Building A Community One Partnership At A Time

The Promote Kingman initiative has surpassed a rather

momentous milestone as the Facebook page reached more than 120,000 people in the last thirty days. That bodes well for the initial partners who took a gamble and entrusted us to provide their businesses and organizations with international exposure. It also provides a solid foundation for what will be a most exciting year. So, besides building a community of the future one partnership at a time and reaching one million people, what are the plans for our partnership initiative in 2017?

The debut of our first video, the first installment in the Jim Hinckley’s America: Trek Along Route 66 series will be available for a public debut in a few short weeks. As the ten minute promotional clip posted on the Promote Kingman Facebook page has been viewed more than 40,000 times, it is hard not to get excited about the potential exposure the release of this video will provide for our fair city. And, with the acquisition a sponsor or two, the second video will also be completed this year. This video will profile “160-Miles of Smiles”, our Route 66 corridor between the Partridge Creek Bridge west of Ash Fork and Topock on the Colorado River.  
The Promote Kingman initiative is partnering with the Route 66 Cruizers Car Club, organizers of Chillin’ of Beale to provide marketing and promotional assistance. To that end a meeting between a representative from that organization as well as from the Route 66 Association of Kingman, a Promote Kingman partner, and the city manager, the director of the chamber of commerce, and Josh Noble, the tourism director was facilitated to coordinate promotion. Promote Kingman will also be hosting a free movie night during each Chillin’ on Beale that takes place on the third Saturday evening of each month, April through September. In October, Chillin’ on Beale will be held on the weekend of the seventh to coincide with the arrival of the Route 66 Motor Tour.

Initial plans are for movies filmed in Kingman or on Route 66 to be shown during movie nights. As Kingman has served as a setting for an array of motion pictures beginning with Buster Keaton’s Go West that was filmed on Tap Duncan’s ranch north of Kingman in 1925, there are no shortage of major motion pictures to choose from. Easy Rider, Edge of Eternity, The Grapes of Wrath, Universal Soldier, Mars Attack, Foxfire,  and Roadhouse 66 are just a few.

A special group rate for a lunch and tour at Grand Canyon Caverns, another Promote Kingman partner, will provide an opportunity for additional marketing opportunities. It will also transform Chillin’ on Beale from a Saturday evening event into a weekend event.
Promote Kingman is also partnering with the Route 66 Association of Kingman in the facilitation and hosting of receptions for visitors and tour groups. In May, Dries Bessels, chairman of the Dutch Route 66 Association, will be in Kingman as a guide for a Netherlands based US Bikers tour along Route 66. Wolfgang Werz and a Route 66 Association of Germany tour will be stopping in Kingman a few days latter. Then, a week latter, it is a tour led by the Czech Route 66 Association that will be stopping in Kingman on their westward journey.
We are also discussing a possible partnership with the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation, another Promote KIngman partner, to assist in the development and marketing of their pending fund raising initiative. Currently they have more vehicles in storage than are on display at the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum (the only museum of its kind in the world) in the Powerhouse Visitor Center and many more vehicles are being donated or offered. However, the acquisition of vehicles and establishment of a dedicated museum to house them requires funding.
All of these exciting developments, and the new year is only two weeks old! Will you join us in creating a community of the future, one partnership at a time?