LENOX, Mass. — A tin of bandages, a Petri dish, and Ben Franklin with a black eye were among the winning entries submitted by Winstanley Partners at the regional ADDYs on March 18, presented by the American Advertising Federation and the Western Mass. AdClub at CityStage in Springfield.
 

A Petri dish full of HoHo virus won Winstanley one of 10 gold ADDYs.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Visitors Bureau wants to help the local travel industry harness the power of social media. On Thursday, April 8, the organization will host its "Eye on Travel 2010" conference at the Crowne Plaza, with the theme "Social Media Marketing."

The program, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m., includes a keynote by Ethan Zuckerman, senior researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and sessions on social media as it relates to customer service, how to use social media effectively, and emerging trends. For a full program, click here.

Conference fees are $69 for bureau or area chamber of commerce members; $99 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is Thursday, April 1.

For more information or to register, click here.

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Berkshire Young Professionals, a program of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, will host a Networking Social at Rouge Restaurant and Bistro, 3 Center St., West Stockbridge, next Thursday, March 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Young professionals from around the county are invited to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and networking. The event will include a cash bar and attendees are encouraged to bring business cards in order to enter into a free gift drawing.

The event is open to anyone who lives or works in Berkshire County; registration is required. To register, call 413-499-4000, extension 26, e-mail byp@berkshirechamber.com or register at www.berkshirechamber.com.

Berkshire Young Professionals’ events are open to all professionals and students living and/or working in Berkshire County. Events are hosted at popular venues throughout Berkshire County to foster networking opportunities for young professionals to build their careers, build friendships and enrich the community.

New North Adams Mayor Dick Alcombright's a popular guy at chamber breakfasts. If you missed him at the Williamstown breakfast last month, he'll be speaking next Wednesday, March 24, at a Berkshire Chamber of Commerce "Eggs & Issues" event at the Bounti-Fare in Adams.

The Berkshire Chamber hosts the informal breakfasts to allow members to hear about topical issues with local and regional experts and officials. The last breakfast was held at Hillcrest Educational Centers with Sen. Ben Downing (also a frequent favorite lately at area chamber events).

Wednesday's event, sponsored by MountainOne Financial Partners, will run from 8 to 9:30 and feature a light but we'll bet tasty breakfast, based on past experience.

The cost to attend the event is $10 for Berkshire Chamber members and $15 for nonmembers. Sign up by contacting Christine Hoyt at 413-499-4000, Ext. 26, or choyt@berkshirechamber.com or at www.berkshirechamber.com.

We'll see you there.

Crane & Co. is setting the bar for the next Berkshire Creative Challenge in hopes of identifying local talent that could be added to its freelance creative resource team.

The 200-year-old Dalton stationary manufacturer and the sole supplier for the nation's folding money is the second company to participate in the challenge. Interprint Inc. took the plunge last year and was so pleased with the results, company officials are considering their own creative program.

The challenge is designed to connect local artists and other creative types with the manufacturers and businesses that fuel the Berkshire economy. This challenge is open to artists, illustrators, designers and copywriters who can create sophisticated art and copy for Crane's stationery collections.

Known as a leader in the stationery category, Crane is an iconic brand that delivers uncompromising quality and classic designs. The brand also creates updated, fresh, modern designs targeted at consumers who are young, artistic, design-savvy and stylish.

Interested creatives should have an understanding of the stationery category and how art translates to stationery products. Art for stationery would include, but not be limited to, motif illustrations, illustrative design, pattern creations, type-driven design (type layout and type as art), and copywriting as art/voice/layout. Working knowledge of printing and production processes will also be helpful. Printing and production processes used by Crane & Co. include engraving, letterpress, thermography, lithography, foiling and die cutting.

Those interested should submit an application to include examples of their work using the guidelines provided. The preliminary examples should help with Crane's assessment of each artist's style as it applies to stationery. Concepts for stationery collections or brand appropriate product lines are also welcome. From these submissions finalists will be chosen.

Find an electronic application here.