Buddy Holly Music Festival
The Buddy Holly Music Festival launched in 1998 as a joint effort between the Buddy Holly Estate (Maria Elena Holly), the Convention and Tourism Bureau of Lubbock and the City of Lubbock. The four-day regional event centered around Buddy Holly's birthday on September 7th and showcased the rich and diverse musical heritage of the West Texas Region. Featuring five musical stages throughout a six block entertainment district, the festival included memorabilia trading events, classic car shows and interview panels hosted at various key locations throughout the city including Buddy Holly's childhood home, high school, various performance locations and gravesite. The festival was supported by members of the Holly family, Peggy Sue (Gerron) and fellow musicians including The Crickets, Carl Perkins and Bob Montgomery.
Over the course of multiple years, the festival garnered visibility through strategic partnerships and limited edition merchandise licensing with Coca-Cola, Gibson Guitar, the BBC, the U.S. Postal Service and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). In the inaugueral year, the Buddy Holly Walk of Fame was commissioned, featuring a bronze statue of the legendary rock figure crafted by sculptor Grant Speed. The Festival also featured live performances of the BUDDY! Musical at the Cactus Theater and expanded to include the Holly Trolley Historic Tour.
SECTORS
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Entertainment, Events
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Performing Arts
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Destination Marketing
PRIMARY LEADERS
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Maria Elena Holly, Buddy Holly Estate
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Nancy Gray, Executive Director, CVB
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Don Cauldwell, Cactus Productions
ENGAGEMENT
Full time, 3 years, CVB
AREAS OF FOCUS
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Brand, Story and Message Strategy
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Event Creation and Launch
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Event Marketing
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Branded Merchandise
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Promotional Partnerships
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Media and Public Relations
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Ticketing Strategy
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EVENT DEVELOPMENT
Founding Board Member and part of the creative ideation and development of the Buddy Holly Music Festival, including brand strategy, marketing, contracting and logistics.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING
Development of multi-year public relations and marketing campaigns designed to raise awareness, drive ticket and merchandise sales, engage international tour and travel wholesalers and garner media attention.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Established strategic partnerships with top tier organizations including the BBC, Gibson Guitar, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Postal Service and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
FEATURED PROJECTS
The Buddy Holly Music Festival
Nicknox (Nicole Robbins-Knox) served as the Manager of Marketing and Public Relations for the Lubbock Convention and Visitors Bureau from 1994 - 1998. In this capacity she was a founding board member of the Buddy Holly Music Festival and was integrally involved in development of event schedules and logistics, sponsorship structures as well as conceptualizing the festival brand and overseeing PR and media to promote the event. She took the lead in negotiating strategic partnerships in regards to travel wholesalers, media outlets and commemorative merchandise agreements.
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Festival Planning & Logistics
A hotbed of west Texas musical influence, Lubbock, Texas wanted to celebrate and honor hometown legend Buddy Holly for his 60th birthday. This was the genesis of the Buddy Holly Music Festival. Buddy Holly influenced many spectacular artists and events within his iconic career, and I was privileged to play a small part in some of those moments in the mid to late 90s. The Buddy Holly Music Festival was created to commemorate the rock 'n roll legend's 60th birthday. Nicknox established a brand and operational framework for a 4-day city-wide celebration incorporating multiple stages, celebrity panel discussions and autograph sessions, nostalgia tours, classic car cruises, commemorative merchandise and so much more!
Commemorative Merchandise
The Buddy Holly Estate in partnership with the City of Lubbock and Lubbock Convention & Visitors Bureau partnered to develop a broad public relations and promotional campaign. Strategic partnerships and commemorative merchandise were a foundational element of these efforts. Successful milestones that contributed toward awareness and recognition of Buddy's tremendous contribution to rock 'n roll included a limited edition Gibson Guitar, an official stamp from the U.S. Postal Service, a commemorative silver coin, numbered pieces of artwork from Paul Milosovich, a special edition Coca-Cola bottle, apparel and much more.
Wholesale Travel Agreements
Buddy Holly fans across the United Kingdom and Europe had long been requesting specialized tours and events for avid fans. In anticipation of commemorating Buddy's 60th Birthday celebration, the Convention & Visitors Bureau partnered with JetLife Holidays and Continental Airlines to develop 5 and 8 day tour itineraries to Buddy's hometown. Exclusive package components included private meet and greets and autograph sessions with artists, celebrities and family members, priority seating, commemorative merchandise and much more.
Media Tours
With Holly's posthumous Grammy nominations, media interest in Buddy Holly surged domestically and internationally. In addition to serving as an interview scheduling hub for Maria Elena Holly, the Crickets and other key celebrities, the Convention & Visitors Bureau sponsored U.S. and U.K. media tours. Schedule included multiple BBC interviews, events at the original Cavern Club and The Beatles Experience in Liverpool, press events and more.
PR & Media Relations
Fan and media interest in Buddy Holly has consistently generated a steady stream of press inquiries over the years. Incoming media representatives frequently partner with the Convention & Visitors Bureau to connect directly with Holly's family members, band mates and notable celebrities like "Peggy Sue." Likewise, the CVB served as an on-location partner to secure filming permissions at local and regional historical sites that commemorated milestones in Buddy's career. The CVB took the lead in press releases announcing significant events honoring Holly's accomplishments and legacy. Among them were a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1997 Grammy Awards and the commissioning of the Buddy Holly Walk of Fame and corresponding annual announcements of celebrity inductees.
Buddy Holly Historical Tour
The Buddy Holly Historical Tour was a 10-stop guided tour aboard the unforgettable and nostalgic "Holly Trolley." On-board monitors featured a custom-produced video tour showcasing stories and insights from Holly's past including performance clips as well as interviews with bandmates the Crickets, family members, acquaintances and fellow musicians from the era like Carl Perkins and Waylon Jennings. Colorful tour guides in 50s attire provided on-board entertainment and ensured that every guests experience included unique photo opportunities and memorable moments.
Partnership Marketing
With a broad footprint of noteworthy musical influence, events honoring Holly throughout the U.S. and internationally were frequent. Perhaps one of the most well-know of these is an annual show commemorating the 1959 Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clearlake, Iowa. The original evening delivered an electric performance, but was the infamous final event - determined by a mere coin flip - of the young rock icon. The evening featured Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, Dion and the Belmonts, Waylon Jennings and more, and was later immortalized by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died." The Buddy Holly Music Festival was an ongoing partner with the Winter Dance Party, and enjoyed a longstanding reciprocal relationship with organizers.
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