Concreteloop.com had the opportunity to spend its July 4th weekend at the 2011 Essence Music Festival in the cultured city of New Orleans, Louisiana. With the Ford Motor Company as a major co-sponsor of the nation’s largest annual music festival, many people were able to have a special experience and celebrate African-American music and culture.
More than 422,000 attendees from all over the country were able to experience the Essence Music Festival through interactive giveaways, contests and entertainment at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, thanks in part to the Ford Motor Company Stage. Thousands of EMF goers entered to win a set of keys to a brand new 2012 Ford Focus as well as other exciting prizes like an ipad, $100 VISA gift card and more.
Best of all, visitors of the Ford Motor Company Booth had the opportunity to test drive various 2012 Ford car models! One of Concrete Loop’s contributors, Christine Imarenezor, got a chance to get behind the wheel and test drive the 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid! **Pictured above: Ford Brand Ambassadors, Erica & Dale.**
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During the 3-day music festival, many celebrities like Boyz II Men, Lloyd, Steve Harvey, Chaka Khan, Boris Kodjoe, Tina and Mathew Knowles, Tank, Kem and Eric Benet stopped by the Ford Stage to interact with festival attendees and fans. CNN’s Roland Martin made a little appearance and danced the ‘Wobble’ with the audience.
And of course, the Essence Music Festival was a big party in the Louisiana Superdome as thousands of EMF goers danced and sang along to their favorite main stage performers. Artists like Fantasia, Chaka Khan, Kanye West, New Edition, Mary J. Blige and Trey Songz brought live energy to the enthusiastic crowd. Many other artists like Miguel and Tank performed in the Superlounge, the festival’s secondary stage. You can find highlights and more info on the Essence Music Festival performances on EssenceMusicFestival.com.
Just wanted to give a special thanks to the Ford Motor Company team and everyone behind the Ford Motors Essence Music Festival experience. In the top picture (from left to right) we have: Chuck Morrison, Executive Vice President of UniWorld, Shawn Lollie, Multi-Cultural Marketing for Ford Motor Company and Robert Bell, Account Director of Uniworld. In the bottom picture, we have Michelle Matthews-Alexander, Multicultural Communications for Ford Motor Company, Shawn Lollie and Carla Smith of Ford Communications. Thank you all for making this year’s Essence Music Festival an unforgettable one!
To learn more about the latest Ford models as well as to see what Ford Motors is up to in the black community, visit FordUrban.com!
Concreteloop.com had a chance to hit up the backstage Essence Music Festival VIP Lounge. Check out our previous posts where many familiar celebrity faces made appearances!
