves 
• James Vincent McMorrow 
• O Emperor 
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Villagers 

The winner of the Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2010 will be selected on the night by the judging panel at the Choice Music Prize Live Event at Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday March 3.

The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).

All of the shortlisted acts will receive a specially-commissioned award, courtesy of the Recorded Artists Actors & Performers Ltd (RAAP).

All of the shortlisted albums are available through retail partners HMV in their stores nationwide with the exception of The Cast Of Cheers album which is only available via download.

Video packages of all the acts on the night will be produced by Irish production company Old Hat.

In recognition of the role of the Choice Music Prize as an important showcase for Irish music, Culture Ireland is pleased to be supporting a delegation of key international music industry press, promoters and publishers to attend the event in Dublin.

• Sean Adams (Sunday Times/Drowned in Sound)
• Laurence Bell (MD Domino Records)
• Stuart Clarke (A&R & Talent Editor Music Week)
• James Foley (New Music Editor Record of the Day)
• Steve Jordan (Founder & Director Polaris Prize Canada)
• Craig Michie (A&R Chrysalis Publishing/BMG Publishing)
• Joe Taylor (Field Recordings/Island Records)
• Mike Walsh (Head of Music XFM)

Nominated Artists & Albums

You can find out more about the nominated acts and the music from their albums at:

• Adebisi Shank - http://www.breakingtunes.com/adebisishank
• The Cast of Cheers - http://www.breakingtunes.com/thecastofcheers
• Cathy Davey - http://www.breakingtunes.com/cathydavey
• Fight Like Apes - http://www.breakingtunes.com/fightlikeapes
• Halves - http://www.breakingtunes.com/halves
• Imelda May - http://www.imeldamay.co.uk
• James Vincent McMorrow - http://www.breakingtunes.com/jamesvincentmcmorrow
• O Emperor - http://www.breakingtunes.com/oemperor
• Two Door Cinema Club - http://twodoorcinemaclub.com
• Villagers - http://www.breakingtunes.com/villagers

About The Choice Music Prize:

The Choice Music Prize was established to highlight, promote and showcase the work of Irish artists. It is unique in that it focuses simply and solely on the music in judging the releases, as opposed to sales or airplay.

The recipients of the Choice Prize thus far are as follows:

• 2005: Julie Feeney - 13 Songs (Julie Feeney) 
• 2006: The Divine Comedy - Victory for the Comic Muse (Parlophone) 
• 2007: Super Extra Bonus Party - Super Extra Bonus Party (Alphabet Set) 
• 2008: Jape - Ritual (Co-Op Records) 
• 2009: Adrian Crowley - Season of the Sparks (Chemikal Underground) 

The project is organised by David Reid while Irish Times music writer/critic Tony Clayton-Lea is the chairman of the judging panel.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, just comment below. Winners will be chosen at random in Tuesday March 1.

(Thanks to David and to Liza in Friction PR for offering the tickets.)

With thanks to the Dublin Web Summit happening on March 8 in the Chartered Accountants House, Pearse St, I have two tickets to give away to this year’s Summit - either as a pair or one for two winners.

Early bird tickets are €199 and are only on sale until tomorrow evening (Thursday) when the price increases to €249. You can buy tickets here.

Speakers include Stefan Glaenzer, Founder of Last.fm; Ben Parr, Editor of Mashable; Dan Cobley, Google’s Director of European Marketing and Terry Clune, Founder of Taxback.com.

Just comment below if you’d like them and you’ll be in with a chance.

Some graphics from their most recent email: