The “Smackanistas” Eli and Morgan join Kristian Rauhala in New York City for a press tour to promote PEAR Sports and the launch of the Square One.
When Eli told me that we would be going to New York City to meet with the major health and fitness magazines and editors to introduce PEAR Sports with Co-CEO and Founder Kristian I was so excited about the assignment that I nearly forgot that it was also my first trip across the country. I’ve been working with several of these incredible people for almost a year and was looking forward to putting faces to the names. However, the full picture set in as Eli and I discussed outfits, weather and plans throughout the week–yes, the women of SMACK! were ready to drop the PEAR bomb on the big apple!
The trip itself was a very successful 48 hour whirlwind. We accomplished all of our plans and met with everyone we intended to including Eli’s family members (two brother-in-laws plus a twin brother), highlighting the SMACK! importance of true face to face PR even on a family level. Meeting with the magazine editors from Runner’s World, Health, More, Fitness, Men’s Journal, Shape and Self and watching Kristian present the Square One and Training Intelligence System was extremely gratifying for both of us as we have worked very closely with PEAR Sports from the initial development to launch, inclusive of branding, copywriting, web site development, photo shoots, packaging, social media and of course, PR. This truly was the Square One coming to life!
In between meetings, we power-walked through the streets of Manhattan resulting in plenty of accidental sightseeing: Rockefeller Plaza, Radio City Music Hall and The New York Stock Exchange. Kristian picked out a hip little hotel called The Time located in Times Square and in prime location for an evening of people and city watching. The red eye flight hit us hard and none of us stayed up past 11 pm in the city that supposedly never sleeps. This left us refreshed and energized for another round of power meetings the following day.
While my best memories are the learning experiences I had during the press tour meetings and an amazing lunch at Le Pain Quotidien in Bryant Park, Eli’s remains amazed at my constant consumption of huge black and white cookies and cupcakes! We both quadrupled our typical coffee intake during the trip and like true California girls, we couldn’t wait to slip back into our sneakers and yoga pants for the plane ride home back to our families and sunshine!