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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Andrew Tellijohn
November 2005

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Branding


Voyageur I.T. touts
unusual legacy as it
celebrates 10 years

The voyageurs on the St. Croix a couple of hundred years ago were hard-working, hard-drinking and short — so their legs didn’t get cramped on long canoe journeys, says Suzanne McGann.

McGann, president of Voyageur I.T. in St. Paul, is invoking at least part of their example regularly these days as her company marks its 10th year in business.

At her company, they work hard, they take risks, and although they don’t over-indulge they “know how to kick back and relax with a beer” from time to time, she said to a group of women she invited to “Ladies Voyageur Day” in July.

The invitation-only event, including a guided canoe trip down the St. Croix, is in its third year, and McGann says it’s part of an overall branding effort that has helped to boost business and differentiate the company from its peers.

Many of her clients are related to the outdoors, such as state conservation departments in Colorado and wilderness adventure groups in Minnesota. One client, Chris Heeter of The Wild Institute in St. Paul, which organizes adventure trips for women, led the Ladies Voyageur Day trip, including playing the flute and pointing out the osprey nest.

McGann also sends out packets of wild rice with favorite recipes from her staff from time to time.

Suzanne McGann, Voyageur I.T.: 651.292.8838; suzanne@voyageurit.net; www.voyageurit.net