August 2018 - The 5: SOMOS 2018
After presenting a talked about event in 2017 with more than 25,000 in attendance, SOMOS is back to do it all again. New Mexico Entertainment Magazine took a moment to ask 5 questions to the organizers of the event and learn more about what’s in store.
How did the idea for SOMOS come about? The vision of SOMOS began out of a deep, abiding love for Albuquerque. That vision is to illuminate every good thing we know Albuquerque to be with an eye towards cultivating meaningful opportunities for community connection and pride of place.
What is your goal with the event?
By shining light on everything our city has to offer we hope to contribute to the magnetism that is necessary to retain, recruit and repatriate emerging and established talent in Albuquerque.
What lessons have you learned from the first event that will affect this year's SOMOS? We learned a lot from our inaugural SOMOS event. Some lessons learned will impact the way we are planning this year’s event including the need for a more secure perimeter, gate entry enforcement, ticket pricing and sales and an increase in sponsorships.
Who is the team behind SOMOS? The SOMOS coordinator team is made up of five citizen organizers who are in love with our city and hope to see it evolve into a more successful and desirable place to live: ● Stephen Segura - Creative Director ● Cailyn Kilcup - Experience Director ● David Silverman - Development Director ● Julia Mandeville - Artistic Director ● Christopher Schroeder - Managing Director In addition to these five coordinators, there is a team of partners from the Albuquerque community including members of young professional and civic engagement groups, arts, culture, tech and entertainment organizations, food, beverage and hospitality, business and nonprofit sectors, communications, marketing and tourism industries who have the same vision for the city.
What do you want the attendees of SOMOS to walk away with? We want our attendees to leave the festival with pride of place. We want them to feel as much love for this city and its people as we do. SOMOS is a one day festival, but we want the impact to be year-round. Attendees will be exposed to new restaurants, artists, small businesses and people and we hope that this exposure can increase awareness and traffic into local businesses and create a more close-knit community.